more in tune with prevailing technological
and market trends''. Bridges (1994, p. 12)
defines this as ``a form of resiliency and it
manifests itself in the ability to quickly let go
of the outdated, learn the new and bounce
back from disappointment''.
Transferability of competencies is an
important characteristic of an individual's
human capital. Transferability is defined as
how portable or organisation specific an
individual's competencies are (Baker and
Aldrich, 1996; Bird, 1996). Individuals who
possess highly transferable competencies are
not organisationally bound, but are
marketable and possess the potential to be
used in many organisations. Sullivan et al.
(1998) suggest that such individuals are
characterised by adaptability to changing
work environments, they have ``self-designing
careers'' in that they can re-organise their
competencies to fit the needs of the
organisation. In contrast, individuals with low
transferability are less employable because
they are bound to their present employer's
organisation specific competencies whichmay
not be effective in other employments (Hirsh
and Jackson, 1996). They possess extensive
organisational knowledge, skills and abilities
and they focus on developing competencies
related to their current position.
Technical excellence
Schein (1978) argues that traditional career
strategies resulted in individuals moving
away from technical positions into more
general positions. Feldman (1996) considers
this to be an unwise strategy in a context of
remaining employable. He argued that ``lack
of updated technical competence is a
significant drawback for individuals who on
a daily basis, have to make informed
operational decisions''. He postulates that
positions generating little discernible value
are likely to be eliminated during
downsizing; managers who are primarily
engaged in non-observable activities with
infrequent tangible output are highly
vulnerable in times of downsizing; and
individuals working across a range of
activities, but mastering none, may find their
positions in danger. The general conclusion
is that for individuals to be employable they
must maintain technical excellence in one
activity.
Excellent performance
To remain employable it is considered that,
at minimum, an employee must give the
impression of performing above average. The
research generally highlights that
individuals are usually made redundant on
the basis of job performance. Feldman (1996)
suggests that ``being only an average or