Trilogy, an Austin, Texas-based company, runs and operates Trilogy University (TU) that is designed to turn the company’s new hires into highly productive employees. The boot camp, just like that of any other company, achieves two important goals, which are preparedness and bonding among the new recruits (Tichy, 2001). The boot camp is successful because of its successful implementation and use of various aspects of effective employee engagement via organizational culture and alignment of workers via on-boarding practices. Engaged employees love their work, are passionate about it and the organization, and are motivated to report to work every day. TU uses Trilogy’s culture to enhance the engagement of new hires in various ways. Its purpose is to help the new hires develop skills, relationships, and values. For instance, innovation and creativity are some of the most important aspects of the company’s culture. It actively encourages the two elements through the use of TU project, which improves the engagement of the employees as it provides them with the chance of getting noticed and have their ideas taken up by the company.
On-boarding is the process through which new hires are helped to adjust to the social and performance aspects of their new jobs (Bauer, 2010, p. 1). TU uses a formal on-boarding strategy to help Trilogy’s new hires to adjust. Its structure contains all the four C’s of on-boarding, which are compliance, clarification, culture, and connection. According to Bauer (2010, p. 2), compliance, which is the first of the four C’s, involves teaching the employees the basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations. Clarification, which is the second C, includes ensuring that employees are aware of and understand their new jobs and their related expectations. Culture is the third C and includes providing the employees with a sense of both formal and informal organizational norms (Bauer, 2010, p. 2). Connection, which is the last of the four C’s, refers to the interpersonal relationships and information networks that the new employees must establish to succeed in the organization.
Passive on-boarding, high potential on-boarding, and proactive on-boarding, also referred to as level 2, level 2, and level 3 respectively, are the three levels of on-boarding that companies can use to help facilitate the adjustment processes of their new employees (Bauer, 2010, p. 3). A formal passive on-boarding program only addresses compliance and some aspects of clarification while high potential on-boarding addresses compliance, clarification, and some culture and connection aspects of the new job.
TU uses proactive on-boarding. It addresses all the four C’s of on-boarding during the formal program. For instance, clarification is ensured during the first month in the program when the new hires are divided into groups according to the professions. Connection is also provided during the program. The program helps develop acquaintances and interpersonal relationships among the new hires. Additionally, it helps develop trust, bonds, and horizontal networks that link the employees throughout their careers in the company. TU’s formal program also instills the aspects of the company’s culture in the new workers. For example, month one of the program stretches the new employees beyond their points of failure to instill the value of humility. Creativity and innovation are the critical values taught during the first month. Various aspects of the company’s culture are also instilled in the new hires during the first month of the program. For example, the culture of teamwork, interpersonal relationships, and trust are instilled when new employees are divided into groups.
Trilogy’s “Boot Camp” on-boarding has various similarities and differences with my on-boarding experience. TU’s on-boarding program helps the company’s new employees prepare for their new jobs and bond with their fellow employees. My on-boarding experience was similar to TU’s program in the aspect mentioned above. It helped me prepare for my new job and also provided me with a chance to bond and develop interpersonal relationships with my fellow newly-hired employees. The relationships have been and continue to be of immense importance during my career at the company. However, TU’s on-boarding program instills various values such as innovation, creativity, and humility, which were absent in my on-boarding experience. My company’s on-boarding program is structured only to accelerate the ability to perform and contribute to the organization and to set out performance objectives. Additionally, TU’s program helps enhances Trilogy’s renewal and transformation while my experience only prepared me to fit into the company.
The use of on-boarding as a force for renewal and change and the involvement of top management in on-boarding are the two practices within Trilogy’s on-boarding process that companies need to improve engagement and alignment of new employees. Management’s involvement ensures that the process does not involve needless complexity, which, according to (Effron & Ort, 2013, p. 44), is one of the barriers to building and managing talent. Needless complexity makes the achievement of on-boarding primary goals and objectives difficult and may result in unpreparedness and lack of bonding among the new employees. Management’s involvement also ensures transparency and accountability. It makes it possible for members of the management team to communicate with and provide feedback to the new employees concerning their performance. Such communication improves the performance of the employees (Effron & Ort, 2013, p. 45). Management’s involvement also ensures that the goals, objectives, strategy, and expectations of the company are clear and that they are well explained to the new employees (Olson-Buchanan & Boswell, 2009, p. 54). The use of on-boarding as a force for renewal and transformation of the company would improve the engagement and alignment of new employees in various ways. For instance, it would encourage creativity and innovation among the new employees. The employees would feel recognized for their roles as the agents of organizational change.
- Bauer, T. (2010). On-boarding New Employees: Maximizing Success (1st ed.). SHRM Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.shrm.org/about/foundation/products/documents/on-boarding%20epg-%20final.pdf
- Effron, M., & Ort, M. (2013). One Page Talent Management (1st ed.). UNC Executive Development.
- Olson-Buchanan, J., & Boswell, W. (2009). Mistreatment in the workplace. Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell.
- Tichy, N. (2001). No Ordinary Boot Camp. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2001/04/no-ordinary-boot-camp/ar/1
