Introduction: Faculty members can provide services in the university in the best way when they have knowledge and awareness of the goals of the organization and their role in determining those goals. Therefore, the organizational socialization of this group at the beginning of entering the university is one of the most important issues to take advantage of this power. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the need for socialization in the new faculty members of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This study was conducted using a qualitative method by semi-structured interviews. For this purpose, interviews were conducted with 6 educational managers and accessible sampling with 10 new academic faculty members, and the challenges and solutions of this field in Zanjan University of Medical Sciences were determined. The data was analyzed using the directed content analysis method. The data were analyzed using the framework content analysis method.
Discussion: The most important problems identified for new academic staff members include: lack of knowledge of work and administrative issues of the university (work processes, rules and regulations, etc.), lack of familiarity with teaching methods and interaction with students, and insufficient ability in this field, and lack of familiarity with the duties of the academic staff.
Conclusion: The findings of the research showed that the existence of a codified and comprehensive program to acquaint faculty members with the structure and function of the university, rules and regulations, priority programs of the university, communication with students and improving teaching ability in the early years of the faculty member's entry into the university is necessary.
Extended abstract
Introduction: Academic faculty members can serve best in the university when they have knowledge and awareness of the organization's goals and their role in achieving them. Therefore, the organizational socialization of this group upon entering the university is one of the most important issues to benefit from them effectively. Organizational socialization is a management process through which people acquire the values, norms, knowledge, and skills necessary to integrate into a society. The lack of socialization of academic staff members upon entering the university will lead to problems such as ineffective teaching, research, and therapeutic activities, and will cause work-related stress, ultimately resulting in weak organizational performance and efficiency. For this reason, organizational socialization has recently received significant attention in the organizational literature of universities. The purpose of this study was to identify the need for an organizational socialization program among the new faculty members of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences by examining the work problems of this group.
Method: This study was conducted at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences using a qualitative method and the content analysis approach. In the first step, a literature review was conducted to identify the problems of new faculty members. In the second stage, based on the results of the previous step, a guide to open-ended questions was designed and given to several officials and faculty members other than the participants in the interview for validation. Finally, minor amendments were made to the open-ended questions of the interview guide.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with educational managers and new faculty members of the university to determine which issues in the process of work at the university are ambiguous for new professors and cause disruption in the workflow, and suggestions were also collected. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured manner. At the beginning of each interview, the research objectives were explained to the participants, and with their permission, the interviews were recorded. Before concluding each interview, the participants in this research reviewed the manuscripts to ensure that the writings were complete in terms of content, thereby increasing the validity and acceptability of the data. To comply with ethical issues, participation in the study was voluntary, and confidentiality of information was guaranteed. The interview questions were reviewed and checked by 3 experienced professors in the field of research. To analyze the data, the text of each interview was studied several times, and the findings were summarized. The data obtained from the interviews were reduced using the content analysis method, and a structure and system were applied to it.
Results and discussion: A qualitative interview was conducted with 16 experts in the educational affairs of the university as well as new faculty members. The most important problems identified for the new faculty members include: lack of knowledge of work and administrative issues of the university (work processes, rules and regulations), lack of familiarity with teaching methods and interaction with students, lack of familiarity with the duties of the academic staff, and lack of familiarity with the structure of the university. According to the interviewees, the best solution was to implement a comprehensive program to fully familiarize the faculty member with the structure of the university and the relevant rules and regulations. Many of the interviewees listed the holding of empowerment courses as a solution to solve the problems of academic staff members. In line with the results of this study, a study titled "Examining the socialization of new faculty members through the cultural lens" explored new faculty socialization in Vietnam. This study showed that the institution has few strategies and activities to help new academics integrate into the work environment. From the organizational culture perspective, various factors influence the socialization process and are considered fundamental, including norms for teacher trainers and hierarchical culture within the university.
Conclusion: Developing a comprehensive program and utilizing mentoring relationships can aid in the organizational socialization of new faculty members. Organizational socialization, structures, and social norms governing the conditions of each university provide social health and growth opportunities for the faculty members working in it, and consequently for the students. In addition, effective methods of recruitment and socialization are necessary for the continuation of the work of faculty members; socialization will increase the quality of education and retention of faculty members in the university. Various studies have emphasized that one of the best ways to prevent problems in the activities of faculty members is through the correct organizational socialization process. Therefore, considering the unique position of universities and higher education centers in society and based on the results of this study, it is suggested that universities of medical sciences have a comprehensive program to acquaint faculty members with the structure and performance of the university, rules and regulations, communication with students, and improve their teaching ability in the early years of entering the university as faculty members.