Work in the 21st Century: Career Development Apr 97

The nature and structure of careers is changing quickly, and with that evolution, the area of career development has become more important, and more challenging, than ever. The title of Douglas Hall and Associates' recent book on careers, The Career is Dead-Long Live the Career, captures some of the uncertainty that exists during this period of transition in career definition. This column includes my observations about the factors that are affecting the nature of careers, some of the ways in which careers are changing, how the practice of career development is changing in response, and some of the things I/O psychologists can contribute in this area.

Why is the nature of careers changing?

There are a number of factors related to changing organizational design and structure that are influencing changes in the nature of careers, including the flattening of organizations, increased reliance on teams, the changing nature of the employment contract, and the trend toward leaner companies. As organizations become flatter, there are fewer jobs in middle and upper management, and the opportunity for traditional career advancement through "climbing the ladder" decreases. Many organizations that are becoming flatter are also developing an increased reliance on teams. In some cases, teams are expected to take the place of middle managers, as the team members develop the ability to self-manage. In addition, jobs may be less clearly defined within a team environment, making career planning more difficult for employees used to seeing a linear career path.

The changing employment contract and the drive to be lean are factors that have reduced the stability of a traditional career, as well as affecting morale, loyalty, and employees' expectations. Employees cannot count on long-term commitment from their employer, nor can they necessarily count on their skills being valued in the job market.

How are careers changing?

Careers are changing in a number of specific ways. To name a few, people are less likely to remain in one job or area of specialization, effective performance in many jobs requires continuous learning and acquisition of new skills, people are less likely to remain employed by the same company, and the overall responsibility for developing and enhancing careers is shifting more heavily to the employee. These changes create an environment in which employees must reevaluate their capabilities and career plans regularly, and organizations are less likely to cultivate loyalty and commitment. Careers are more likely to be made up of lateral and diagonal moves; employees and employers alike are more likely to take risks when matching people and jobs, and the need for more creativity and dialogue about how to put employees' talents to use is growing.

The shift in ownership or responsibility of careers and their development is a significant change. The Career Action Center (in Palo Alto, CA) characterizes this transition as employees becoming more "career self-resilient" meaning that employees take more responsibility for, and control of, their careers, and develop resilience to the sometimes negative effects of today's world of work. This organization counsels people and organizations to accept the changing definition of careers and learn to succeed within it.

How are these changes affecting the practice of career development?

Today's practice of career development is likely to include continued development of creative approaches to skill building, more sophisticated assessment and development tools, links to other human resource systems, and increased clarity around providing value to both employees and the company. Some of the approaches to skill building that seem to work well within today's organizations include cross-training and job rotation to provide people the opportunity to develop new skills or enhance existing skills in on-the-job situations, and mentoring programs, which help people develop relationships that can assist their career success and growth. Traditional mentoring programs may assign people with more organizational experience and a higher job level as mentors to newer, lower level employees; given the speed with which organizational structures and needs are changing, mentoring programs may need to take new forms in order to assign mentors who can help employees navigate careers in fast-paced, ever changing organizations (Kram, 1996).

Assessment and development tools are becoming more sophisticated. Many of the assessment tools include multi-rater feedback, while new development tools structure tailored development plans around on-the-job opportunities in combination with formal learning opportunities. In addition, many of today's tools are part of integrated human resource software packages. For example, performance management systems with a career development component reinforce the organization's commitment to the development of individuals beyond the requirements of the job. Training and career development are often linked, as well. Employees receiving feedback on a career-related assessment may be directed to particular internal training programs-all within a single software application.

Most career development programs can be seen to have a clear dual-focus-individual and organizational. Career development programs work for individuals by providing support, career planning services, and learning opportunities. The programs serve the organizations by developing internal talent, supporting succession planning efforts, and working to counter low morale associated with uncertainty and instability. This last factor, countering low morale, may explain some of the increase in interest paid to career development. As organizations become less willing (and able) to offer job security, they are searching for other ways to show the employees that they are valued, and one of those ways is to support employees in their efforts to become and remain competitive and fully employable-inside or outside of the company. Having the opportunity to develop their skills may help employees develop their self-esteem; in Manuel London's recent book on careers, Brockner and Lee (1995) refer to career development as self-affirming.

What can I/O psychologists contribute to career development?

Our knowledge and skills can inform career development efforts in a number of ways, including: creating assessment methods and development tools, assisting in human resource planning activities, identifying career paths, and conducting high quality program evaluation. At the core of career development is assessment of individuals' skills and capabilities. The quality of career advice given is largely dependent on the accuracy and thoroughness of the assessment conducted, and our work in designing assessment tools for skills that are required in today's careers and organizations is critical. Once advice is given, career development programs usually try to help employees respond to identified developmental needs, through guidance, development tools, or a combination of the two. Our work in the area of skill development and learning can help ensure that when people work to develop their skills, they will be more likely to succeed.

Effective career development programs are informed by sound human resource planning. Through planning, companies can identify the skills that will be needed in the future, the areas of job growth anticipated, and existing competencies that will no longer be required. A career development program informed by this type of information can serve employees better by directing them toward areas that the company will need and value, and can serve the organization better by developing internal talent to meet future needs. We can bring our techniques (e.g., future job analysis and work analysis) to human resource planning, and increase the quality of this information.

Another area where our expertise is important is career planning. We can use our knowledge of job design and organizational design to identify logical connections among jobs that can form meaningful career paths. For example, by identifying the skill requirements of multiple job families within a company, we may be able to identify jobs for which a similar requirement profile exists, even if the titles and organizational locations are very different.

Finally, as with any organizational intervention, evaluation of career development programs is important. The programs require significant amounts of employee and managerial time, as well as a substantial financial investment in many cases. We can design evaluation processes to learn what is working well, and what is not, to inform the improvement of the programs and to assist them in delivering the individual and organizational support they are designed to provide.

In the next column, I am planning to focus on the human resource challenges faced by small businesses. As always, I am interested in your ideas and experiences. Please call, write, fax, or e-mail me at: Terranova Consulting Group (formerly Human Resource Solutions) 61-F Avenida de Orinda, Orinda, CA 94563, karen@terranovaconsulting.com. Phone (510) 253-0458, Fax (510) 253-9432.

References

Brockner, Joel and Lee, Robert J. (1995). Career development in downsizing organizations: A self-affirmation analysis. In M. London (Ed.), Employees, careers, and job creation (pp. 49-70). Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Kram, Kathy (1996). A relational approach to career development. In D. Hall and Associates, The career is dead-long live the career: A relational approach to careers (pp. 32-157). Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.