“I can’t hear you, you’re muted” – Socialization in virtual communities of practices- A case study of how newcomers’ transition into a new organization is affected by a virtual onboarding process

Abstract

Previous literature on onboarding processes has had its point of departure in physical settings. To contribute to further research on the subject of onboarding, this paper investigates onboarding in a virtual setting. Viewing the virtual onboarding process as a social practice through the perspective of communities of practice (CoP) and, particularly, virtual communities of practice (vCoP) provide new insights into the significance of knowledge sharing and socialization. The paper uses a qualitative approach and is based on a case study, where data was collected through 28 semi-structured interviews with newcomers, managers, and HR professionals. The case organization is publicly owned, operates in a knowledge-intensive sector, and has primarily operated in a virtual setting since the outbreak of COVID-19. Due to this, several newcomers have been onboarded virtually, making it a suitable case for this paper. By using a vCoP lens to analyze the collected data, the paper shows that socialization is essential for transferring tacit knowledge to virtually onboarded newcomers due to their few informal interactions with other employees. The paper further identifies three different social factors that create and develop vCoPs, where knowledge sharing occurs: newcomers’ initiatives, managerial initiatives, and mentorship. A dynamic environment facilitates knowledge sharing. This paper also reveals that experience within technological tools is essential for dynamic interaction to occur. A lack of this can have consequences for long-term innovation and, ultimately, business competitiveness.