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1 – 10 of over 16000Peter W. Hom, Frederick T.L. Leong and Juliya Golubovich
This chapter applies three of the most prominent theories in vocational and career psychology to further illuminate the turnover process. Prevailing theories about attrition have…
Abstract
This chapter applies three of the most prominent theories in vocational and career psychology to further illuminate the turnover process. Prevailing theories about attrition have rarely integrated explanatory constructs from vocational research, though career (and job) choices clearly have implications for employee affect and loyalty to a chosen job in a career field. Despite remarkable inroads by new perspectives for explaining turnover, career, and vocational formulations can nonetheless enrich these – and conventional – formulations about why incumbents stay or leave their jobs. To illustrate, vocational theories can help clarify why certain shocks (critical events precipitating thoughts of leaving) drive attrition and what embeds incumbents. In particular, this chapter reviews Super's life-span career theory, Holland's career model, and social cognitive career theory and describes how they can fill in theoretical gaps in the understanding of organizational withdrawal.
The concept of “career” has become the dominant mode of thinking about the “lifespan” of one's working life in contemporary late capitalist society. The research literature on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The concept of “career” has become the dominant mode of thinking about the “lifespan” of one's working life in contemporary late capitalist society. The research literature on the concept of “vocation” and/or “calling” has grown in recent years, but has not yet received extensive treatment in the area of management career development. The purpose of this paper is to address this lacuna by outlining and describing the practice of vocational ideation (or considering one's work as calling, as opposed to a career or a job) in relation to its potential utilization in contemporary management and career development.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is essentially conceptual and is informed by an extensive review of research literature and theory which examines how the concept of the “calling” has been integrated with learning, educational and developmental activities.
Findings
The paper discusses the implications of the return to the concept of “vocation” in HR and Management Development theory and demonstrates why “calling” is a small but significant nuance which can change the way in which managers engage with career development practices. The literature on introducing the concept of vocational ideation to career development activities has grown in research years. However, the literature review found that this body of work tends to focus on pre-experience college students, which indicates that it has not often been considered as a viable avenue for management development practice or research.
Research limitations/implications
As the paper is purely conceptual, and most of the literature in this field tends to focus on pre-experience students, potential implications for practice and avenues for future research are outlined. One of the two main categories of research need which emerged from the conceptual work described in this paper in relation to vocationally oriented career ideation was concerned with developing an understanding the dynamics of introducing the concept of vocational calling into management career development interventions.
Practical implications
A template for “doing” for vocational ideation in a management career development or management development context was offered. This outline may be altered to assist management development practitioners to develop and augment vocational ideation initiatives as part of their work and professional practice.
Social implications
Another area of research need emerging from this work was concerned with understanding changing perspectives on non-economic aspects of work as a social practice, the impact of culture on how vocations are understood, and the relationship between spirituality and meaningfulness and career behavior. In summary there appears to be a need for more studies which demonstrate how changed understandings of the vocation is reflective of broader social change.
Originality/value
The concept of vocational ideation is original and does not exist as a concept or a practice in the professional or research literature. It is discussed here in the context of the growth of interest in spirituality and religion in workplaces. Specific attention is given to how it can be applied in contemporary workplaces and organizations as part of management development practices.
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Ting Nie, Zhihua Lian and Hua Huang
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating effect of vocational identity and the moderating effect of work values on the relation between career exploration and fit…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating effect of vocational identity and the moderating effect of work values on the relation between career exploration and fit perception of Chinese new generation employees.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was conducted to measure variables in this study. Based on review of the related studies about work value, career exploration, vocational identity and fit perception, the authors establish a theoretical model and propose hypotheses. Data were obtained from 647 Chinese post‐1980s generation employees.
Findings
According to the statistical analysis result, the paper demonstrates that career exploration can affect fit perception through mediator of vocational identity; when people have stronger preference to chase for job comfort and security, the relations between career exploration effort, vocational identity and fit perception becomes stronger; once individual has stronger preference for status and independence, the relations between career exploration effort, vocational identity and fit perception becomes weakened.
