Part II Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development

Transcription

1 Part II Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development This part of the book explores the role of psycho-social career meta-capacities in the organizational context. The global skills shortages have led to an increase in career mobility opportunities for the professionally qualified knowledge worker which has brought with it several challenges for talent retention. The contemporary world of work therefore increasingly witnesses a global war for talent as a consequence of the boundarylessness of careers and greater career mobility and employment opportunities for people with specialized, scarce and hard-to-replace skills (Joāo and Coetzee 2011). Recent research has indicated that the psychological attachment of employees remain important for business leaders in terms of attracting, motivating and retaining key talent (Coetzee and Gunz 2012;Joāo and Coetzee 2011). People s inner work lives, their self-identities, inner career goals, motivations and desires, and the characteristics of their jobs have been shown to influence their attitudes toward their jobs and the organization (Amabile and Kramer 2012; Bothma and Roodt 2012; Hirschi 2012; Lumley 2009; Yuan et al. 2012) because these appear to act as a motivating force that generate feelings of engagement and commitment (Coetzee and De Villiers 2010; Meyer et al. 2012; Oyewobi et al. 2012). A central challenge in enhancing employees commitment and engagement is to create the working conditions that facilitate perceptions of fit or congruence between individuals career self-concepts, values, needs and desires and the characteristics of their jobs (Lumley 2009), and the organization s cultural values, practices and objectives (Lumley 2009; Martins and Coetzee 2011). Although proponents of postmodern career constructivism and life design question the validity of traditional, objectivebased matching approaches linking person to environment in a contemporary career development context, recent research provides evidence that fit and congruence still matter in today s organizational context (Durr II and Tracey 2009; see also chapter 7 by Wilkins & Tracey). However, as illustrated by the contributions in Part I, career practitioners are urged to follow a holistic approach by combining the traditional objective and quantitative career assessment approaches with postmodern subjective qualitative, narrative and constructivist approaches to account for the complexity and demands of the work environment and the career development needs of individuals. 117

2 118 Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development The chapter contributions to this section promote understanding of the psychosocial career meta-capacities that influence employees job and career satisfaction, affective commitment and engagement, and hence their decision to stay to leave. In chapter 7 (Person-environment fit and vocational outcomes), Kerrie Wilkins and Terence Tracey review the literature on definitions of congruence and the relation of interest-occupation congruence with different indicators of career satisfaction and productivity. They conclude that although research provides evidence of a moderate relation of interest-congruence and indicators of career satisfaction and productivity, the relation cannot be regarded as minor in importance. Their discussion supports the continued centrality and validity of interest-occupation congruence in relation to vocational outcomes in organizational career development counseling practices. The authors demonstrate that much of the moderation effects are related to several key moderators: how congruence is defined, the presence of prestige, individual interest flexibility, environmental interest constrain and cultural variance. They recommend that career practitioners take into account a client s interest flexibility, cultural variants, and the characteristics of the occupation or major environment when using interest measures. In chapter 8,(Career anchors as a career meta-capacity in organizational career development), Melinde Coetzee and Dries Schreuder review the basic and most recent research literature on Schein s career anchor theory and its relevance to contemporary career development. Being a product of the interaction between the individual and the workplace, the career self-concept (expressed in a dominant career anchor) acts as an important motivational element of people s internal career and their career choices and attitudes. They conclude that the career anchor framework of Schein continues to add value to the practice of career counselling and guidance in today s organizational context. The authors posit that people s career anchors (as a personal resource) act as the lens by means of which individuals interpret and negotiate their career experiences, cope with and adapt to career transitions in an attempt to optimize the person-environment fit harmonics. Based on a review of the research literature, they recommend that career practitioners and managers engage in career anchor profiling and career discussions with employees to increase understanding of the interests, needs, values and motivations that drive the internal career satisfaction, engagement and commitment of employees. Chapter 9 (Exploring the theoretical relationship between psychological ownership and career anchors), written by Chantal Olckers and Yvonne du Plessis, introduces the notion of psychological ownership in relation to employees career anchors. They posit that psychological ownership as a cognitive-affective state of feeling possessive and psychologically tied to material objects (e. g. tools and work) and immaterial objects (e. g. ideas and workspace) along with career anchors contribute to the dynamics of talent retention and contemporary career development in the organizational context. They postulate in their discussion relations between the seven psychological ownership dimensional attributes and the underlying career interests, motives and values of the eight career anchors described by Schein. Their discussion suggests that both psychological ownership and career anchors influence

