Headnote
The nature of work, organizations, and careers has evolved significantly in the past decade. In the wake of these changes, career-development research and implementation have languished. This article addresses this dearth of discourse and practice from the perspective of human resource development (HRD). The authors suggest a framework for reintegrating career development into the HRD function and offer specific learning activities better suited to the needs of individuals and organizations in this turbulent environment. Recommendations for future action are provided.
Keywords: career development; boundaryless careers; protean career; informal learning
Although career development remains one of the established focal points of human resource development efforts, it seemingly has been overshadowed of late by research and discourse addressing other aspects of HRD (Swanson & Holton, 2001). In some ways, this is not surprising. Although lean organizations facing increased global competition need a cadre of prepared employees to fulfill their strategic goals, changes in perceptions about career progression and the nature of work have led to uncertainty about career development as a concept and as a practice. In fact, the idea of career development seems at odds with many current workplace issues: high unemployment rates, job losses due to workforce reductions or technological advances, an increasing compensation gap between skilled and unskilled workers, persistent inequities in job opportunities, and loss of employer and employee loyalty. Yet, Herr (2001) asserts that it is because of these challenges that career development is more relevant than ever:
In these conditions, the practice of career development, among its other outcomes, serves as a mechanism to provide hope to people, the affirmation of their individual dignity and worth, and the support to establish new career directions. Without feelings of dignity and hope, it is unlikely that any individual can attain his or her full potential as a human being. (P. 207)
This article addresses how career development can be revived in HRD scholarship and practice to benefit organizations and to affirm individual employees. It contributes to HRD career development practice by providing ideas for updating, expanding, and adapting career development endeavors to better fit the era of boundaryless careers, beginning with the role of HRD in connecting career development to organizational strategic plans, making it a systemic process. HRD research will benefit through using the framework provided to examine how systemic factors affect learning activities, explore how boundary-spanning learning events can be incorporated into career development, and determine what outcome measures are most appropriate for tracking the progress of individualized learning.
Theoretical Background
Current career-development definitions vary in focus from the individual to the organization. Some see the concept as having a decidedly individual bent, "an ongoing process by which individuals progress through a series of stages, each of which is characterized by a relatively unique set of issues, themes, and tasks" (Greenhaus, Callanan, & Godshalk as cited in DeSimone, Werner, & Harris, 2002, p. 458). Van der Sluis and Poell (2003) suggest an influence of an outside source, describing it as "a process of professional growth brought about by work-related learning" (p. 162), where the process apparently could be individually or organizationally driven. Gilley, Eggland, and Gilley (2002) suggest a collaborative effort, stating, "career development is a process requiring individuals and organizations to create a partnership that enhances employees' knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes required for their current and future job assignments" (p. 94). They go on to emphasize the dual nature of the process noting that it is "a quintessential development activity" because enhanced individual performance contributes to the success of the organization.
These descriptors illustrate the evolutionary nature of career development. As early as 1909, Parsons (1909) touted the importance of merging individual abilities and interests with work requirements through planning and guidance. Parsons is acknowledged as the father of vocational guidance, laying the groundwork for what later would become identified as career development. His work actually spawned different but related approaches. One focuses on career-development theory, dedicated to describing how and when individual vocational decisions are made and career goals determined, encompassing a lifetime of career behavior. The other is a subset of human resource development known as career development that connects career goals with performance by focusing on interventions that match individual interests and skills with organizational needs (Herr, 2001; van Dijk, 2004). The latter, organizational context will be the focus here.
The traditional view of organizational career development was grounded in the mindset of making a career within an organization and of predictable, stable jobs. Career planning and management typically meant plotting a course within an organizational system that would yield promotions or increases in responsibility as expertise grew and following that course. The mechanisms to accomplish career goals were often regularly scheduled training programs, job rotation, and perhaps some form of informal mentoring. This perspective was reinforced by popular career development models referencing life stages or phases that followed a linear path throughout the life cycle (Morrison & Hall, 2002). Then things changed. As companies downsized, rightsized, and reconfigured, employees that once had pinned their career plans on advancement within a particular organization began to realize the future of their careers depended on their own initiative, and career planning took on a new dimension. During the mid-1990's a new career lexicon appeared, redefining well-used terms like career and employment to encompass a broad-based view. So career became not just a way to define "hierarchical progression" (p. 29) but a reference to all work experiences, and employment expanded to include not just one's place and type of occupation but also a person's employability over time (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996). At the same time, new words entered the vocabulary of career development. Hall's (1996) "protean career" captured the individual nature of career progress, driven by the person and evolutionary in nature; rather than fostered by and bound to an organization. Similarly, the "boundaryless career" described work experiences that spanned organizational systems, had credibility outside of one's present employment situation, utilized broad-based networks, and essentially followed the path set by the individual, rather than prescribed by the parameters of an employer (Arthur, 1994).