Research limitations/implications
The data used in this study only came from the employees, although the authors test homologous deviation through Harman single factor test. If the authors can conduct the survey from both employees and their supervisors, it will be better for them to avoid homology bias. Furthermore, more factors need to be considered in the formation of fit perception of Chinese new generation employees.
Originality/value
The paper explains the internal relations between work value, career exploration, vocational identity and fit perception on the basis on of the characteristics of Chinese new generation employees.
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The research presented here examines the use of vocational education and food and beverage experience in the development of a hotel manager’s career. To achieve this aim, the…
Abstract
The research presented here examines the use of vocational education and food and beverage experience in the development of a hotel manager’s career. To achieve this aim, the paper begins by introducing the concept of career development. This is followed by an outline of the current debate surrounding the shifting emphasis from craft to managerial skills training. Next, a range of findings from a study of the career paths of hotel managers in the UK is presented. These include the role of vocational education in career development, and experience in the food and beverage function as a recognised career track to general management. The study indicates the prevalence of vocational education as a starting point for managers’ careers, and illustrates that, despite calls from industry for increased management training, traditional food and beverage experience is still important for a career in the hospitality industry. The implications of these findings for career development are discussed.
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This study aims to examine variables and factors in vocational awareness and attitudes that affect the vocational aspiration of seafaring course students who are potential future…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine variables and factors in vocational awareness and attitudes that affect the vocational aspiration of seafaring course students who are potential future seafaring employees.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review was conducted to identify factors that prompt students in seafaring courses to pursue seafaring careers, followed by a design of preliminary questionnaire questions to survey students’ perception on the conditions of seafaring careers (i.e. vocational awareness) and their intention to pursue a seafaring career (i.e., vocational aspiration). A total of 744 seafaring course students in four Taiwanese universities completed a questionnaire developed according to the previous studies. A structured equation modelling was conducted in this research including model validity, goodness of fit, model correction and mediation effects.
Findings
With a model consisting of four factors for vocational awareness, three factors for overall attitudes and vocational aspiration as a dependent variable, the results showed that factors of vocational awareness and students’ overall attitudes were significantly correlated, and the factors of overall attitudes exhibit strong mediation effects on vocational aspiration from vocational awareness. The results confirmed that the factors are important determinants for the vocational aspiration of students.
Originality/value
The findings of this study provide a comprehensive approach to understand students’ seafaring aspiration for the universities, governments and shipping companies. Seafaring policies and management are discussed from the research findings.
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Christian Imdorf, Kristinn Hegna, Verena Eberhard and Pierre Doray
How do institutional settings and their embedded policy principles affect gender-typed enrolment in educational programmes? Based on gender-sensitive theories on career choice, we…
Abstract
How do institutional settings and their embedded policy principles affect gender-typed enrolment in educational programmes? Based on gender-sensitive theories on career choice, we hypothesised that gender segregation in education is higher with a wider range of offers of vocational programmes. By analysing youth survey and panel data, we tested this assumption for Germany, Norway and Canada, three countries whose educational systems represent a different mix of academic, vocational and universalistic education principles. We found that vocational programmes are considerably more gender-segregated than are academic (e.g. university) programmes. Men, more so than women, can avoid gender-typed programmes by passing on to a university education. This in turn means that as long as their secondary school achievement does not allow for a higher education career, they have a higher likelihood of being allocated to male-typed programmes in the vocational education and training (VET) system. In addition, social background and the age at which students have to choose educational offers impact on the transition to gendered educational programmes. Overall, gender segregation in education is highest in Germany and the lowest in Canada. We interpret the differences between these countries with respect to the constellations of educational principles and policies in the respective countries.
Sujin Kim, Michelle Hood, Peter Creed and Debra Bath
Using latent profile analysis, the authors explored the career profiles of young adult tertiary students (N = 468, 73.9% women; mean age 20 years) to determine the relative…
Abstract
Purpose
Using latent profile analysis, the authors explored the career profiles of young adult tertiary students (N = 468, 73.9% women; mean age 20 years) to determine the relative importance of traditional career orientation (TCO) and protean career orientation (PCO) beliefs for them.
