Onboarding and Psychological Empowerment: Creating More Creative and Committed Teams

The Importance of Onboarding for Organizations and Employees

In today's workplace, organizations are constantly challenged to improve employee performance and reduce turnover. An effective onboarding program can be the key to achieving these goals. This article explores how onboarding, combined with psychological empowerment, can transform the employee experience and benefit organizations.

What is Onboarding?

Onboarding is the process of integrating new employees into the organization and helping them understand the company's vision, mission, and culture. This process not only accelerates the employee's adjustment, but also addresses their basic needs, such as training, feedback, and networking opportunities within the company.

Benefits of effective onboarding

According to Lavigna (2009), a well-structured onboarding program that includes communication about expected performance, training, feedback, and networking opportunities can significantly improve employee performance and reduce turnover. Bauer (2010) suggests that it takes about 90 days for employees to fully adjust to a new position, and good onboarding can facilitate this process, improving employee satisfaction and performance.

Onboarding and Psychological Empowerment

Psychological empowerment is a key concept in improving employee motivation and performance. Conger (1988) defines empowerment as a motivational concept related to self-efficacy, while Thomas (1990) describes it as intrinsic motivation manifested in four dimensions: meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact.

Research has shown that psychological empowerment can improve employee creativity and performance (Spreitzer, 1995). In the context of onboarding, psychological empowerment acts as a moderator that can amplify the positive effects of the onboarding process on the creativity and performance of knowledge workers.

Components of effective onboarding

Bauer (2010) identifies four stages in the onboarding process that are essential for familiarizing employees with the organization:

Compliance: Education about policies and regulations.

Clarification: Explaining roles and performance expectations.

Culture: Introduction to the organization's philosophy, norms, values, history, and traditions.

Connection: Opportunities to build relationships within the organizational structure.

Impact on Knowledge Workers

Knowledge workers are critical to an organization's innovation and creativity. Effective onboarding can help these employees better understand their role and integrate more quickly into the work environment, fostering an environment in which they can be more creative and productive.

Caldwell (2014) found that when employers foster relationships based on trust and commitment, employees exhibit greater creativity and innovation. This underscores the importance of creating an environment that supports creativity from the beginning of employment.

Psychological empowerment as a moderator

The relationship between onboarding and psychological empowerment is critical. Psychological empowerment can increase the effectiveness of onboarding by helping employees feel more competent, empowered, and able to make a positive impact on the organization. This, in turn, can improve employee creativity and performance.

Onboarding is a critical process for integrating new employees and helping them adapt to their new work environment. Combined with psychological empowerment, onboarding can not only improve employee satisfaction and performance, but also foster a more creative and innovative work environment. Companies that invest in effective onboarding programs are better positioned to retain their talent and achieve greater business success.

By prioritizing onboarding and psychological empowerment, organizations can create a work environment where employees feel valued, motivated, and prepared to contribute meaningfully to the organization's success.

Referencia Bibliográfica

Chenji, Kalaa & Sode, Raghavendra. (2021). Onboarding Effect on Employee Creativity: The Moderating Role of Psychological Empowerment. Journal of Information & Knowledge Management. 20. 2150046. 10.1142/S0219649221500465.