Successful organizational socialization from a sales management perspective in a business to business organization

Employment dynamics within the Finnish forest industry are bound to go through change resulting from external forces such as digitalization, globalization and an aging workforce. This places pressure on the industry to attract capable talent while organizations will need to hire and train new employees for future organizational success. Organizational socialization is an integral link between the newcomer and the organization during the first months which influences integration and success of new employees. Onboarding which is often related to organizational socialization has been under researched in academic literature while practitioner literature offers some direction. This qualitative case study considers the impact of sales management principles of sales strategy, customer relationship management and sales technology on organizational socialization to discover which elements should be included in the onboarding process from a sales department perspective in a business-to-business organization. A research-based model of onboarding was utilized as a basis for this study. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted within the case organization. This thesis indicates that there are three distinct factors that influence successful organizational socialization which should be considered when developing onboarding programs. First, previous industry and competitive environment knowledge accelerate organizational socialization. Second, there are numerous internal organizational factors that influence onboarding. Finally, sales strategy, customer relationship management and sales technologies should not be neglected when developing onboarding programs. The impact of sales management principles on newcomer self-efficacy, role clarity, social integration and knowledge of culture is complex and requires attention when developing onboarding programs that socialize new employees. In conclusion, this thesis provides much needed research and insight on the potential methods to develop and achieve onboarding outcomes. When socializing new employees, increased support is needed for those who do not have previous industry experience and increased structure assists in clarity. The onboarding program should have a longer scope than anticipated which clarifies targets to the newcomer. Sales technologies assist in information gathering as well as customer management but adoption stems from user-friendliness, organizational promotion and willingness to learn. Finally, sales mentors are valued and should be utilized during socialization of new employees