The socio-technical process of newcomer participation: lessons from a field study

Newcomer participation is fundamental to most organizations yet we have limited understanding of how this process unfolds in real world organizations. In this paper I present preliminary findings from a field study of five newcomers in a research and development laboratory. The findings show that to move from peripheral to full participation newcomers make use of both interpersonal and technological resources available within the organization. In addition to these resources, newcomers’ participation trajectories depend on experiences that they bring with when they enter the organization. These experiences provide templates that influence and shape consequent participation. The findings also suggest that as newcomers participate in a community they influence oldtimers as well as established practices in that community, suggesting that a community of practice undergoes changes as a result of newcomer participation.