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Human capital and boundaryless career theory prevail in studies that examine objective and subjective career success respectively. However, evidence indicating that each framework offers superior suitability for its respective career outcome is unclear. The purpose of this study is to contrast the predictive validity of the frameworks with respect to both career success criteria.

The sample involved 182 management faculty in the USA. The authors relied on hierarchical regression analyses to test the study hypotheses.

Results indicate that human capital outperforms mobility across career success criteria. Yet, this study found that industry segment amplifies the effect of mobility on career success.

While findings primarily speak to the superiority of human capital as a career success antecedent, the significant effect of the industry segment as moderator of mobility calls for a granular definition of the setting where careers are analyzed. Replication of findings across industries are needed before assuming the generalization of results.

Findings reveal the relevance of early career movements for professional careers in academe.

Despite the extensive use of human capital and mobility as antecedents of career success, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that directly contrasts the predictive validity of these competing antecedents.

As the economy re-shapes, so too must the modern organization and its governance. We examine corporate governance codes and their limits in predicting an executive’s performance. We look at the Code of Professional Practice of executive search consultants, the in-built factors that have prevented the sector from becoming a qualified profession, and how to move beyond them. We examine how sustainability is migrating to the heart of modern governance, and present eight reasons to change existing codes and a call for tolerant governance. Mining engineer Henri Fayol is considered the founder of corporate governance. Despite dramatic changes in management during the past 100 years, much of his theory still holds. We take a tour of Fayol’s thinking, how management has evolved, and examine the unstructured shape of things to come: an organic architecture, an emphasis on knowledge capital and an agile leadership culture. We conclude with “change ability” – an evolutionary leap for the chair, CFO, supervisory board and organizations as a whole. The executive search profession finally comes under a harsh spotlight. What’s next for the profession, in light of digitization, its representation on boards, its effect on diversity? And why do executive search firms need to walk the sustainability talk in the way they seek and position leaders?

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018).

The search for top executives is fraught with pitfalls. Understanding them will set the process off on a strong footing and maximize the chances of a sustainable hire. This chapter examines three aspects of the search dynamic: “stakeout,” “trust-building” and the search consultant’s “ambassador role.” We reveal nine important insights. Has digitization made headhunting any easier? We correct common misconceptions and reveal the difficulty of approaching top executives with role propositions, the building of trusted relationships with clients, and the ambassador role of the executive search consultant. We examine the need for empathy and deep discernment in reading candidates. We next go more deeply into the full search process: the selection of the search firm, the search itself, the presentation of the chosen candidate and onboarding. We reveal points of attention for clients and candidates that underpin best practice.

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018).

Running an organization in a rapidly changing world is no easy task. Members of supervisory or executive boards must take the interests of all stakeholders into account. From shareholders, employees and suppliers, to customers, and beyond. Yet reaching the boardroom is equivalent to running a Spartan marathon. At a time when complexity is increasing and technological developments are hard to keep up with, the stakes for organizations and candidates are high. In this chapter, we explore the context of executive search: major trends, the profile of the executive search sector and the types of firms that operate in it. We de-mystify the process: the selection, search, presentation and accompaniment of candidates, looking at the responsibilities of the key players and the accompanying performance pressure and stress. Finally, we propose a vision for the future of executive search and potentially re-think about a professional code of conduct.

An earlier form of this chapter by the author was published in Dutch in “Bestemming Boardroom: over zoeken en gevonden worden” (Boom, Amsterdam, 2018) and in English (online) by the Amrop Partnership (2021) as “Destination Boardroom 1: Three Trends Redefining the Executive Talent Domain.”

This study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge management and career development in an era characterized by high levels of youth unemployment and a demand for specialized skills. Despite the increasing transition to a knowledge-based economy, there is a significant gap between young people’s skills and career readiness, necessitating an in-depth analysis of the role of knowledge management at the individual, organizational and national levels.

The authors conducted a qualitative study using the theory-context-characteristics-methodology approach based on a systematic literature review. The authors created an ecological framework for reflecting on knowledge management and career development, arguing for a multidisciplinary approach that invites collaboration across sectors to generate innovative and reliable solutions.

This study presents a comprehensive review of the existing literature and trends, noting the need for more focus on the interplay between knowledge management and career development. It emphasizes the need for businesses to promote the acquisition, storage, diffusion and application of knowledge and its circulation and exchange to create international business human capital.

The findings may help multinational corporations develop managerial training programs and recruitment strategies, given the demand for advanced knowledge-based skills in the modern workspace. The study also discusses the influences of education, experience and job skills on business managers’ performance, guiding the future recruitment of talents.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this review is among the first to assess the triadic relationship between knowledge management, career development and the global unemployment crisis. The proposed multidisciplinary approach seeks to break down existing silos, thus fostering a more comprehensive understanding of how to address these ongoing global concerns.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive framework that identifies thematic clusters and their interconnections within Global Talent Management (GTM), global careers and talent management (TM).

