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1 – 10 of over 3000
Article
Publication date: 3 June 2014

Fida Afiouni

The purpose of this paper is to examine how women academics from the Arab Middle East enact their careers with reference to double-bounded contexts: academia as an institution…

2578

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how women academics from the Arab Middle East enact their careers with reference to double-bounded contexts: academia as an institution encoding organizational career scripts and gender as another institution encoding specific gender roles. It is hoped that this cross-cultural perspective would broaden the understanding of careers beyond the economically advanced industrialized countries and better inform the current debate on the boundaryless career model.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is qualitative and exploratory in nature. It draws on one-to-one interviews with 23 female academics in early, mid and late careers, working in research universities in the Arab Middle East region.

Findings

The choice of academia as a profession is mainly driven by the subjective perception of an academic career as a calling, the lack of attractiveness of other career options in the region, and the appeal of the flexibility of academic work. Furthermore, the findings highlight both organizational (lack of mentoring and university support) and cultural factors (Islam, patriarchy, and family centrality) that shape/bind women's careers choices and patterns allowing thus for a better understanding of local constraints to the boundaryless career view in the Arab Middle East context.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the boundaryless career theory development by addressing one of its major shortcomings, namely the lack of attention to context. It provides fresh insights from the Arab Middle East to the ongoing debate whether careers are boundaryless and subject to individual agency or whether careers are shaped by wider institutional factors and support existing calls in the literature to conceptualize careers at the intersection of several influencing factors.

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2007

Sherry E. Sullivan and Lisa A. Mainiero

The major purpose of this paper is to examine how gender differences impact the enactment of careers. An additional goal is to examine whether, as suggested by recent…

7046

Abstract

Purpose

The major purpose of this paper is to examine how gender differences impact the enactment of careers. An additional goal is to examine whether, as suggested by recent conceptualizations, careers are indeed becoming more boundaryless.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on the results of two in‐depth qualitative studies (n=52; n=27).

Findings

Two major patterns were found that describe the careers of professionals in the contemporary workplace. One pattern is called the alpha career pattern: over the life span, people with this pattern first focus on challenge, then authenticity, and then balance. The second pattern is called the beta career pattern: over the life span, people with this pattern first focus on challenge, then balance, and then authenticity.

Practical implications

This paper offers a framework that HR managers and other organizational leaders can use to increase the authenticity, balance and challenge experienced by their employees in order to enhance organizational effectiveness.

Originality/value

This paper addresses the numerous calls for the development of a model to explain the complexities of women's careers as well as to recognize gender differences in career enactment. It was found that, in general, men followed the alpha career pattern while women followed the beta career pattern. However, a limited number of women had career experiences that were more consistent with the alpha career pattern more closely aligned with men while some younger men consciously developed more family‐driven beta patterns.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 12 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Yin-Mei Huang

Networking behaviors assist individuals in doing their jobs better and advancing their careers. However, most research emphasizes the effects of job characteristics on networking…

1958

Abstract

Purpose

Networking behaviors assist individuals in doing their jobs better and advancing their careers. However, most research emphasizes the effects of job characteristics on networking behaviors, neglecting the effects of individual differences in goal orientations. Moreover, few studies investigate the prospective evaluation of promotability and the mediating effect of networking behavior on the relationship between goal orientation and promotability. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the nomological network and to expand the domain of networking behavior by identifying networking as career- and community-based networking behaviors and by examining the differential relationships among goal orientation, networking behaviors, and promotability.

Design/methodology/approach

This study surveyed and collected data from 160 financial employees and 103 supervisors working at branches of a large bank in Taiwan. Questionnaires addressing both networking behavior and goal orientation were distributed to employees, and one week later their supervisors were sent another survey about employees’ promotability evaluations.

Findings

Learning goal orientation was positively related to both career- and community-based networking behaviors. Performance goal orientation was also positively related to career-based networking behaviors, but negatively related to community-based networking behaviors. Career-based networking behaviors, particularly maintaining contacts and engaging in professional activities, were found to be positively related to promotability. Results also show that career-based networking behaviors, particularly maintaining contacts and engaging in professional activities, mediated the relationship between goal orientation and promotability.

Research limitations/implications

This study addresses the importance of distinguishing between networking behaviors as career based and networking behaviors as community based and shows that these two sets of networking behaviors arise from different goal orientations and have differential effects on supervisory evaluation of promotability.

Practical implications

By linking networking behavior with promotability, this study helps managers understand how employees’ enactment of specific networking behaviors can facilitate both the employees’ career development and the employees’ placement in important organizational positions.

