[Excerpt] According to a 2017 study of 588 global executives, only 29% of executives felt that their company properly onboarded for culture. More disappointingly the same study found that 69% of new leaders felt that they had a poor grasp on how the organization works. The need to create best in class orientations is clear. New employees must go from onboarding to integration with the company quickly and seamlessly. With the rise of digital platforms and an increasingly global and remote workforce, traditional orientation practices may not make as much sense as they once did. This report will include best practices for digital onboarding techniques, orientation best practices, and case studies around new and exciting innovations in orientation

Berardocco, Anthony

Ogden, Ivar

English

[Excerpt] According to a 2017 study of 588 global executives, only 29% of executives felt that their company properly onboarded for culture. More disappointingly the same study found that 69% of new leaders felt that they had a poor grasp on how the organization works. The need to create best in class orientations is clear. New employees must go from onboarding to integration with the company quickly and seamlessly. With the rise of digital platforms and an increasingly global and remote workforce, traditional orientation practices may not make as much sense as they once did. This report will include best practices for digital onboarding techniques, orientation best practices, and case studies around new and exciting innovations in orientation.Techniques_to_Ensure_Orientation_to_a_Company_From_a_Cultural_Perspective.pdf: 89 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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What are Emerging and Proven Techniques to Ensure Orientation to a Company from a Cultural and Tactical Perspective?

