How to create an onboarding program that utilizes co-management and self-management principles

Abstract

Self-managed organizations are opposite of top-down leadership. It is typical to be flexible and able to adapt to changes. However, the term self-management is tricky and often misunderstood. A common misconception is that hierarchies and power from supervisors are transferred to employees, and everyone decides what to do themselves. Instead, the power of supervisors shifts to the entire team, and the community takes responsibility for how work is done and achieving set goals. This is called co-management.

Onboarding should always meet the company's needs and there is no exact model for it. Onboarding can be divided into two parts: general onboarding and job-specific onboarding. The main purpose of onboarding is to help new employees adapt to the organization and their tasks as well as possible. Effective onboarding ensures that new employees know their role and can work independently according to the company's culture and values.

Airpro Oy provides ground and passenger services at Finnish airports. Resourcing is centralized in Vantaa, where the shift planning is made. The resourcing team does not have a standardized onboarding program. Onboarding is made differently depending how each trainer seems best. The high turnover of staff during the pandemic highlighted the need for a systematic onboarding program. Over the years, the resourcing team has evolved into a self-managed team.

The aim of this thesis was to find out how to create an onboarding program that utilizes the principles of self- and co-management. The study aims to identify the key elements of successful onboarding, understand self- and co-management, clarify roles and expectations, and explore how these principles could be combined with onboarding. Sharing tacit knowledge and professional development are wanted to be brought into the onboarding program.

The research was conducted as a case study, interviewing the team members. The research results show that creating an onboarding program for the resourcing team would be important, especially from the perspective of tacit knowledge sharing and continuous learning. Team members feel that general onboarding is clear and sufficient in the company. However, there is need for improvement in job-specific onboarding. The study suggests that in line with co-management principles, the team should set goals to become expert and clarify the roles and tasks within the team. Learning from experienced team member is emphasized and starting of mentoring program is suggested.

Future research could be directed to creating an onboarding program, including more research on mentoring methods.

The study started in December 2023 and finished in May 2024.