Professional Socialization in STEM Academia and its Gendered Impact on Creativity and Innovation

Professional Socialization In Stem Organizations

When new staff members join an organization, they are immediately confronted by its internal structures and value systems. The subsequent process of professional socialization requires them to internalize the particular values, norms and symbols of the work culture (Hanappi-Egger, 2004; Hanappi-Egger & Warmuth, 2010) in order to become an accepted expert in the field. In general, each occupation has its own set of norms, values, characteristics and attitudes that are expected of its members (Schein, 1978). Those not conforming to the professional culture are discarded at an early stage of their career (Dryburgh, 1999), either by exclusion or self-exclusion² (see also Hanappi-Egger, 2012a for the example of female IT specialists who abandon their chosen professions). Newcomers who wish to remain in an organization must demonstrate their sense of belongingness to the professional culture and their close identification with it. McIlwee and Robinson (1992) claim that conformity is achieved both through interaction and impression management (which describes the appearance of conformity to organizational culture rather than actual conformity). It is assumed that people whose personal value systems closely accord with organizational values can more easily adapt than those whose value systems are at variance. To act against one’s self-understanding clearly entails costs in terms of energy and effort.