Page 149 - Successful Onboarding

136 • Successful Onboarding

into small cohorts for different onboarding activities. The technology and
strategy consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton divides its new hire start
groups into teams of five or six for several group exercises and simulations.
As one new hire noted, “I really liked the interactivity of the table teams
and the collaborative work effort. I walked out of orientation knowing four
new colleagues much better.” Not a bad first-day win.
Similar to the program cited earlier at the OCC, Best Buy has seen clear
improvements in the assimilation of its employees through its use of small
groups. The firm breaks its five-day initial orientation program into fixed
groups of 15 to 20 people and then uses these groups as the central struc-
ture of the entire onboarding program. Group members naturally con-
tinue to support one another week in and week out. Groups come back
together at the 6-month mark for a “celebration” event that provides recog-
nition for early achievements and offers a forum for feedback on how well
new hires have been positioned to succeed in their jobs. As the firm has
found, individuals are more likely to ask clarifying questions and voice
concerns in small groups, and they are more likely to create linkages across
functional and geographic divides.
Even if you do not implement small groups, you can still incorporate
something of the small group feel by taking steps to personalize the
onboarding experience. Google gives its new hires a fun, collective iden-
tity by calling them “Nooglers” and lavishing them with special treatment
the first week, including a campus tour, numerous lectures from special
speakers, welcome balloons and bags of chocolate, “Google Buddies” who
answer their technical questions, and special events at which their names
are flashed on a television screen.
Although we caution you against going too far and offering new hires
a premium experience that is at odds with real-life company (i.e., too
much small group attention), taking some steps to recognize new hires
and make them feel special can go far in offering the sense of intimacy
that comes with being part of a small group. 8

Best Principle #7: Leverage technologies.
As with cultural orientation, social orientation benefits from the incor-
poration of new technologies. At management and IT consulting firm
Clarkston Consulting, the onboarding team deploys an online site to stay
in touch with new associates during the months between acceptance of