Career decisions are at the core of the career literature. Most current career theories focus on how career decisions are enacted and, in the end, realized. However, empirical evidence shows that ...people often do not realize their career desires. For instance, many people who have turnover intentions stay in their organization, and people with entrepreneurial desires often turn out to be wantrepreneurs (i.e., people who talk about starting a business without doing anything to realize it). Although structural barriers sometimes inhibit people from realizing a desired change, there are also indications that people often do not even mobilize into action, or give up prematurely, when trying to realize their career desires. This explanation, however, has rarely been acknowledged, let alone studied. To address this gap, we develop a theory of career inaction. We define career inaction as the failure to act sufficiently over some period of time on a desired change in one's career. Building on the psychology of doing nothing, we explain why and when career inaction may occur and how it can impact people, even in the longer run. Our propositions may guide career researchers to think about and include career inaction in their future studies.
The aim of this study was to gain empirical insight into how organizations' human capital composition (in terms of both uniqueness and strategic value) affects the way they design and implement their ...career management policies. We formulate our hypotheses based upon conflicting assumptions found in the careers literature and the talent management literature. Organizational-level surveys administered to the HR directors of 306 companies located in Belgium provided the data for the study. Our basic assumption - in stark contrast to prevailing assumptions in the careers literature - was that the more importance organizations attach to continuity in light of their human capital composition, the more they will adhere to 'traditional' models of career management (i.e. strategic, paternalistic, bounded and formalized). Our study yielded mixed findings. Both threats of qualitative (value) and quantitative (uniqueness) human capital shortages were found to be important determinants of importance attached to continuity as a career management goal and, consequently, of an organization's approach to career management. We argue that the careers literature might take lessons from the talent management literature by acknowledging the fact that careers serve strategic functions for organizations, whereas the talent management literature might build on insights from the careers literature on the mechanisms by which to retain and engage individual career actors.
The current article tests a longitudinal model of the process of proactive career behaviours and career success with two samples of graduates making the transition from college to work. Using ...structural equation modelling, we tested a theoretical model that specified the relationships between career progress goals, career planning, networking behaviours, and career success. A longitudinal panel study was conducted within two samples using a 3‐year (sample 1) and 1‐year (sample 2) time lag between the first and second data collection. The results support the process model and suggest that at graduation, career planning is affected by the goal of making career progress. In turn, career planning is positively associated with networking behaviours. Both career planning and networking at graduation are positively related to career planning and networking 1 year later (sample 1) but in sample 2, in which a 3‐year time lag was used, these relationships were no longer significant. Support is found for the relationship between networking during the early career and objective and subjective career success. The findings are discussed in terms of their general implications for understanding the proactive career behaviour process through which graduates affect their career success during the first years of their professional career.
A protean career attitude is considered as an important determinant of career success in the contemporary career era. In this article we test a model in which we specify the relationships between ...protean career attitude, career self-management behaviors, career insight, and career success outcomes (career satisfaction and perceived employability). A survey was conducted among a sample of 289 employees. The results support the idea that a protean career attitude is a significant antecedent of career success and that this relationship is fully mediated by the development of career insight. The implications of these findings for understanding the process through which career attitude affects individuals’ career success are discussed.
Purpose: Sustainability intelligence is critical for the prosperity of societies worldwide, for conservation of the natural world, for achieving future business success and for the credibility of the ...concept of sustainability itself. This study aims to present the concept of sustainability intelligence by expounding on three proposed enablers shaping this concept -- self-awareness, global perspective and societal consciousness. The main point of this paper is to conduct inquiry into the topic, gather information on enablers for sustainability intelligence and share that information with readers. Design/methodology/approach: This study collected information from a pool of respondents to answer this research question: "Which enablers are imperative to pursue sustainability intelligence?" By using a sustainability intelligence questionnaire (SIQ), the authors argue why these enablers could bring about large-scale sustainable transformation and new insights about sustainable practices. The SIQ consists of 15 statements from strongly disagree to strongly agree, with five scale points, exploring the three enablers. Findings: The findings show that the respondents gave the greatest importance to societal consciousness, followed by global perspective and then self-awareness as important enablers for sustainability intelligence. In line with previous studies, it is worth noting these enablers have reciprocal reinforcing relationships. While the proposed enablers for sustainability intelligence could prove a helpful catalyst, the authors believe it is necessary to secure an ongoing incisive critical approach towards enablers and competencies needed to positively impact the sustainable development goals. Research limitations/implications: We acknowledge there are some limitations using the current methodology. There is for example no control group. Also, this survey was only a-posteriori. It would be useful to execute a survey before the start of the academic year. Although we received some qualitative feedback linked to our research questions, it would be useful to add more in-depth qualitative research, by executing interviews with students. With these limitations, we recognize some room for improvement in our methodology. Originality/value: This paper explores the wider practical implications of the sustainability intelligence enablers. The further development of the SIQ which might serve as an instrument that provides individual reports that highlight their unique skills and opportunities to shape a better world.
