Careers and the Corporate Climbing Frame

Abstract

A new approach to understanding managerial careers is described in which the organisation is seen as a kind of climbing frame or “jungle gym” over which managers scramble to make their careers. Different kinds of organisations have differently shaped frames depending on their structures and the way they have grown, making different kinds of careers possible. Four basic frame shapes are described, each of which is likely to develop different skills in the managers scrambling over it. Improved understanding of an organisation′s frames helps an executive in various ways, including better data for designing organisational development programmes and executive recruitment strategies.

Citation

Gunz, H. (1990), "Careers and the Corporate Climbing Frame", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437739010139200