I think the whole scavenger hunt approach is much more manageable as well for organizations that don’t hire en masse.

I wrote a brief article that outlines some ways of using web 2.0 tech in orientation programs that lean more to the informal (although the emphasis was on using technology). Perhaps it will spark ideas for some of your readers: http://www.hrvoice.org/new-tools-for-new-hires%e2%80%a8the-web-2-0-awaits/.

Holly

This is an excellent post and those words are something I always believed. Thanks for highlighting it. Stephen’s process is such a brilliant idea. I can imagine how enjoyable and helpful such an activity can be.

Thanks for sharing,

Sreya

Instead we explained to new hires that “your success depends on understanding how the business works. You have 2 days to find and interview a manager from each of the key boundary partners (we list)”. The new hires are given 5 interview questions and tasked with locating the managers, arranging a meeting (this encourages finding out about internal applications such as iCal, etc). Once they find the managers they ask the following questions:
-What does your dept do
-What are our key objectives
-What are your problems
-How can my dept help your dept
-What advise do you have for me as a new person to the organisation

This activity has become one of the most enjoyable learnings activities during new hire (as noted by new hires…the managers prefer it to presenting also) and has encouraged us to look for more ways to move new hire training out of the classroom.

Thanks for the blog post. New Seasons’ story has generated a lot of positive response, which I believe reflects people’s desire for a work environment that supports learning and not just crams information down their throats.

I didn’t tell the whole New Seasons’ story, of course. Space. Time. And we didn’t discuss their hiring in any detail, which clearly is part of their ‘secret sauce.’ Staffing, actually ‘overstaffing’, practices are a key to their informal learning model. New employees don’t need to perform right away; there are more experienced employees at the ready to do the work and model how things are done correctly.

What are the arguments against informal learning for new hires that you hear?

Guy