The Influence of Digital Tools on Onboarding

Topic
This study investigates how digital tools influence onboarding in the consulting industry from the perspectives of HR professionals and new joiners. It applies Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) as a psychological lens to explore the impact on autonomy, competence, and relatedness, while Bauer’s 4C Model (2010) is used to understand the practical structure of onboarding processes. The study examines how digital tools influence motivation and integration within a dynamic, high-pressure work environment, where new joiners must rapidly adapt to demanding roles despite limited structured support.

Relevance
In the consulting industry, onboarding is a time-sensitive and resource-constrained process. Due to short project cycles, demanding client expectations, and limited structured support, new joiners must quickly understand their roles, meet compliance standards, adapt to the organization’s culture, and establish networks. To meet these demands, consulting firms increasingly rely on digital tools, raising the question: which onboarding elements can be digitized effectively without compromising motivation or social connection? This study is relevant for HR professionals, onboarding leads, and consulting managers seeking to design structured and scalable onboarding experiences that support psychological needs and foster long-term integration in high-pressure environments.

Results
Digital tools enhanced autonomy by enabling self-paced task management and flexible access to structured onboarding content. Structured learning modules contributed to competence development through explicit, repeatable content. However, new joiners reported that practical applicability was often lacking. While digital tools effectively supported initial interactions, they fell short in fostering the informal, unplanned exchanges necessary for emotional connection and a deeper sense of belonging. HR professionals valued structure and consistency, whereas new joiners emphasized the importance of mentoring and personal exchange. Digital onboarding offered structure but lacked emotional and contextual depth.

Implications for Practitioners
Consulting organizations are recommended to:

• Ensure consistency and clarity in digital onboarding tools by streamlining platforms and providing well-structured, guided content to reduce confusion and promote psychological safety from day one.
• Integrate structured mentoring and informal exchanges to connect theoretical onboarding content with practical consulting tasks and support situational learning.
• Clearly distinguish digital from in-person onboarding elements by assigning activities such as team-building, peer learning, and cultural immersion explicitly to live formats, where they can effectively foster a sense of belonging, trust, and long-term engagement.

Method
This study followed a qualitative research design and is based on semi-structured interviews with HR professionals and new joiners from Swiss consulting organizations. Participants were selected using purposive sampling to reflect a diverse range of onboarding experiences. All interviews were conducted remotely and guided by a consistent but flexible interview protocol, allowing for in-depth individual narratives. The data was analyzed using a deductive coding scheme based on Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, competence, relatedness) and complemented by inductive coding to capture practical onboarding challenges. This abductive approach proved suitable for exploring how digital tools influence onboarding and support the fulfillment of psychological needs.