Week 3 - Blog 2: Organizational Assimilation (Ch. 5)

"The experience of organizational assimilation involves both surprise and sense making" (p. 147). This idea resonates with me because I experienced becoming a both failed and successful "newcomer" when I was younger than I am now. In the transition from being a college student in Japan to a company employee, I faced a big surprise in the new world (the workplace). I think some people know instinctually how to successfully behave or "survive" in the working environment, but I was totally naive and I did not realize how I should have communicated with the people there. My college student-like talk made the senior coworkers upset, but I didn't know why they were upset, so I was uncomfortable when I was a new face in the workplace. On the other hand, I became a successful newcomer when I started college her in the US. Since it was the first time for me living in the US and there is cultural diversity on campus in, of course, an English-speaking environment (my second language), I observed people a lot. It was fun because I'm a curious person, and I could figure out how to assimilate or acculturate myself in the environment. I really like the idea that "one of the more interesting tactics, 'disguising conversations," involves making jokes about people, procedures, or activities and watching to see whether others think they're funny" (p. 148). I with I could have known this idea when I was in Japan. But I think I'm utilizing the tactics in my current life here.