Opening Minds for a Career with Impact De Vos, Ans; Jacobs, Sofie; Vangronsvelt, Kathleen ...
Journal of management education,
04/2024, Letnik:
48, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
This article provides an overview of the Global Leadership course, a 6-credit course integrated within the curriculum of all advanced master programs of Antwerp Management School and designed to ...align with the school’s overarching mission. The course challenges and facilitates students in developing their leadership as a basis for making career choices, explicitly framing it within a global perspective and focusing on sustainability. The course is built on the belief that career development should not occur in isolation. Rather, it should be interwoven within the societal context in which careers unfold, bringing opportunities and challenges. Concretely, students work in diverse cross-program groups on an Action Learning Project addressing one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Further, students follow a track within their program focused on personal development, culminating in the submission of a Personal Development Paper in which they integrate all course experiences as a basis for developing a vision of their career. Through this holistic approach, students develop career competencies beyond considering the “why, what, and how” of work but are stimulated to consider the broader societal context.
In this study, insight is given into the temporal nature of psychological contract‐related information seeking during organizational entry, by examining how the frequency of information seeking ...changes across the first year of employment for a sample of 280 newcomers. We examined the pattern of changes in the frequency of information seeking from four sources (supervisor, co‐workers, mentors, and other newcomers) and about two content dimensions of the psychological contract (organizational inducements and employee contributions). We also investigated if information‐seeking behaviours were related to the evaluation of the psychological contract and whether these relationships changed over time. The data were analysed using Latent Growth Modelling. The results indicated that information seeking about the psychological contract decreases significantly over the first year of employment, with the exception of information seeking from supervisors, indicating that for different targets of information different information seeking patterns exist. Employees seek more information on organizational inducements than on employee contributions. We found a positive association between information seeking during the initial weeks after entry and evaluations of psychological contract fulfilment after 3 months, but changes in information seeking after this initial period were not associated with changes in psychological contract fulfilment. Finally, we found that younger newcomers engaged more frequently in information seeking from co‐workers and other new hires compared to older newcomers. Implications for theories on psychological contract formation and future research are discussed.
The prominent role of competency development in enhancing the success of employees and organizations has drawn the attention of practitioners leading them to introduce competency development as a ...central part of their human resource practices. Unfortunately, this strong managerial interest has not been fully translated into the academic world, creating a gap between theory and practice. The main purpose of this study is to fill this gap by exploring the nature of competency development in 22 Flemish organizations through a longitudinal multiple case study design. By using a grounded theory approach, a framework has emerged mapping out the different steps of competency development in the participating organizations. As such, this study can be an important first step toward closing the gap between practice and theory concerning competency development in organizations.
Competency development and career success De Vos, Ans; De Hauw, Sara; Heijden, Beatrice I. J. M. van der
Journal of vocational behavior,
10/2011, Letnik:
79, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The present study aims to unravel the relationship between competency development, employability and career success. To do so, we tested a model wherein associations between employee participation in ...competency development initiatives, perceived support for competency development, self-perceived employability, and two indicators of subjective career success (i.e. career satisfaction and perceived marketability) have been specified. A survey was conducted among a sample of 561 employees of a large financial services organization. The results support the idea that employee participation in competency development initiatives as well as perceived support for competency development is positively associated with workers' perceptions of employability. Moreover, self-perceived employability appeared to be positively related with career satisfaction and perceived marketability. A full mediation effect was found for the relationship between participation in competency development initiatives and both career satisfaction and perceived marketability, while a partial mediation effect was found in case perceived support for competency development was the predictor variable. The implications of our findings for understanding the process through which individuals and organizations can affect subjective career success are discussed.
► We model the relationship between competency development and career success. ► Employee participation in competency development relates to career success. ► Perceived support for competency development relates to career success. ► Self-perceived employability mediates these relationships.
Purpose - Career self-directedness is a concept that has gained widespread attention in the literature on new careers and managerial thinking about contemporary career development. In a related ...sense, the topic of employee retirement has become popular in both the academic and managerial literature. However, to date, career self-directedness has not been studied in relationship with older workers' retirement intentions. The purpose of this study is to test a model of the relationship between career self-directedness and retirement intentions, mediated by career self-management behaviors and engagement.Design methodology approach - A survey was completed by 271 employees older than 45 working in five organizations. The average age was 53, and 59 percent were female. Participants had been with their current employer for an average of 16 years, and 58 percent of them worked fulltime. The survey included measures of self-directed career attitude, career self-management behaviors, engagement and retirement intention.Findings - Results indicate that engagement and career self-management behaviors fully mediated the relationship between self-directed career attitude and retirement intention.Originality value - This is the first study to address career self-directedness in relationship with retirement intentions, thereby considering the mediating role of career self-management behaviors and engagement. As a result, this study contributes to insights in the validity of career self-directedness as a predictor of career development using a sample of employees different from the main body of studies using samples of employees in their early career stages. Moreover, it sheds further light on the retirement process by including an individual career attitude and intermediating variables viewed as important to understand contemporary organizational behavior.
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