Design/methodology/approach
Young adults studying at university can aspire to traditional career experiences as they believe organizations will support their professional and career development. However, since the development of newer career models, the TCO model has received little research attention compared to the PCO.
Findings
The authors found that the dominant profile exhibited average levels of TCO, PCO and career competencies, and that this mixed profile was associated with more mature career identity development and greater organizational commitment. A second profile, with low TCO, average PCO and career competencies, showed a similar level of career maturity to the mixed profile, but exhibited less organizational commitment. A third profile, with average TCO, low PCO and career competencies, especially vocational identity awareness, was related to less career development and organizational commitment.
Originality/value
The findings suggest that a mixed traditional-protean orientation is common in young adult tertiary students and that the development of a vocational identity is important for positive career outcomes, regardless of orientation.
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Anastasios Zopiatis, Antonis L. Theocharous and Panayiotis Constanti
This study aims to examine the association between the elements which influence the career decision-making process of tenured hospitality employees and their existing level of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the association between the elements which influence the career decision-making process of tenured hospitality employees and their existing level of career satisfaction (CSat) and future intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting a quantitative approach, a questionnaire survey collected data from 564 individuals working as full-time employees at all levels of the hierarchy in four- and five-star hotel establishments in Cyprus. Structural equation modeling analysis, preceded by exploratory factor analysis, was utilized to assess the constructs’ relationships and address the postulated hypotheses.
Findings
The results suggest that accurate job-person fit, reflective career awareness and the individuals’ pragmatic occupational perceptions, positively influence their CSat and, subsequently, strengthen their intention to remain and progress within the industry.
Research limitations/implications
The study’s setting, the Cyprus hospitality industry, a Mediterranean seasonal destination with unique operational characteristics, may limit the generalizability of the findings to business environments in other regions.
Practical implications
Insights are of interest and value to stakeholders, including academic scholars wishing to build on this investigation, industry professionals striving to revitalize interest toward relevant professions, career counselors’ vocational decision guidance tactics and strategies and individuals envisioning a prosperous hospitality career.
Originality/value
The paper enhances and enriches our conceptual knowledge of a relatively barren landscape, investigating the behavior of mature employees’ choice of a hospitality career.
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Pamela Castellanos and Dale Septeowski
For a number of years, the American School Counselor Association has been working to identify and clarify the role and function of school counselors within Developmental and…
Abstract
For a number of years, the American School Counselor Association has been working to identify and clarify the role and function of school counselors within Developmental and Comprehensive School Counseling programs. The terms “Developmental” and “Comprehensive” mean that school counseling programs establish goals for their programs that are developmentally appropriate to the age and needs of students and that current and future goals build upon previous goal achievement. Thus, school counseling programs should be in place throughout students’ entire K-12 academic experience.
Daniel C. Feldman and Kathleen M. Whitcomb
The present paper examines the effects of two decision‐framing inductions on young adults' set of career options: first, whether young adults use abilities or interests as the…
Abstract
Purpose
The present paper examines the effects of two decision‐framing inductions on young adults' set of career options: first, whether young adults use abilities or interests as the grounds for their vocational choices and, second, whether young adults approach the decision‐making task by including all career options to which they feel positively or by eliminating all career options to which they feel negatively.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2 × 2 experimental design was used to collect data from a diverse group of college undergraduates.
Findings
The results suggest that individuals who choose careers on the basis of skills and who use the inclusion decision‐making procedure are significantly more likely to narrow down their sets of career options.
Research limitations/implications
The paper also suggests that Holland's model of vocational choice (RIASEC) may be differentially useful in guiding students to appropriate vocations for themselves. Students with a “social” profile, for example, have a much larger and more diffuse set of career options available to them than students with “realistic” or “investigative” profiles.
Practical implications
The findings here suggest that the prevalent practice of focusing students' attention on finding activities they like may be less successful in helping students identify appropriate careers than focusing students' attention on their skills and abilities.
Originality/value
The paper addresses a career decision‐making phenomenon that has received increasing attention in the press and among educators.
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