Year: 2009
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: This chapter focuses on career development, planning and management from the organisational perspective.It takes the position that there are two parties, the individual and the organisation, that participate in these career developmental processes and benefit from them.In contrast to the vocational psychological perspective (see Chapter 5), which takes more of an individual-level approach, this chapter considers the individual from the workplace organisation's point-of-view.The chapter begins by defining and contextualising the notion of career.It then differentiates among career development, planning and management, and proceeds to examine the many organisational processes and practices that combine to influence an individual's career pathway during his or her working life. THE NOTION OF CAREERA career is not simply a job, but rather a lifelong endeavour comprising behaviours, attitudes and feelings in a developmental process driven by people's work and life goals and moderated by the organisations they work in (Baruch, 2004;Greenhaus, Callanan, & Godshalk, 2000).Thus, the development of a career is a long-term and complex process influenced by those psychological, sociological, educational, physical, economic, environmental and fortuitous factors that converge to shape it during a person's lifetime (McDaniels & Gysbers, 1992).Traditionally, from the organisational perspective, career development for adults was seen clearly as an organisational responsibility, whereby organisations established policies and processes to implement and foster career development, primarily to the advantage of the organisation, and only secondly to the benefit the individual.More recently, increased globalisation of the business world and rapid technological advances have increased competition and forced large scale restructuring on organisations, such as the replacement of full-time staff with temporary and part-time employees, and a movement to flatter organisational structures (Fieldman & Ng, 2007).As a consequence of these organisational changes, many employers are no longer able, or willing, to offer employees traditional support and advancement opportunities that might encourage them to commit to, and remain within an organisation for long periods, or even a lifetime (Gratton & Hope Hailey, 1999).Individuals themselves may also be reorientating their values and goals and be less prepared to travel these traditional paths (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996).In this climate, employees, on the one hand, have been given, and to some extent have sought, increased responsibility for their own career development (Baruch, 2004); whereas on the other hand, employers have become rather more pragmatic and organisationally focused with their developmental activities (Winterton & Winterton, 1999).CAREER PLANNING, CAREER MANAGEMENT AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT Career planning, career management and career development are overlapping terms sometimes used interchangeably in the research literature, by practitioners, and by workers and employers themselves.Both individuals and organisations engage in all three processes, although they have somewhat different motivations, practices and expected outcomes.Here we briefly outline, from the organisational perspective, individual career planning, management and development, in which, nevertheless, it will be seen, the organisation plays a major role.The following section focuses on organisational career planning, management and development which, for convenience, we subsume under the heading of organisational career management (Baruch & Peiperl, 2000).Career planning for the individual is an ongoing, iterative process that involves developing an understanding of one's self and one's goals, as well as becoming aware of the educational and labour market opportunities and impediments to one's expected fit in the world of work.Ideally, it involves informed choices about occupational and life directions (Hall & Associates, 1986;Leibowitz, Farren, & Kaye, 1986).
Source: BRILL eBooks
Authors: Peter Creed, Michelle Hood
Institution: Griffith University
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W107629523