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11-2018 
What are Emerging and Proven Techniques to Ensure Orientation 
to a Company from a Cultural and Tactical Perspective? 
Anthony Berardocco 
Cornell University 
Ivar Ogden 
Cornell University 
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What are Emerging and Proven Techniques to Ensure Orientation to a Company 
from a Cultural and Tactical Perspective? 
Abstract 
[Excerpt] According to a 2017 study of 588 global executives, only 29% of executives felt that their 
company properly onboarded for culture. More disappointingly the same study found that 69% of new 
leaders felt that they had a poor grasp on how the organization works. The need to create best in class 
orientations is clear. New employees must go from onboarding to integration with the company quickly 
and seamlessly. With the rise of digital platforms and an increasingly global and remote workforce, 
traditional orientation practices may not make as much sense as they once did. This report will include 
best practices for digital onboarding techniques, orientation best practices, and case studies around new 
and exciting innovations in orientation. 
Keywords 
human resources, orientation, new hires, training development, onboarding, digital onboarding, 
gamification, e-learning, learning centers, mobile learning, culture orientation training, virtual reality 
programs, employee onboarding, retention, engagement 
Comments 
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company from a cultural and tactical perspective? Retrieved [insert date] from Cornell University, ILR 
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Anthony Berardocco and Ivar Ogden Cornell University 
Executive Summary 
Question 
“What are emerging and proven techniques to ensure orientation to a company from a cultural 
and tactical perspective?  What are the best-in-class tools to support this orientation?” 
Introduction 
According to a 2017 study of 588 global executives, only 29% of executives felt that their 
company properly onboarded for culture.1 More disappointingly the same study found that 69% 
of new leaders felt that they had a poor grasp on how the organization works. The need to 
create best in class orientations is clear. New employees must go from onboarding to 
integration with the company quickly and seamlessly. With the rise of digital platforms and an 
increasingly global and remote workforce, traditional orientation practices may not make as 
much sense as they once did. This report will include best practices for digital onboarding 
techniques, orientation best practices, and case studies around new and exciting innovations in 
orientation. 
Orientation Best Practices 
Even in online formats, new employee onboarding often looks a lot like the traditional teacher-
centered classroom. This can often lead to disengaged or unexcited new hires. In order to 
combat this there are several techniques that can be used. One method is to encourage other 
employees to tell their own stories either in person or via video.2 This allows new hires to see 
what it’s like for employees to work there and how they too can fit in to the overall broader 
mission. Another is by shortening instruction times to around 15-20 minutes. The new hire 
should be listening to or watching the training content for no longer 20 minutes without 
interacting or taking a break. This leads to the next orientation best practice: encouraging 
learner participation. Learners need to be allowed time and space to share their own story 
(possibly utilizing digital tools).They must be given time to goal set and integrate their unique 
perspective into their new workplace. The final orientation issue is co-worker readiness.3 
Managers and peers need to be ready to onboard and train new hires, just as much as the 
trainers themselves. Peer support is often the most telling indicator of success, and cultural 
understanding. 
Digital Onboarding Best Practices  
In order to reach an exceedingly global and remote workforce, onboarding has gone digital 
(mostly). Below are several best-in-class practices from digital onboarding. 
Gamification - The idea of gamification (or gamifying one’s onboarding experience) has 
become increasingly indispensable to acclimating new employees to the culture of a new 
organization.  Using games and online gaming tools to make orientation a fun experience can 
eliminate the tediousness of informational briefings and actually increase retention of new 
hires.4 Research shows that gamification also increases engagement. This was seen at EVault 
Inc. (a San Francisco data storage/recovery firm) which began using gamification as a way to 
keep employees engaged while also contributing to proven increases in knowledge retention as 
well.5 
Learning Centers & E-Learning - Learning Centers are an excellent way to engage new 
employees in training and development, but can be very impractical for remote employees who 
have limited access to resources. E-Learning can supplement physically going to a learning 
center, which can cut costs for the firm while also maintaining engagement for the employee. 
Anthony Berardocco and Ivar Ogden Cornell University 
Research shows that e-learning is just as effective as learning via a traditional classroom (while 
controlling for same conditions for both traditional classroom and e-learning).6    
Mobile Learning Platforms - Mobile learning is a “bite-sized” way for employees to learn on-
the-go. It is recommended that small, manageable learning modules and/or short videos are 
presented to employees via online platforms that are easily accessible to keep 
learner/employee engaged. It is important not to overload the employee with information not 
appropriate for mobile platforms since knowledge retention, and engagement, will suffer 
equally.6 One example of success in the mobile learning space can be seen in the Vodafone 
example.  Vodafone teamed up with Fuse Universal Ltd. to create a phone application that 
would eliminate barriers to learning for their employees. They found that having “easy access 
has meant increased access”7 to the Vodafone/Fuse learning platform. This new platform has 
had a tremendous impact on engagement at Vodafone in the span of eight months, increasing 
“views per day” from approximately 1,500 to 10,000.7  
Case Studies 
The following case studies are rooted in the best practices above. 
Samsung - In culture orientation trainings, Samsung uses a virtual reality program called VR 
360. It is a virtual reality platform that allows employees to be immersed in Korean culture
without having to travel all the way to headquarters in Seoul, South Korea (Appendix 1). This
approach to onboarding is effective, both in cost reduction and engagement/learning
experience.8 It allows employees to not only understand the international culture of the full
business, but some of the underlying values by which the company operates. Through this
model, Samsung delivers an unforgettable onboarding/orientation experience to new
employees.
Sprint - Interactivity is the cornerstone to Sprint's completely revamped employee onboarding 
program. The new program, called “Welcome to Sprint”, is an interactive software program 
which offers features that accommodate both employees who wish to learn using traditional 
methods (structured, linear learning) and employees who wish to learn at their own pace. The 
software program is user-driven, customizable both for the employee and to individual business 
units, and can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Welcome to Sprint also increases manager 
engagement by sending an email to the manager on the first day, first week and every 30 days 
thereafter. The email informs the manager about the new employees’ progress, providing a 
summary of the training, both where they excelled, and where they may have had some 
difficulties.9  
Conclusion 
There are many ways to increase engagement and retention (both employee and knowledge 
retention) during new employee onboarding/orientation. It is vital that each organization 
develops its own unique digital methods for orientation, but it is also important to keep the 
experience simple. Employees want to feel at home in their new place of work no matter where 
they sit. A strong and effective orientation program can do just that. 
Anthony Berardocco and Ivar Ogden Cornell University 
References 
1. Byford, Mark, et al. “Onboarding Isn’t Enough.” Harvard Business Review, vol. 95, no. 3,
May 2017, pp. 78–86. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=122581987&site=ehost-live.
2. Barnett, Catina. “The Pursuit of an Exciting and Engaging New Hire Orientation.”
Association for Training and Development, ASTD Press, 8 Dec. 2017,
www.td.org/insights/the-pursuit-of-an-exciting-and-engaging-new-hire-orientation.
3. Lawson, Karen. “Orientation or Onboarding?” Main, ASTD Press, 13 Aug. 2018,
www.td.org/newsletters/atd-links/orientation-or-onboarding.
4. Bortz, D. (2017). All Onboard. HR Magazine, 62(10), 44–49. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.cornell.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&A
N=126578908&site=ehost-live
5. Reberts, B. “Gamification: Win, Lose or Draw for HR?” HR Magazine. SHRM.org. 1 May
2014. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/gamification-win-lose-or-
draw-for-hr.aspx
6. Bell, B. (2018). Training Methods and Technology [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from:
ILRHR 6930: Training & Development in Organizations course material, Fall 2018.
7. Fuse Universal. 2015, September 11. How Vodafone Transformed Their Learning
Culture [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPnENqchVDk
8. Skiles, S., & Shafer, B. (2018). The Future of Onboarding Is Here... Now! Training,
55(4), 58–59. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.cornell.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&A
N=130712697&site=ehost-live
9. Smith, M., & Cutshall, C. (2012). Onboarding. Training, 49(5), 56–57. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.cornell.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&A
N=80511713&site=ehost-live
Anthony Berardocco and Ivar Ogden Verizon Wireless Cornell University 
Appendices 
Appendix A 
Anthony Berardocco and Ivar Ogden Cornell University 
Additional Readings 
• Busch, E., Nash, J., & Bell, B. S. (2011). Remote work: An examination of current trends
and emerging issues. Ithaca, NY: Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, Cornell
University
• Contingent Worker Management. 2016. Ithaca, NY: Center for Advanced Human Resource
Studies, Cornell University
• Bell, B. S. (2017). CAHRS Working Group Learning And Development. JPMorgan &
Chase. New York, NY: Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, Cornell University


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What are Emerging and Proven Techniques to Ensure Orientation to a Company from a Cultural and Tactical Perspective?

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