3 Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development 119 employees affective organizational commitment and job satisfaction and should be considered by career practitioners and managers in retaining talent. Chapter 10 (Career meta-competencies in the retention of employees) by Nadia Ferreira explores the relationship between psycho-social career meta-competencies (psychological career resources, career adaptability and hardiness) and retentionrelated dispositions (job embeddedness and organizational commitment). Being multi-dimensional behavioral constructs, she then discusses these constructs in terms of their cognitive, affective, conative (motivational) and interpersonal characteristics and how these relate to organizational retention practices. Her discussion provides research evidence that individuals psycho-social career meta-competencies influence their retention-related dispositions. She recommends that career practitioners use quantitative career assessment measures to construct employees psychological career profiles comprising these variables in order to inform organizational retention practices. Finally, the themes, research evidence and discussions presented in the chapter contributions demonstrate the relevance of person-environment fit in contemporary career development. The notion of person-environment fit is regarded as a cornerstone of the field of vocational psychology and research provides extensive evidence of its continued centrality in the organizational context (Durr II and Tracey 2009). The discussions by the various authors suggest that contemporary organizational career development practices need to take cognizance of the personal variables (interests, career anchors, psychological ownership, career adaptability, hardiness, psychological career resources, job embeddedness and organizational commitment) that influence the fit harmonics with the organizational environment. However, career practitioners and managers need to realize that the combined effects of mergers, downsizings, evolution of technological advances in an information- and knowledge-driven economy, job restructurings, and new organizational designs have a profound impact on organizational career pathing practices. In many organizations it may become increasingly difficult to formulate individual career plans that are based on a consistent path of jobs. The 21st century workplace requires of employees to be more proactive, flexible and adaptable, boundaryless and protean in the ways they attempt to manage their movements along a career path that has the potential to shift (or be eliminated) at any given time (Greenhaus et al. 2010). Optimal person-environment (job, occupation, organization) fit or congruence may increasingly be more difficult to achieve in the 21st century workplace. Career practitioners need to recognize how individuals psycho-social career meta-capacities (especially their interests and career anchors) and the characteristics of their jobs, occupations and the organizational culture influence their perceptions and experiences of fit. Wilkins and Tracey (see chapter 7) found, for example, that individuals who highly value interest-occupation fit appear to attach higher value to interestsoccupation fit. They further found that occupations that are more constraining than others require greater interest-occupation fit from those in the occupation. Interestoccupation fit also appears to have greater centrality in more individualistic cultures than other cultures. Greenhaus et al (2010) suggest that organizations consider an alternative approach to career path development, one that facilitates the construction

4 120 Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development of realistic career paths for employees that provide them with flexibility in career mobility. Such an approach, for example, defines the various career path options within the organization by actual job behavior requirements (knowledge, skills, behaviors) of families of jobs which are linked to logically possible and cross-functional paths of progression among these job families. Cross-functional paths may help to leverage company or functional experiences into new environments. Such an approach may further expand career mobility opportunities for employees and limit the constraints that may negatively influence the perceived fit between their interests and the occupation, job or organization. Toderi and Sarchielli (2011) suggest that organizational career development must assist employees to be more protean in adjusting to the higher mobility requirements of different work contexts and the more frequent transitions they will have to cope with. On the other hand, organizations need to socialize employees to help them adjust to the new work context and changing job roles. Managing organizational socialization and shifting work-role and -context adjustment may also help to retain valuable staff members. The research literature (as discussed in the various chapters presented in Part II) provides empirical evidence that person-environment incongruence relates, amongst other vocational outcomes, to job and career dissatisfaction, and lower engagement and commitment. In this regard, it appears that the traditional quantitative career assessment measures are still deemed important and useful in order for career practitioners and managers to understand how individuals psycho-social career resources or meta-capacities influence their psychological attachment to the organization. However, given the uncertain and changing nature of organizational career paths and career possibilities in today s world of work, career practitioners need to expand their career counseling and guidance approaches to include assessment and counselling techniques and practices (such as those illustrated in Part I, for example) that enable individuals to become active agents in the design of their careers. Research by Ferreira (2012) shows, for example, that psycho-social career meta-competencies strengthen individuals sense of job embedded fit with the organization. The chapter contributions in Part I also illustrate that the techniques of qualitative, narrative, and constructivist approaches to career counselling assist in developing individuals career meta-capacities. McMahon and Watson (2012) emphasize that career assessment (quantitative or qualitative) should be used in a critical way with the goal to stimulate continued self-discovery, career exploration and self-exploration given the changing and unstable nature of work. The challenges posed by the complexities inherent to the dynamics of contemporary career development require that career assessment becomes less about the instruments used and more about the process in which they are used. Today s career practitioners should therefore complement quantitative career assessment measures that assess person-environment fit with the narrative career counselling processes which value subjectivity, active agency, meaning making, the importance of context and the interconnection of individuals and environments (McMahon and Watson 2012). Employees must increasingly realize that achieving an optimal fit in today s workplace or in one s working life may not be possible and should rather strive for person-environment integration by adapting to shifting work

