978-0078029165 Chapter 9

Chapter 09 – Career Development

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CHAPTER 9

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Objectives.

After reading this chapter, you should be able to

1. Describe the new changes taking place in the workplace and what implications these

have for individuals and organizations.

2. Define organizational career development and the reasons for understanding career

development.

3. Understand the importance of integrating career development programs with other

organizational systems (e.g., training, selection, recruitment).

4. Identify the steps in designing career development systems.

5. Describe the components of career development systems.

6. Understand how to design career programs for various target groups of employees such

as fast-track employees, entrenched employees, supervisors, executives, women,

minorities, employed spouses and parents, repatriates, and others.

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CHAPTER 9 – SUMMARY

I. Overview

A. The traditional employee-employer contract has changed

B. Generation Y employees will have 15 to 25 jobs over their lifetime

C. A career is a series of lifelong work-related experiences and personal learning

D. Both employees and employers need to be focused on career needs

II. Definitions

A. Career means more than just advancement in an organization

1. Career has both and internal and an external focus

B. Career planning is becoming more aware of one’s own skills, interests, values,

opportunities, etc.

1. Focus on employability

2. Take control of your career

3. Develop skills of self-assessment and career planning

4. Set clearly defined career goals

5. Maintain a technical specialty

6. Build a reputation

7. Develop collaboration skills

8. Develop networking and peer relationships

9. Continuous learning for adaptability and flexibility

10. Solicit feedback

11. Commit to lifelong learning

B. What Should Organizations Do?

1. Provide employees with tools and opportunities

2. Create environment for continuous learning

3. Provide opportunities for self-assessment

4. Provide additional training

5. Train managers as coaches and mentors

6. Encourage employees to create individual development plans

7. Help employees strike balances between work and nonwork lives

8. Use rewards that support career development

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i. Statement of organization’s career policy

ii. Description of career options

iii. Strategies for obtaining career information

d. Internet based career services are available

C. Individual Counseling

1. One-on-one counseling sessions

2. More time consuming option

3. Generally provided by HR, Training, or Career Departments

4. Managers and supervisors can be trained to be counselors

D. Information Services

1. Used to alert employees of opportunities at all levels

2. Job-posting systems

a. Promotion from within is a High Performance Work Characteristic

b. Important that all employees have access to postings

c. Postings should include

i. Minimum requirements of the job

ii. Describe the decisions making process

iii. Inform applicants when and how the job was filled

3. Skills inventories

a. Comprehensive records of employees’ work histories, qualifications, etc.

4. Career ladders and career paths

a. Map out steps and qualifications necessary to proceed to the next level

b. Identification of “fast track” employees

c. Implementation of multiple or dual-career paths

5. Career Resource Centers & Other Communication Formats

a. Library to distribute career development materials

1. Methods for evaluating employees’ potential for growth and development

2. Assessment Centers

a. 43% of surveyed firms use assessment centers as part of career development

b. Provide in depth developmental feedback on strengths and weaknesses

3. Psychological testing

a. Written tests and questionnaires determine

i. Vocational interest

ii. Personality types

iii. Work attitudes

b. Includes Myers-Briggs, and Big-Five personality factors

4. Promotability forecasts

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a. Early identification of individuals with exceptionally high career potential

b. Use 80% rule for internal auditing

5. Succession planning

a. Review of top executive talent and identification of backups

b. Creates a “talent pipeline”

c. Useful at all managerial levels

d. Critical for small businesses long-term success

e. Involves examination of long and short term plans

f. Creates a positive impact on organizational results such as profitability

g. Benefit in increased commitment and retention

h. Programs need top management support

F. Developmental Programs

1. Consists of skills assessment and training programs

2. Job Sampling

3. Mentoring, establishing relationships between jr. and sr. colleagues or peers

a. Meta-analysis results support mentoring

4. E-mentoring

a. Research identifies advantages and disadvantages associated with e-mentoring

vs. face-to–face

b. Technology advances allow for efficient and cost effective way to mentor

VII. Career Programs for Special Target Groups

A. Fast-track employees – organization identifies “stars” and give them rapid and

intensive developmental opportunities

B. Outplacement programs – assist terminated employees in making the transition to

new employment

1. Higher levels of outplacement support had a greater likelihood of reemployment,

and higher salaries in new jobs

2. Also important to provide assistance to survivors of downsizing

1. Offer buyouts

2. Provide portability of benefits

3. Provide ongoing career counseling

4. Offer tuition reimbursement

5. Implement staged retirement programs

6. Allow job rotation

7. Plan for phasing out jobs vs. elimination

8. Emphasize importance of learning throughout organization

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9. Encourage thinking about career planning