Originality/value

This study fulfills an identified need to understand the nomological network of networking behavior.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 45 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2011

Weerahannadige Dulini Anuvinda Fernando and Laurie Cohen

This paper aims to explore how highly skilled women workers in Sri Lanka navigate organizational contexts via different modes of engagement in pursuit of hierarchical advancement…

1456

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how highly skilled women workers in Sri Lanka navigate organizational contexts via different modes of engagement in pursuit of hierarchical advancement. The purpose is to contribute new insights into existing understandings of women's careers in diverse socio‐cultural contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on one‐to‐one in‐depth interviews conducted with 24 Sri Lankan women in early, mid and late career.

Findings

The findings reveal how the women in this sample actively used eight modes of engagement to manage themselves in organizations and vertically advance in their careers. The implications of these modes for organizational contexts and women's careers are highlighted.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the limited literature on women's careers in South Asia and develops existing understandings of modes of engagement individuals use to develop their careers.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 16 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2013

Chun Guo, Emily T. Porschitz and José Alves

Drawing on career and self‐initiated expatriation/repatriation literatures, this paper aims to examine the career experiences of Chinese self‐initiated repatriates after their…

1824

Abstract

Purpose

Drawing on career and self‐initiated expatriation/repatriation literatures, this paper aims to examine the career experiences of Chinese self‐initiated repatriates after their return to China.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an exploratory, qualitative study involving in‐depth interviews with 20 Chinese individuals who returned to China after spending at least three years living, studying and/or working in a range of “host” countries.

Findings

This study shows that the career agency of Chinese returnees reflects both independent and interdependent factors. It provides specific empirical support for Tams and Arthur's argument that career agency is impacted by both individual and contextual factors.

Research limitations/implications

The findings indicate the central role played by individual proactivity and contextual influences during self‐initiated repatriation. The small sample size allows for rich data, but limits the generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

Managerial practices that address the unique career values and expectations of self‐initiated repatriates can facilitate the application of skills and knowledge acquired abroad to the local context. Policy makers should provide more institutional support to encourage and facilitate the return of overseas Chinese.

Originality/value

This study is among only a small number to explore the experiences of self‐initiated repatriates in developing countries. Recent research has addressed the importance of recognizing and identifying the boundaries that constrain and enable global careers. This study identifies a number of such boundaries and also adds to the understanding of the challenges and difficulties of repatriation.

Content available
Article
Publication date: 24 October 2008

448

Abstract

Details

Career Development International, vol. 13 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2012

Sean T. Lyons, Linda Schweitzer, Eddy S.W. Ng and Lisa K.J. Kuron

This study aims to compare the career patterns of Matures, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials over the various stages of their careers to determine whether there have…

4741

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to compare the career patterns of Matures, Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and Millennials over the various stages of their careers to determine whether there have been notable shifts away from the “traditional” career model characterized by long‐term linear, upward career movement, toward a “modern” career model characterized by increased job mobility, organizational mobility and multi‐directional career movement.

Design/methodology/approach

The retrospective career accounts of 105 Canadians were gathered through review of résumé information and semi‐structured interviews. The job changes and organizational changes experienced by each respondent in each five‐year career period (e.g. age 20‐24, 25‐29) and the direction of job changes (i.e. upward, downward, lateral or change of career track) were recorded. The generations were compared statistically on each of these measures through analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Findings

Significant inter‐generational differences were observed on all variables of interest, but the differences were largely restricted to the age 20‐24 and 30‐34 career stages.

Research limitations/implications

The study relied on a small sample because of the qualitative nature of the data collection. The sample was also exclusively Canadian. The results should therefore be interpreted with care and the research should be replicated with different types of respondents and in different cultural contexts.

Practical implications

The research demonstrates to employers that the younger generations change jobs and employers at a greater rate than previous generations and that they are more willing to accept non‐upward career moves. Recruiting and retaining young employees will therefore require a different approach than was used for previous generations.

Originality/value

The use of retrospective accounts allowed for the comparison of generations within various career stages. This overcomes a significant limitation of cross‐sectional studies of generational phenomena by simultaneously considering life‐cycle and generational cohort effects.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 12 May 2022

Olusegun Emmanuel Akinwale and Olaolu Joseph Oluwafemi

Personality profiling in today’s business world has become an essential organisational development practice targeted at identifying a set of employees' traits, which differentiate…

1672

Abstract

Purpose

Personality profiling in today’s business world has become an essential organisational development practice targeted at identifying a set of employees' traits, which differentiate an employee from one another. Given the assumption that personality traits form an essential indicator of developing the potential of an individual workforce, possible to establish how employees function in a certain job role and their suitability for the particular tasks in an organisation. This study aims to explore the relationship between personality traits, assessment centres (ACs) quality and management development in Nigeria telecommunication organisation among its managers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employed multi-stage sampling techniques and further stratified the hierarchy of the management and finally used a simple random sampling strategy on each stratum. A combination of 482 managers in Nigerian telecommunication organisations participated in this study. The study investigated 12 hypotheses and 1 mediating postulation. Multiple scales were adapted to measure dimensions of endogenous and exogenous variables along the path of mediating variables of the study. The study employed a cross-sectional survey approach to administering the research instrument across all the departments among the managers of the organisations. A structural equation model of assessment was used to analyse the data collected from managers of the telecoms organisations.

