1. Notice how he defines the potential positive outcomes of socialization (effectiveness, satisfaction) and the potential negative outcomes (anomie, alienation, identity problems).   Before reading any further, what can employers do to increase the likelihood of the positive outcomes and decrease the likelihood of the negative outcomes?

2. On pages 199 through 205, he explains a traditional stage model of organizational socialization.  Explain the three stages – anticipatory, encounter, and metamorphosis – in your own words.

3. Look at his discussion of organizational identity on 200-202, in particular, the advice to mangers he gives on 201.  Do you believe that criticism is easier to take if you’ve “bonded” with the organization?

4. On 204 and 205, he argues for the link between identifying with the organization and social communication.  Do you think he makes a persuasive argument?  Why would managers resist it?

For Barge and Schlueter:

1. On 238: How does Stohl define a memorable message?  Translate Stohl’s four arguments about memorable messages into your own words.  What were your memorable messages at jobs you’ve had?  Do Stohl’s four arguments hold true for those memorable messages?

2. On 239: Translate the three research questions into your own words.  How were participants in the study recruited?  What qualified someone to be a participant?  On 240: What were the two open-ended questions each participant was asked?  On 241: What were the six types of information the participants provided?

Before we go on to question 3, we’ll invite folks who’ve had COM 582 to explain the process of coding messages and putting them into content analysis categories.

3.  On 241: Explain how were the messages coded for socialization tactics as follows:  What is the distinction between system and individual orientation?  Between custodial and innovative?  Between rationality and emotionality?  For each of these three dimensions, what were the four possible ways a message could be coded?

4. What were the most frequent types of memorable messages reported by content?  By function?  Does this make sense in terms of your own workplace?  Using their coding schemes, how would you categorize the memorable messages you used in your answer to Question 1 in terms of content and function?

5.  What did the study find regarding context of memorable messages in terms of each of the eight characteristics described in Table 3?  Is the context in which you received the memorable messages you discussed in your answer to Question 1 consistent with these results?

6.  a) Translate their first conclusion (p. 249) into your own words.  What’s the dialectical tension this conclusion suggests?

b) Translate their second conclusion (p. 250) into your own words.  How did Stohl account for a similar conclusion in her earlier study?

c) Translate their third conclusion (bottom p. 251-top p.  252) into your own words.  How do you account for it?

d) Are these conclusions consistent with your experience with the memorable messages you discussed in your answer to Question 1?

For Alexander:

1. Look at the paragraph toward the middle of page 1 that begins “Attitude is king...”  From your vantage point as an employee, do you agree with the Southwest philosophy about paying customers not always being right?  How about from your vantage point as a customer?

2. Read the paragraph immediately below the subhead “Pay Isn’t Everything” on page 2?  Do you agree?  How about with the corollary idea that attitude is more important than experience?

3. As you read the bottom half of the article, think about what the article implies about management imposing a culture on employees.  To what extent is it consistent with readings we’ve done earlier in the semester?

4. What themes do you see this article sharing with Hess?   With Barge and Schlueter?

Go to Reading Guides | Go to Syllabus  | Go to Course Schedule
Go to Assignments |  Go to Irwin's Main Page | E-Mail Irwin