In the post-pandemic era the implementation of hybrid workplaces has only increased within organisations. Offering the ability to work from home has resulted in increases in both satisfaction and performance on various levels. However, this new trend has brought new challenges for organisations. The onboarding process is crucial for the integration of new employees into the organisation and must be appropriately adapted to this new way of working. The thesis aims to provide valuable insight for organisations on how they can effectively manage organisational socialisation and the onboarding processes for hybrid workplaces. With the goal of effectively integrating new hires into the company culture and their role with a focus on how organisations can best adapt to the new employees' demographical differences during the process. The research was designed by using interpretivism philosophy with an abductive approach. Two Individuals with experience with hybrid work were interviewed in order to investigate the current hybrid work environment. In addition, a survey was distributed that inquired about participants' experiences and expectations of the hybrid workplace and their onboarding process where a total of 136 responses were used in the study. The study found that there exists a disparity between the perception and the reality of the hybrid workplace. The current socialisation and onboarding processes are inadequate for appropriately integrating all new hires into the company. Therefore, companies need to adapt their processes accordingly to generational differences in order to successfully onboard new hires into the hybrid workplace.

This thesis’ original contribution to knowledge is creating the awareness that facilities management (FM) departments and organisations do not consciously socialise external service provider staff into the client workplace and the development of a framework that can successfully achieve this integration. To provide a solid theoretical background for this framework, it reviews current literature on FM, outsourcing, organisational culture, and organisational socialisation. The aim of this study was achieved with the development of the ‘Cultural Fit’ framework which should go a long way in solving the research problem and answering the proposed question. The study was conducted as a qualitative multi-method design. This was selected because there were obvious gaps in socialisation especially in the FM industry. Qualitative methods are believed to provide richer data and this was adopted to begin closing those gaps through the provision of literary data. The research was conducted using the ethnographic approach because of the focus on culture and to maximise the qualitative approach. Interviews and focus groups are the qualitative methods used to collect this data. Reliability and validity are not always easy to verify but researchers have proposed several methods to improve them. This study employs the triangulation of more than one method of data collection, peer debriefing with colleagues, member checks by confirming the initial results during subsequent data collection and a rich, thick description. The major findings of this study are that organisational socialisation can be successful in socialising external service provider staff into the client workplace despite a current unawareness of its use. This study has developed a framework and guide that can be used to achieve this integration if client organisations and service providers work together to socialise external service provider staff.

This thesis aims to examine and analyse the department head's perspective on the onboarding process, as well as the new employees' experience of the onboarding process at a well- established Swedish grocery store. A semi-structured interview, as well as semi-structured focus group interviews were completed in order to gain an understanding of the onboarding process within the organisation. An analysis of the result presents an understanding of the complexities of the onboarding process that the organisation undergoes in comparison to three well- established models on the subject. The models were also used to form the focus group questions and also helped in determining seven themes to be analysed. The organisation garners a complex onboarding process that encompasses both formal and informal processes that aid the newcomer’s assimilation into the organisation. Despite this, there are areas for improvement. Furthermore, despite a functioning onboarding process, different agents have different understandings of when the onboarding process starts.

Nowadays, multinational organisations face the challenge of managing a diverse workforce. The role of diversity has become increasingly important in a world that is influenced by the outcomes of globalisation. Organisations operate worldwide and therefore recruit their employees from all around the world, which leads to diverse workforces. It is essential for an organisation to be aware of differences within the workforce and to manage diversity actively in order to benefit from its positive potential. The purpose of this study is to analyse the impact diversity has on organisations such as IKEA. Especially how the everyday business life is affected by diversity and if the positive or negative aspects prevail. Further, it is investigated how cross-cultural management can be used as a managerial tool to influence and adjust diversity in a certain way. The organisational culture of an organisation was identified as the third important cornerstone in that relation. The researchers presumed a correlation between those three phenomena. The aforementioned assumptions led to the construction of the following research questions for this study: What impact does diversity have on an organisation such as IKEA? and How does cross-cultural management influence outcomes of diversity and what role does organisational culture play in that context? To answer these research questions, an exploratory study was carried out. An abductive approach was chosen that allowed for adding new theories throughout the research process. The data was collected through nine semi-structured interviews with experienced IKEA managers. Additionally, scientific articles and books were used as support to develop theoretical and practical contributions to the fields of diversity, cross-cultural management and organisational culture. The study revealed that diversity has a large impact on organisations such as IKEA. Furthermore, a correlation between diversity, cross-cultural management and organisational culture was identified. The findings led to the conclusion that diversity within an organisation creates the need for cross-cultural management. Organisational culture, in that context, builds a foundation for values and perceptions that are shared by the workforce. Therefore, a strong organisational culture helps to utilize the positive aspects of having a diverse workforce. In the case of IKEA, successful organisational socialisation and institutionalisation function as tools for preserving institutional memory, in terms of values and ethical business behaviour.