5 Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development 121 and social role expectations and changes in the person-environment harmonics (Savickas and Porfeli 2012). Career practitioners must therefore focus on helping clients develop the psycho-social career meta-capacities they need to become career adaptable and flexible in terms of their interests and needs. Well-developed psycho-social career meta-capacities enable self-regulated active career agency and the confidence to solve the unfamiliar, complex career-related situations, events and developmental tasks posed by today s working environment. References Amabile, T. M., & Kramer, S. J. (2012). A review of the book The progress principle: Using small wins to ignite joy, engagement and creativity at work. Research Technology Management, 55(6), 68. Bothma, F. C., & Roodt, G. (2012). Work-based identity and work engagement as potential antecedents of task performance and turnover intention: Unraveling a complex relationship. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 38(1), Art. #893, 17 pages. doi,org/ /sajip.v38i Coetzee, M., & De Villiers, M. A. (2010). Sources of job stress, work engagement and career orientations of employees in a South African financial institution. Southern African Business Review,14(1), Coetzee, M,. & Gunz, H. (2012). Careers and retention of staff in the 21st century world of work: Introduction to the special edition. South African Journal of Human Resource Management, 10(2). Art. #505, 4 pages. Durr II, M. R., & Tracey, T. J. G. (2009). Relation of person-environment fit to career certainty. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 75, Ferreira, N. (2012). Constructing a psychological profile for staff retention. (Unpublished doctoral thesis). Pretoria: University of South Africa. Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G. A., & Godshalk, V. M. (2010). Career management (4th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Hirschi, A. (2012). Callings and work engagement: Moderated mediation model of work meaningfulness, occupational identity, and occupational self-efficacy. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(3), Joāo, T. F., & Coetzee, M. (2011). Perceived career mobility and preference, job satisfaction and organisational commitment in the financial sector: An exploratory study. South African Journal of Labour Relations, 35(1), Lumley, E. J. (2009). Exploring the relationship between career anchors, job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Unpublished master s dissertation). Pretoria: University of South Africa. Martins, N., & Coetzee, M. (2011). Staff perceptions of organisational values in a large South African manufacturing company: exploring socio-demographic differences. South African Journal of Industrial Psychology, 37(1), Art. #967, 11 pages. v37i McMahon, M., & Watson, M. (2012). Telling stories of career assessment. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(4), Meyer, J. P., Stanley, L. J., & Parfyonova, N. M. (2012). Employee commitment in context: The nature and implication of commitment profiles. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80, Oyewobi, L. O., Suleiman, B., & Jamil, A. M. (2012). Job satisfaction and job commitment: A study of quantity surveyors in Nigerian Public Service. International Journal of Business and Management, 7(5),

6 122 Psycho-Social Career Meta-Capacities in Organizational Career Development Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career adapt-abilities scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80, Toderi, S., & Sarchielli, G. (2011). The timing of adjustment strategies during work role transition: a longitudinal comparison between newcomers and job changers. In M. Cortini, G. Tanucci, & E. Morin (Eds.), Boundaryless careers and occupational wellbeing (pp.17 29). New York, NY: Palgrave McMillan. Yuan, B. J. C., Lin, M. B. H., Shieh, J., & Li, K. (2012). Transforming employee engagement into long-term customer relationships: Evidence from information technology sales people in Taiwan. Social Behavior and Personality, 40(9),