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Organizational socialization: between tactics and practicesResearch on how organizations socialize individuals largely relies on the work of Van Maanen and Schein (1979), who define six major organizational socialization (OS) tactics. The literature suggests that these tactics are key organizational variables in the sense that they encompass all the important actions that organizations can implement to socialize newcomers. Furthermore, the consequences of OS tactics have been studied in a variety of work settings, and consistent empirical results suggest that such tactics have a strong and systematic impact on several socialization outcomes. This article suggests that OS tactics and practices are conceptually different, although they have been empirically confounded. The results sustain that socialization practices have a direct and significant impact on socialization outcomes. Also, we found that socialization tactics are related to socialization outcomes only when appropriate practices are implemented. In other words, we develop a contingency approach of the effects of OS tactics, which challenges and complements the traditional view of OS tactics.