This study analyses the process that an IT refurbishing organisation used to socialise 15 IT graduates to the norms of the working world. In addition, 5 IT industry and 2 governmental agency interviews were used, and 60 online job advertisements were analysed to develop a System Dynamic model. The main motivation for this study was to develop a system dynamics model of the graduate socialisation process, in an attempt to understand the cause and effect of practical exposure, to bridge the IT skill-expectations gap. The main source of data for the model was from a-priori coding and content analysis of job adverts, online blogs and reports created by the students, supported by a review of the existing literature. System dynamics modelling and simulation uses computer generated software to test the behaviour of real world cross discipline problems over time (Sterman 2000). System dynamic studies have been conducted in project management, education, engineering, geography, sustainable fuel development and agriculture, etcetera. System dynamics is a flexible approach, as it uses both qualitative and quantitative data to model and address a problem situation, gathering data from intellectual and observation experiences, as well as written and verbal databases. This research advises on the successful integration of IT graduates into industry by identifying the relevant casual relationships. It recognises that graduates are genuinely interested in a career in IT, despite initial difficulties of adapting to a new career. The study was further strengthened by showing that organisational and governmental requirements vary and that they occasionally recruit based on these varying requirements. Primary and secondary data was combined to model a casual loop diagram as well as a stock and flow diagram, which could benefit curriculum advisors in academia, professors, human resource managers in industry and most importantly recently graduated IT graduates. / Magister Commercii - MCom

Magister Commercii - MCom / This study analyses the process that an IT refurbishing organisation used to socialise 15 IT graduates to the norms of the working world. In addition, 5 IT industry and 2 governmental agency interviews were used, and 60 online job advertisements were analysed to develop a system dynamic model. The main motivation for this study was to develop a system dynamics model of the graduate socialisation process, in an attempt to understand the cause and effect of practical exposure, to bridge the IT skill-expectations gap. The main source of data for the model was from a-priori coding and content analysis of job adverts, online blogs and reports created by the students, supported by a review of the existing literature

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced organisations to review their working methods and adapt to the prevailing circumstances. One such change has been the need to increasingly allow employees to be onboarded and work from home. An onboarding process that is only based on digital communication has proven to be less effective and lower the understanding of the work role. Furthermore, the biggest challenge with remote onboarding is often to introduce employees to the organisation's culture and teams. This essay thus aims to describe and analyse remote onboarding in regard to the feeling of connection to the team, based on the perceptions of new employees. The research question for this thesis is thereby: - How does employees experience remote onboarding during Covid-19 and how does it affect the feeling of connection to the rest of the team? The study has an exploratory purpose and is of a qualitative approach. The empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants who have been employed during the pandemic and experienced remote onboarding. The results of the interviews have been analysed on the basis of theories about onboarding, learning and socialisation process. The results of the study show that it is valuable to reflect on how meetings in the digital context can replace the physical meetings. Regarding the design of the onboarding process, it must beensured that the interaction space usually offered on-site must be able to be replaced digitally for a new employee to get a sense of connection to the team. The discussion of the results has also shown that knowledge exchange can be linked to organisational learning, and this is closely linked to certain aspects of how a new employee can adapt to the organisational culture and have a successful remote onboarding and socialisation process.

Le retour d’expatriation professionnelle (repatriation) est une transition psychosociale qui fait l’objet de peu de recherches dans le champ de la psychologie de la carrière. Les données disponibles indiquent que le rapport à l’emploi occupé au retour reste problématique pour nombre de repatriés. L’épreuve du retour semble témoigner d’un « choc identitaire » plus complexe que le seul « choc culturel » décrit couramment dans la littérature : comment expliquer que la majorité des repatriés évoquent des difficultés d’adaptation professionnelle plus grandes au retour d’expatriation qu’à l’aller, alors que pour la plupart d’entre eux, ils retrouvent à la fois leur pays, leur culture, leur langue maternelle, leur famille, leurs amis voire leurs collègues? La recherche de Thèse vise à mieux appréhender des processus et dimensions psychologiques associés à la transition psychosociale du retour d’expatriation professionnelle et en particulier à éclairer la dynamique identitaire et capacitaire en jeu chez les repatriés lors de leur réintégration au travail dans le pays d’origine. Trois études, utilisant des méthodes d’analyse quantitatives et qualitatives, ont été conduites auprès de cadres repatriés après des expériences d’expatriation professionnelle réussie. Ces études soulignent l’importance d’envisager la transition psychosociale de repatriation en prenant en compte des construits psychologiques clés référant à l’ensemble du parcours d’expatriation-repatriation comme les motivations à s’expatrier, le sentiment d’adaptation en expatriation ainsi que les conditions perçues, le sentiment d’efficacité professionnelle, les retentissements identitaires et la tonalité affective au retour. Cette perspective a notamment montré que les motivations professionnelles pour l’expatriation étaient en lien avec un développement capacitaire souhaité par le sujet, qu’il cherche à valoriser à son retour. En conséquence, les tensions identitaires ressenties sont d’autant plus criantes que l’individu perçoit un décalage important avec l’environnement du retour, alors que son projet d’expatriation visait au contraire un meilleur ajustement. Les résultats de la recherche dégagent aussi quelques pistes d’application en conseil de carrière pour accompagner les personnes en mobilité internationale, tout au long de leur parcours d’expatriation-repatriation. / Professional repatriation is a psychosocial transition that has been little studied in the field of career psychology. The data available indicate that after being repatriated, the relationship to the job remains problematic for many people. Upon their return, the stress seems more like a ‘shock of identity’ than a simple ‘cultural shock’ usually described by the literature. How to explain that most repatriates mention greater difficulties for professional adaptation when they return to their country, their culture, their native language, their family, and friends or colleagues that they did when leaving? The present research thesis seeks to enhance our understanding of the psychological processes and the psychosocial dimensions of the professional repatriation transition, focusing in particular on identity and capability dynamics at play among repatriates when they return home. Three studies using quantitative and qualitative methods were conducted with repatriated executives after successful professional expatriation experiences. These studies highlight the importance of the psychosocial transitions of repatriation by taking into account key psychological constructs involved in the entire expatriation-repatriation process, such as the motivations for expatriation, the sentiment of adaptation during expatriation, as well as the perceived conditions, professional self-efficacy, and the repercussions on identity and emotional tone after the return. The approach adopted here found that the professional motivations for expatriation were often based on a desire to learn a new skill or capacity, which the subject tried to showcase upon his/her return. Thus, the identity tensions experienced were greater the more the individual perceived a significant difference with his/her return environment, while they had expected the contrary that expatriation would provide a better fit. The research results provide some suggestions for career counselling to support people in international mobility throughout their experience of expatriation-repatriation.

L’étude conduite porte sur l’exploration de la période d’intégration des nouvelles recrues se reconnaissant une orientation sexuelle homosexuelle ou bisexuelle. A partir d’une recherche qualitative, nous posons l'hypothèse générale selon laquelle les processus d’intégration, de socialisation organisationnelle et de construction des intentions professionnelles d’avenir seraient influencés par la présence de normes hétérosexistes et d’une discrimination perçue au travail, d’une part, et par l’identité sexuelle construite antérieurement dans les différentes sphères de vie d’autre part. Nos données ont été recueilles auprès de douze jeunes se reconnaissant comme LGB, récemment intégrés dans les milieux professionnels de la justice et des transports à l’aide de deux études : l’une conduite avec des entretiens de type récit de vie pour d’étudier le sens attribué aux expériences subjectives avant et pendant la période d’intégration dans l’organisation, l’autre menée et à partir d’entretiens de type IMIS pour mieux comprendre les dynamiques identitaires en analysant les relations subjectives entre l’individu et son environnement Les résultats soulignent que les normes hétérosexistes restent dominantes et montrent la non-neutralité de la sphère professionnelle où les échanges incluent des aspects de la vie privée. Dès l’entrée dans l’organisation les jeunes LGB font face à un dilemme entre la divulgation ou la dissimulation de leur orientation sexuelle qui nécessite un aménagement de l’identité en milieu de travail. Parmi les stratégies de présentation de soi, la dissimulation fondée sur la feinte et l'évitement de l’orientation sexuelle est majoritairement utilisée pour éviter les différentes formes de discriminations et d’homophobie anticipées au travail. / The study focuses on an exploration of the integration time of recently-recruited professionals who identify themselves as homosexual or bisexual. Based on the qualitative analysis, we draw the general hypothesis that the processes of integration, organisational socialisation, and the construction of a future career path that are influenced both by the presence of heterosexist norms and perceived discrimination in the workplace as well as by sexual identity previously built in other parts of life. Our data were collected from twelve self-identified LGB young people who recently recruited in the workplace in the transportation and law using two studies: the first conducted with informal interviews to study the meaning given to subjective experience before and during the integration period in the organisation, and the second built from IMIS interviews to understand better the identity dynamics by analysing the subjective relationships between the individual and his environment. The results highlight that heterosexist norms remain dominant and show non-neutrality in the part of the professional world where the conversations include aspects of private life. From the moment of their arrival in the organisation, the young LGB people confront a dilemma between dissimulating and divulging their sexual identity, which requires identity management strategy handling to tackle different forms of discrimination and perceived homophobia. Among the identity management strategies, dissimulation based on pretending or avoiding of sexual orientation are the strategies that are used in the majority to avoid the different forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation that are anticipated in the workplace.