This dissertation will investigate information-seeking behavior by newcomers to organizations. Five primary tasks must be accomplished before a newcomer can become an insider--task mastery, role clarification, acculturation, and social integration. Information is essential for accomplishing these tasks. It is argued that newcomers who initiate the exchange of information will adjust more rapidly and more effectively than those who passively wait for information to be delivered. In this study, 250 newly hired auditors in five large accounting firms will complete written surveys assessing information seeking and various facets of socialization at three time points. The results will contribute to understanding the newcomer in socialization processes. Socialization research has traditionally focused on organizational activities, and newcomers have been portryed as fairly passive recipients of organizations' influence. This dissertation will make an important theoretical contribution by focusing on the role of information, and information transmission, in the socialization process. Further, it will enhance our understanding of information seeking, particularly the different forms of seeking and the implications that this activity has for the seeker.