10. Extend portability of medical coverage for 18-24 months

D. Supervisors and career counselors – should be trained as career coaches and mentors

to help subordinates develop and implant their career plans

E. Executive coaching – practical, goal-focused form of personal one-to-one learning for

executives

F. Programs for women, minorities, and employees with disabilities – providing

additional feedback, educational opportunities, counseling, and career management

to meet unique needs of these groups

G. Programs for New Employees (Early Career Issues)

1. Employee Orientation Programs

2. Socialization Programs

3. Executive onboarding

H. Programs for Late Career and Retirement

1. Training supervisors on changing demographic of the workforce, laws, stereotypes,

and strategies for dealing with loss of older employees

2. Pre-retirement workshops

3. Flexible work schedules

I. Programs to Improve Work-Family Balance

1. 90% of working adults expressed a concern about not spending enough time with

family

2. Policies on Hiring Couples and Relocation Assistance

3. Work-Family Programs designed to help employees manage work-family role

conflict

4. Flexible Work Arrangements

a. Flextime

5. Maternities and Paternity Leave

6. Child-Care and Elder-Care Services

7. Effectiveness of Programs

a) Increase employees’ loyalty

i) Reducing turnover

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1. High turnover rates for repatriates

2. Adjustment problems, dealing with reentry shock

3. Placement in assignments commensurate with position

4. Repatriation “advocates”

5. Provide ongoing career management

6. Practices should reduce stress

7. Repatriation should begin a year before the return

VIII. Summary

A. Career development programs should be integrated with existing HR programs

B. Employees should have access to career planning information

C. Planning should be consistent with the organizations strategic plans

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CHAPTER 9 – IMPORTANT TERMS

Career Development System – formal, organized, planned effort to balance individual career

needs with those of the organizational needs.

Career Management – involves preparing, implementing, and monitoring career plans

undertaken individually or with the organization’s objectives in mind.

Career Planning – deliberate attempt by an individual to become more aware of his/her skills,

determine their strengths and weaknesses and necessary steps to reach career goals

Competency remeasurement – skills are redefined and measured differently

Cost-reduction strategies – same work fewer resources

Downsizing – jobs eliminated

Delayering – jobs reclassified

Mentoring – consists of establishing formal relationships between junior and senior colleagues

or peers

Outplacement programs – assist terminated employees in making the transition to new

employment

Performance related pay – compensation linked to performance criteria as a motivator

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Reorganizations – organization refocus on core competencies

Skills inventory – company files of data on skills, abilities, experiences, and education of current

employees

Socialize – means to provide new employees with the necessary knowledge, skills and

behaviors to become effective employees at a specific organization

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CHAPTER 9 – DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Should organizations adopt formal career development policies and programs? How do

these programs affect their ability to be flexible in terms of staffing? How do they

influence their ability to recruit employees?

Corporations can’t afford not to have formal career development policies and programs.

2. What would you say to those who argue that establishing attractive career programs for

employees will only enhance their own marketability and enable them to leave the firm

faster?

Answers will vary, however, they should address the changing demographics of the workforce

3. What is the role of EEO in career development? What is the role of the training or career

staff in designing and implementing career development programs?

The increasing rate of litigation concerning employment opportunity through laws such as the

Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the

1991 Civil Rights Act, and the Equal Pay Act has placed more responsibility on companies to

avoid discrimination in their career development programs. Since there are few women and

minorities who occupy middle and upper management positions, compliance with EEO will

Chapter 09 – Career Development

1. Needs: The first step is for the HR staff to identify where the problem areas are, what

the desired end state is and how to obtain the solution.

