The relatively low
informal contact reported by ethnic minority employees may be worrying, considering the
significance of the social dimension of socialization found in previous research (Ostroff &
Kozlowski, 1992; Thomas & Anderson, 1998). Social knowledge can be essential to gain
knowledge about other aspects of the working environment (Feldman, 1976). In practice,
concerning the findings for ethnic minority employees, this means that socialization
practices in ethnically diverse organizations should include more opportunities for
personal relationships in the workplace.