Page 135 - Successful Onboarding

122 • Successful Onboarding

study of the nature and power of social networks in business contexts, most
companies have not devoted significant attention and resources to drive
relationship building. Moreover, management has neglected the special
social needs of one group that requires support more than any other:
New hires.
We commonly hear from management the idea that “relationships
happen.” Although this is true, empirical evidence also suggests that com-
panies can stimulate relationship building, just like it can acculturation,
and reap the rewards. The point is to facilitate, hasten, and optimize the
process and in this way generate new value. New hires need to make the
right connections, and they need to do so in a timely fashion—before they
have a chance to pass judgment on their decisions to join their firms.
To better nurture relationship building, firms should go beyond the
scattered half-measures currently in place and embrace structured social
programs that start very early and unfold progressively over the first year
of the new hire’s tenure. These programs should embrace both profes-
sional and personal networking, help new hires build networks both inside
and outside the firm, mobilize stakeholders throughout the firm, includ-
ing senior leadership, and also include provisions to ensure that new hires’
families are comfortable.
Imagine how much you could affect productivity and retention if your
new hires were connected to all the right people sooner; better understood
the backgrounds, roles, and expertise of those people; and if they and their
families felt generally happier and better adjusted in their lives. As an
added benefit, this relationship stimulus not only helps satisfy new hires’
social needs; it also helps drive the acclimation and strategic orientation
processes outlined in other chapters. Everything working together as one
system—that is onboarding at its best.

Relationships and Networks:
A Look at the Evidence

Five friends from the same college who moved to Washington, DC for
their first jobs got together for Sunday brunch. All had been transitioning
into their jobs over the past two to three months, so naturally the conver-
sation settled on their first professional experiences. Of the five, three were