The Socialization of STEM Professionals Into STEM Careers: A Study of Newly Hired Engineers

Abstract

The Problem. Recently there has been a growing interest to increase the number of people entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. One of the major problems with this "supply-side" model is that it sees STEM workforce development narrowly as one of inputs (recruitment) and ignores the practice of STEM work, which affects the retention of professionals in STEM careers. The Solution. Informed by recent research and theory on career development, we studied the work experiences of newly hired engineers in one organization. A key finding is that a major part of their experiences involved organizational work and social dynamics outside of what many considered to be "real" engineering work. We propose that these experiences provide important insights for the education and retention of STEM workers. The Stakeholders. Faculty in higher education that prepare STEM workers, managers in organizations that hire new STEM workers, and aspiring STEM workers.

Reclaiming the social in socialization: A practice‐based understanding of newcomer adjustment

“…Newcomer sensetesting was valuable to newcomers, allowing them to discern how well they understood and implemented organizational practices. Previous research reveals new employees, who are also new to the workforce, in general have less confidence when faced with uncertainty (Korte, Brunhaver, & Zehr, ). Hence, sensetesting was especially valuable for less experienced newcomers, who wanted to check their intended replication of practice met expectations.…”

“…One such pathway is via informal learning through relationships with colleagues. Both newcomers and insiders should be encouraged to develop relationships through social activities, such as going for coffee or lunch together, chatting at the “water cooler,” or getting involved in external social events (Cooper‐Thomas & Anderson, ; Korte et al, ). Newcomers may need encouragement to proactively initiate opportunities to build relationships in the workplace (Ashford & Black, ), with both coworker and manager support enabling proactive behavior (Kammeyer‐Mueller et al, ).…”

“…As the work environment and technology can enable or constrain sensemaking, to encourage interaction and learning HR should, where possible, physically locate newcomers amongst employees in similar jobs and identify useful local mentors, assigning to them the task of assisting the newcomer (Hatmaker, ; Korte, Brunhaver, & Sheppard, ). A local mentor or buddy will assist the newcomer learn not only the formal tasks and responsibilities of their role, but also the unwritten organizational politics and policies, and social norms (Korte et al, ). Managers can structure tasks to be interdependent, thus promoting productive interaction between insiders and newcomers as they work together to achieve common goals (Cooper‐Thomas & Anderson, ).…”

“Beyond an acronym, STEM is…”: Perceptions of STEM

“…For instance, sometimes there is a STEM knowledge mismatch between the subject knowledge of degree holders and the subject knowledge they need to perform their jobs (Bayer Corporation, 2014). Similarly, it has been noted that a key part of STEM careers involves organizational dynamics and social behaviors outside of what is considered typical STEM knowledge and skills (Korte et al., 2019). Likewise, in education, students’ knowledge of STEM and STEM careers can have an impact on their future career decisions (Nugent et al., 2015; Zhang & Barnett, 2015).…”

Exploring professional roles for early career engineers: a systematic literature review

“…Such frameworks might be valuable instruments to increase students' awareness of the engineering practice, and foster reflection of the future self. As the early career experiences are a major influence on individuals' career decisions, which affect their well-being, career development, and continuance in a profession (Korte, Brunhaver, and Zehr 2019), this study focuses on professional roles for early career engineers in particular. However, this article can also be a potential resource for research on career development in any stage of the engineering career.…”