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The predominant model in organizational socialization theory and research centers on the organization's use of tactics to structure newcomers' experiences. Despite numerous criticisms and mixed research results, scholars continue to obscure three fundamental features of organizations' role-sending efforts during employee entry:(a) the content of messages accompanying socialization tactics;(b) the influence of informal, unofficial, and at times unsanctioned tactics; and (c) communicative relationships with role-set members. This dissertation reviews research on organizational socialization, identifies communication phenomena associated with formal and informal socialization experiences, and proposes three competing models that seek to explain the role of communication during socialization. The three models were tested through a study of 85 newly hired managers' socialization experiences at a major hotel …