Headnote
The nature of work, organizations, and careers has evolved significantly in the past decade. In the wake of these changes, career-development research and implementation have languished. This article addresses this dearth of discourse and practice from the perspective of human resource development (HRD). The authors suggest a framework for reintegrating career development into the HRD function and offer specific learning activities better suited to the needs of individuals and organizations in this turbulent environment. Recommendations for future action are provided.
Keywords: career development; boundaryless careers; protean career; informal learning
Although career development remains one of the established focal points of human resource development efforts, it seemingly has been overshadowed of late by research and discourse addressing other aspects of HRD (Swanson & Holton, 2001). In some ways, this is not surprising. Although lean organizations facing increased global competition need a cadre of prepared employees to fulfill their strategic goals, changes in perceptions about career progression and the nature of work have led to uncertainty about career development as a concept and as a practice. In fact, the idea of career development seems at odds with many current workplace issues: high unemployment rates, job losses due to workforce reductions or technological advances, an increasing compensation gap between skilled and unskilled workers, persistent inequities in job opportunities, and loss of employer and employee loyalty. Yet, Herr (2001) asserts that it is because of these challenges that career development is more relevant than ever:
In these conditions, the practice of career development, among its other outcomes, serves as a mechanism to provide hope to people, the affirmation of their individual dignity and worth, and the support to establish new career directions. Without feelings of dignity and hope, it is unlikely that any individual can attain his or her full potential as a human being. (P. 207)
This article addresses how career development can be revived in HRD scholarship and practice to benefit organizations and to affirm individual employees. It contributes to HRD career development practice by providing ideas for updating, expanding, and adapting career development endeavors to better fit the era of boundaryless careers, beginning with the role of HRD in connecting career development to organizational strategic plans, making it a systemic process. HRD research will benefit through using the framework provided to examine how systemic factors affect learning activities, explore how boundary-spanning learning events can be incorporated into career development, and determine what outcome measures are most appropriate for tracking the progress of individualized learning.
Theoretical Background
Current career-development definitions vary in focus from the individual to the organization. Some see the concept as having a decidedly individual bent, "an ongoing process by which individuals progress through a series of stages, each of which is characterized by a relatively unique set of issues, themes, and tasks" (Greenhaus, Callanan, & Godshalk as cited in DeSimone, Werner, & Harris, 2002, p. 458). Van der Sluis and Poell (2003) suggest an influence of an outside source, describing it as "a process of professional growth brought about by work-related learning" (p. 162), where the process apparently could be individually or organizationally driven. Gilley, Eggland, and Gilley (2002) suggest a collaborative effort, stating, "career development is a process requiring individuals and organizations to create a partnership that enhances employees' knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes required for their current and future job assignments" (p. 94). They go on to emphasize the dual nature of the process noting that it is "a quintessential development activity" because enhanced individual performance contributes to the success of the organization.
These descriptors illustrate the evolutionary nature of career development. As early as 1909, Parsons (1909) touted the importance of merging individual abilities and interests with work requirements through planning and guidance. Parsons is acknowledged as the father of vocational guidance, laying the groundwork for what later would become identified as career development. His work actually spawned different but related approaches. One focuses on career-development theory, dedicated to describing how and when individual vocational decisions are made and career goals determined, encompassing a lifetime of career behavior. The other is a subset of human resource development known as career development that connects career goals with performance by focusing on interventions that match individual interests and skills with organizational needs (Herr, 2001; van Dijk, 2004). The latter, organizational context will be the focus here.
The traditional view of organizational career development was grounded in the mindset of making a career within an organization and of predictable, stable jobs. Career planning and management typically meant plotting a course within an organizational system that would yield promotions or increases in responsibility as expertise grew and following that course. The mechanisms to accomplish career goals were often regularly scheduled training programs, job rotation, and perhaps some form of informal mentoring. This perspective was reinforced by popular career development models referencing life stages or phases that followed a linear path throughout the life cycle (Morrison & Hall, 2002). Then things changed. As companies downsized, rightsized, and reconfigured, employees that once had pinned their career plans on advancement within a particular organization began to realize the future of their careers depended on their own initiative, and career planning took on a new dimension. During the mid-1990's a new career lexicon appeared, redefining well-used terms like career and employment to encompass a broad-based view. So career became not just a way to define "hierarchical progression" (p. 29) but a reference to all work experiences, and employment expanded to include not just one's place and type of occupation but also a person's employability over time (Arthur & Rousseau, 1996). At the same time, new words entered the vocabulary of career development. Hall's (1996) "protean career" captured the individual nature of career progress, driven by the person and evolutionary in nature; rather than fostered by and bound to an organization. Similarly, the "boundaryless career" described work experiences that spanned organizational systems, had credibility outside of one's present employment situation, utilized broad-based networks, and essentially followed the path set by the individual, rather than prescribed by the parameters of an employer (Arthur, 1994).
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