2. Vision: The second step is, to identify what the ideal career development system is. It is

recommended that middle managers or those who will be mainly responsible for dealing

4. Recently, the role of managers has changed and today more are being called to be career

“coaches” for their employees. What suggestions would you give to managers about

what the new role involves? What is they say they don’t have time to be a career coach?

How would you convince them that this role is critical today for retaining today’s

workers, especially Gen Y workers?

Career coaching takes an active involvement in the career development system. This includes

understanding the organization’s strategy and core competencies so that the implementation

of career development is an organizational capability for competitive advantage. Using

employees to their fullest potential and satisfaction will improve organizational effectiveness.

5. Describe several career development programs that would be useful for individuals

planning on making a career or job change. Suppose they have worked in one field for 7–

10 years (e.g. engineering) and have decided to switch jobs (e.g. to consulting ). How

should they prepare for this change?

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Some commonly used programs for development include assessment centers, job rotation

programs, in-house training programs, tuition-refund plans, and mentoring. Developmental

assessment centers can be used to provide feedback on individuals’ strengths and weaknesses

across a wide variety of supervisory/managerial competencies (e.g., interpersonal skills,

6. What is the value of self-assessment for individual career planning and organizational

career management? Why should employees seek feedback from others regarding their

job performance and career plans? How could performance-appraisal information (360–

degree appraisal) be used to assist individuals in career development?

Many organizations simply do not have the resources to completely plan individual careers.

This leaves the responsibility of career planning up to the individual. Self-assessment allows for

individuals to do their own career planning and provides information about their abilities and

competencies. Moreover, many forms of self-assessment provide information about an

7. Why is it important to integrate career development programs with other programs in

organizations (e.g., performance appraisal, training, selection, compensation)? Offer

some suggestions for how this can be done.

Chapter 09 – Career Development

The integration of career development programs with other HR programs allows for the

employees’ needs to be merged with those of the company’s human resource needs and

business objectives. Good business planning needs to include all HR systems and not just the

traditional focus on marketing and finance. Today’s organizations cannot solely rely on

technology since competitors often use the same technology and method of production.

needs in terms of incumbents, ready replacement, and future replacements.

8. Should organizations make special efforts to deal with career-family issues through part–

time work, job-sharing, flextime, relocation assistance, and other programs? Should they

also have special programs in place for employees who are not married nor parents?

Given the demographic changes in the workforce, companies would be well advised to institute

programs like these for competitive advantage. Especially since it has been found that the part–

time work, job-sharing and flextime are the most effective in terms of increasing retention and

9. With the increasing number of organizations experiencing downsizings and layoffs, it has

become critical that they have career programs in place to assist out placed employees.

What suggestions would you offer for the types of assistance that are needed in

outplacement programs?

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Ideally, the assistance would start before the employee was let go. Gradually phasing jobs out

by reducing hours, freeing up employees to either go to classes for training or job seeking,

while providing an income and benefits during the process seems to be one of the best ways of

10. Companies are increasingly expecting their employees to take international assignments,

and yet they are not providing much career development for them while they are away

and when they return. Why is it important to do? What recommendations would you

offer?

Since 15 to 40 percent of expatriates leave the company after returning home, companies are

losing valuable and skilled employees because the companies did not do a good job of

repatriation. For the transition to be successful, the following career development could help

11. How can companies use career programs to retain their most talented employees? How

might these differ for the various generations at the workplace (e.g. gen Y, Gen X, Baby

Boomers, Traditionalists)? What career programs would keep you employed at a

particular firm?

Answers will vary.

With more information regarding the career plan within an organization, employees will have a

better idea how to use their skills to further their career path. Development and training can

12. During troubled economic times (e.g. financial crisis), what advice would you give to

today’s workers so that they could continue to thrive in their careers?

Chapter 09 – Career Development

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manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.

Individuals need to see career as a series of lifelong work-related experiences and personal

learning. The more flexible and adaptable you are the more employable you will be. To thrive

you need to take control of your development, focus on employability, and understand the

importance of networking and reputation building.