So You're New Again

In this summary you will learn

• How to grasp the dynamics of a new job
• Why the culture of the new position is more important and more complex than the tasks
• What 12 steps to take to assimilate without alienating the culture or offending the decision makers

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Why you should read So You're New Again

Authors Elwood F. Holton III and Sharon S. Naquin, both academics, invested substantial research to produce a little book that might just solve the very big midlife quandaries faced by workers whose jobs have been downsized or exported to another country. People who thought they would never need to take a different job find themselves the new person in a new office again, with no tools to help them cope other than the lessons of the corporate culture they left behind. However, using old cultural information in a new place is the road to disaster, according to the learned authors, who do a fine job of explaining why. Businesses are culture clubs and new hires must learn to get along before they can get ahead. At fewer than 100 pages, this is, nevertheless, a little redundant. Perhaps we need to hear the bell ring clearly, over and over, for the content is useful stuff simply told. For that reason, getAbstract.com recommends this to anyone contemplating a move, to every new hire and to every HR officer as part of the pre-employment package given to all experienced applicants.

About the Authors

Edwin F. Holton III, Ed.D., is professor of human resource development at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he coordinates Human Development programs and directs the Center for Leadership Development. He is past president of the Academy for Human Resource Development. Sharon S. Naquin, Ph.D., directs the Office of Human Resource Development Research at LSU, where she is an assistant professor in that discipline. Their book is part of the Managing Work Transitions Series.