In this paper, this study conducted a co-citation analysis using bibliographic data to unveil the intellectual connections and relationships among thematic articles related to GTM sourced from the Web of Science.

This review highlights three key research themes: experiences working abroad, TM approaches and the complex nature of GTM as a living system.

The main limitation of this research is the sample itself. Content analysis based on the co-citation method resulted in some more recent releases being omitted.

The practical implications of the paper include providing a structured framework for understanding the complexities of GTM.

Research into the academic literature in this area is divided into various clusters, empirically demonstrating how GTM and global mobility are intertwined, revealing the need for us to more thoroughly comprehend the social ramifications of GTM practices and activities and the need to further analyse the influencing social aspects in a GTM strategy, like diversity, increased mobility and virtual reality.

The analysis revealed the emergence of three distinct thematic groups: (1) global work experiences, (2) TM approaches and (3) GTM.

Self-initiated international placements by students have been largely ignored in the literature on outward mobility in higher education. The support given to self-initiated international placement students, if any, has received even less attention. This study aims to address this lacuna.

Drawing on insights from global mobility literature, we conducted a survey of UK university students who engaged in self-initiated international placements to various countries such as France, China, Brazil and Ghana. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis.

Findings reveal that these “voluntary” placements can improve language fluency, increase self-confidence, renew stress management abilities and enhance cross-cultural competencies and intercultural sensitivity. The study problematises the lack of support given to these students particularly in terms of career development.

Our paper is one of the first to bring this under-studied population to the attention of career guidance scholars. We propose that scholarly attention should be directed toward the agency of self-initiated international placement students and that targeted career guidance must be provided through more inclusive career services.

To cope with intensifying uncertainties coupled with the rapid advancement of information communication technology (ICT), understanding how to encourage employees' innovative workplace behavior (IWB) is imperative, with two motivational concerns: (1) the possession of critical knowledge resources characterized by intellectual capital (IC) to better reconfigure new and existing knowledge and (2) the development of career sustainability to handle ICT-enabled intricate job arrangements. The authors investigate the relationships among IC, career sustainability and IWB in Chinese cross-border e-commerce enterprises (CEEs), which are becoming increasingly prevalent and central to the global economy.

Using data collected from 417 participants employed in Chinese CEEs, the authors used regression analyses to test the authors' hypotheses.

Human capital (HC) and structural capital (SC) exerted inverted U-shaped influences on IWB, while relational capital (RC) was positively related to IWB. Perceived career sustainability positively moderated such associations between HC and IWB and between SC and IWB; perceived career sustainability negatively moderated the positive RC-IWB relationship.

Results can inform managers which components of IC and how managers are related to IWB so crucial for success of CEEs with ICT-enabled, intricate architectures of knowledge exchange. The authors' results can help global managers and policymakers to more appropriately allocate scarce knowledge resources to maximize innovative behaviors in the highly competitive international business context.

From the knowledge-based view (KBV) of firm innovation, the authors examine the differential effects of IC components on employee IWB amid coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through a novel lens of employees' perceptions of career sustainability, enriching the literature at the intersection of IC, knowledge management (KM) and career development. The authors' cross-level analysis links micro-level variables to organizational IC in the new normal.

This study contributes to the conversation on international career development and its antecedents. Drawing on experiential learning theory and social cognitive theory, the current comparative study investigates the extent to which students' pre-existing international experience (IE) drives their cultural intelligence (CQ) development and influences global career intention for human resource planning purposes.

This study has a comparative nature and adopts quantitative research methodology, which includes survey measures of CQ index, IE and intention to work abroad variables. Quantitative data are collected from a sample of more than 400 business students of leading Australian and Russian universities.

This study showed that IE variables are positively related to the level of CQ facets; the authors showed that Motivational CQ is the strongest predictor for the Intention to work abroad for both countries; the authors proved that students' IE is positively related to an Intention to work abroad for both countries and is partially mediated by CQ for Australia; and study showed that geographical isolation facilitates higher intention to work abroad than political isolation.

Deeper understanding of students' international career intentions and its antecedents will allow practitioners to provide better preparation for local/global careers and will allow students to make more informed and decisions. Companies would benefit from the ability to predict applicants' intention to work abroad. Stronger awareness of own preferences and available trajectories will allow students to select the best fit for them.

This study extends the conversation on international career development and its antecedents in the students' domain by strengthening measurements of IE and advancing the understanding of relationship between previous IE and individual facets of CQ. An empirical data from isolated locations – Russia (politically) and Australia (geographically) – bring a new timely contribution about a role of the isolation in shaping international career intentions.