Findings

The outcome of the study was significant, 10 of the postulated hypotheses were found to be significant while 3 were not significant. The study revealed that a combination of openness to experience, conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness and extraversion personality have no significant relationship with the AC. Also, employees who are high in neuroticism like being emotionally unstable did not find a significant relationship with the AC. In a similar situation, the combined effect of all the big-five personalities was not significant in management development among the managers of the telecommunication industry. The AC is discovered to mediate between personality traits and management development. Individually, the big-five model finds a significant relationship with AC and management development, respectively.

Research limitations/implications

The study is restricted to managers of the Nigerian telecoms industry alone and not all the entire workforce. It adopted cross-sectional analysis to make an inference on all the managers of the organisations. The implication is that the period of the view of a particular point in a sequence of the event may not be representative. Another implication is that the results from the cross-sectional design are for the relationship, and they do not indicate causation.

Originality/value

In practice, this study has shown that personality profiling is important to managing organisational behaviour to highlight a set of traits of employees suitable for peculiar roles. This study implies that personality elements constitute a vital signal of the potential development of the workforce. It helps to illuminate an individual functioning style in a certain task situation, therefore determining both professional and managerial suitability in performing a given role.

Details

Management Matters, vol. 19 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-8359

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2007

Angela M. Young and David Hurlic

This paper seeks to explore gender‐related behavior in relation to person‐group fit, person‐organization fit, and career decisions in order to identify relevant constructs and…

5891

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to explore gender‐related behavior in relation to person‐group fit, person‐organization fit, and career decisions in order to identify relevant constructs and relationships and present suggestions for further research.

Design/methodology/approach

A model was developed based on a review of several literature bases including gender theories, gender enactment, person‐group fit, and person‐organization fit.

Findings

Propositions for future research were developed and focus on the relationships influencing an individual's perceptions of person‐group fit, person‐organization fit and career decision making. It is proposed that a deviation from a group's collective gender orientation and accepted behaviors is likely to be met with unfavorable perceptions by group members and impact person‐group fit, person‐organization fit, perceived stress, self‐efficacy, and career decision making.

Practical implications

Managers and supervisors can use ideas presented in the model and paper to better understand nuances of gender‐related behavior and its potential impact on behavior and perceptions in the workgroup and organization. Diversity managers and training professionals could incorporate aspects of gender‐related differences into training programs, and individuals might use some ideas presented in this paper to consider the important implications of person‐group and person‐organization fit to career success.

Originality/value

The model developed in this paper is a unique perspective combining historical perspectives on gender and gender‐related behavior and workplace concepts such as person‐group and person‐organization fit to identify the potential impact of gender‐related differences at work.

Details

Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0268-3946

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 February 2015

Kate V. Lewis, Candice Harris, Rachel Morrison and Marcus Ho

The purpose of this paper is to use boundaryless career theory as a perspective from which to explore understanding related to the interplay between life-stage and career

1864

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to use boundaryless career theory as a perspective from which to explore understanding related to the interplay between life-stage and career transitions in women; and, specifically, the life-stage-related event of motherhood relative to the transition from corporate employment to self-employment.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative longitudinal research design was operationalized over a four-year period and data from both primary and secondary sources were collected in relation to four New Zealand case studies.

Findings

The findings highlight how life-stage events such as motherhood can have a profound influence on both the perception and enactment of careers and career transitions. In total, two primary micro-processes were identified in relation to the career transitions of the female participants into self-employment and were labeled “traditional employment” (relating to role change; integrating work and life domains; opportunity seeking; and support) and “creating boundaries” (relating to: compartmentalization of responsibility, life-stage events, work models, and business growth and success).

Research limitations/implications

Exploratory in nature; small in scale; limited to one geographic context.

Originality/value

The authors attempt to add a more nuanced understanding of the notion of boundaryless careers in relation to entrepreneurship generally and the transition of a group of women into self-employment specifically. Both the discourse and pragmatics of boundaries between work/life and past careers/new careers is more salient in terms of success than possibly historically understood in this domain, and the enactment of boundaries richer and more diverse than theory may currently account for.

Details

Career Development International, vol. 20 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1362-0436

Keywords

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