Loud Thinking

3 People to Talk to When You’re New on the Job

When you start at a new company, there is so much new information that it’s difficult to know where to focus. Here are three important sources you don’t want to overlook:
Frontline employees. People who develop and manufacture products or deliver services can familiarize you with the organization’s basic processes and relationships with key customers.
Integrators. Colleagues who coordinate interaction across functions (think project or plant managers) can tell you how different areas mesh—or don’t. They can shed light on the true political hierarchies.
Natural historians. Keep an eye out for “old-timers” who have been with the firm for a long time. They’ll be able to teach you about the company’s mythology and the roots of its culture.

Adapted by HBR from The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded.