Abstract
M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)
The primary aim of this research project was to determine whether induction has
an influence with regard to establishing a favourable organizational climate with
the new employee. Two organizations were used for this research, the one with a
well-planned induction programme and the other with no induction programme at
,all. The two orqanizations correspond well with regard to service conditions,
fringe benefits and working hours and the administrative personnel of both were
used as experimental subjects. The latter included both males and females and
they were further divided according to qualifications and age group. The organizational climate questionnaire used for collection of the data, is that of Litwin and Stringer. Gelfand (1972) redeveloped the questionnaire for a South African application. The questionnaire measures nine dimensions that provide objective information regarding organizational climate. Altogether 122 questionnaires, 65 at organization A and 57 at organization B, were used for the final interpretation. The following hypothesis was made: An organization that employs a well-planned induction programme will create a more favourable organizational climate with the new employee than would an organization
that does not employ any induction programme at all. In order to determine the significant differences between the two research groups, t-tests were conducted. It was expected that new employees who have followed a well-planned induction programme would from the start, reflect a more positive image of the climate within their new organization. However, with the exception of three dimensions, confirmation could not be obtained for these initial expectations. A global comparison between the two organizations also did not indicate any real differences between the two research groups.