Research Articles Base: Career Development

Personal Development Planning

Personal Development Planning I   Introduction The Philosopher  said 2,500 years ago that “Everything flows and everything is constantly changing. You cannot step twice in the same river, for other waters are constantly flowing in.” The statement of Philosopher talks about developing a person’s abilities. In developing your skills and abilities you are also empowering yourself. The process of developing skills and abilities is both empowering and exciting, it also encourages a person to achieve his goals in life and reach out for his dreams.             According to (2003) “The need for professional development arises because security for individuals no longer lies in the job or organization we work but in the skills, knowledge and experience that we have within ourselves.”             Professional development is a planned activity designed to improve the professional performance of an individual. It can take the form of many activities such as meeting with a mentor for the purpose of working on an aspect of teaching proficiency, undertaking a teacher exchange programme, taking a course or pursuing a degree and seeking a programme of personal reflection and change.             According to  (1996) there are a number of reasons why an individual or group individuals undertake professional development: to enhance the performance skill in the work of the entire staff or arrays of staff, to enhance the performance of an individual in his or her job, to expand the experience of an individual in the development of careers or for the purpose of promotion, to cultivate the professional knowledge of a person. To expand the general education of a person, to make the personnel feel highly regarded, to raise satisfaction in work, to develop an improved goal of the job, to empower individuals to foresee and make ready for change, to clarify the whole policy of an organization.             As an individual I have participated in many development programmes that over the years have added to my knowledge and provided me the opportunity to look at my career progress from a wider perspective.             Over the past years, I have heard a number of complaints and criticisms arose around the career development area. As the Chief of Training I decided to participate in a management workshop and take ideas back in my desk and implement them in the Training Section.             In this paper I discuss the professional development programme that I participated and the ideas that I got in which I developed and implemented in the Training Section in which I head.             In this paper I also made reference on steps, recommendations and characteristics of developing a successful staff.             A discussion regarding the problem that the training unit faced and solutions is also examined and talk about in this paper.   The need for professional development One of the best experiences, which I always refer to, is when I participated in an Advanced Course under the title of “Business Process re-engineering”. The course was conducted at the Training Centre that belongs to the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) during the months of April to December 2004. It consisted of four modules which stretched over a period of eight months. The lengths of each module was two weeks with an ample time between each module we learnt to put theory into practice, evaluate the progress and discuss results with other participants before the second module started.             The training was in the form of classroom based activities including lectures, films, audiovisual techniques, and simulations along with mini-workshops at the end of each day.  There were twenty-two participants in this programme and almost all of them were managers in other sections of the Ministry. Some of them were technical managers i.e.: Water Production Plant managers, Electricity Production Managers, Electricity Distribution Managers, etc,. Others were non-technical such as Finance Managers, Manpower Managers, and me as a Training Manager.                                                                 The Diagram above illustrates mainly the steps that we learned from this course. There was a lot of formal and informal reading and preparation for the different modules. To me, personally, I gained a lot from this course. As a working parent, I have to be mentally agile and to maintain control of different issues at the same time. Parenting teenagers, managing a Training Department for a utility of 3,800 employees, keeping up with husband who is responsible for producing Electricity and Water for the whole Kingdom of Bahrain and taking care of my mother who is a cancer patient is not an easy task. This has always made me feel that I was under a lot of stress and tension.  This course helped me to re-organize my priorities. It showed me –through workshops and dialogue with others- my strengths and weaknesses and I became very clear about what effect I have on others and what effect others have on me.  This was translated in the way I handled different issues and the next few paragraphs will give you an example of changes that I made after attending that course.             As I mentioned earlier the career development area has a number of expression of dissatisfaction. The introduction of the New Training Section Chart, it opened the opportunity for me to step forward and consider radical changes in the Career Development Area.             The Career Development Unit’s task is to train newly recruited graduate employees to reach the level of a practical hands-on experience. The Group accommodates five members of staff including its Head and looks after one hundred and thirty four trainees of different disciplines. At a later stage of this writing, I will describe the steps I took to remedy this situation and how it affected my development and how I linked it to my personal goal. The concept of a “Business Process,” which I learnt from the Advanced Course I have undertaken, is an organized group of related tasks and activities that work together to transform input into output and create values and also involves reengineering, which means the implementation of radical changes to these processes in order to achieve dramatic improvements in cost, quality, and service.  The concept was suitable in my analysis of the poor standard of trainees in the Department of Career Development. The radical changes were implemented in the Career Development Programme in which all graduate engineers have to go through as they join the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW).             The task was not simple as this involved studying and evaluating training programmes, redesigning them and changing their duration which would have an impact on the trainees’ promotions and pay schemes.             Personal professional development is a cyclical process that can be viewed as a series of steps, as shown in the previous diagram. You start with a determination of your personal and professional values or philosophy. With this as a starting point or guide, you then assess your personal and professional development need, determine your goals, plan how you are going to meet them and carry out a plan of action. Then the process commences once again as you revisit your personal and professional needs and values and success or failure of such actions.             In addition, Megginson and Whitaker state that there are several parties that have an interest in Professional Development. There is yourself, there is the employer and there are also colleges and universities.             To a person, professional development is a continuous process that applies throughout a practitioner’s working life. It is no longer possible to do all learning at the start of your career and then spend the rest of your working life using what you have learned. Our assets do not remain the same if we do not refresh them the assets dwindle, and they taper off fast. Individuals should decide for themselves their learning needs and how to fulfill them. They are responsible for controlling and managing their development. If professional development is given priority in our lives, it can facilitate:                              (a) Advancement and promotion.                              (b) Balance and quality of life.                              (c) Capability enhancement.             Furthermore, it was observed by (1999) that people who embrace professional development appear to be more engaged, less stressed, more interested in new opportunities and open to working with new colleagues. Professional development can bring excitement and change into a previously routine pattern. It can add extra meaning to staff appraisal or review, and can encourage training and development.             Moreover, (1994) discusses about portfolio careers. He discussed that even if an individual has only one source of paid employment, he or she still have to think in a portfolio way in which the development of “our own portfolio of knowledge, skills and experience” that are transferable to any new opportunity.             As I became the Chief of Training, I have the responsibility for educating the new trainees in order to have excellent standards, I now become a teacher. According to (1992) understanding teacher development includes grasping not only the ideas and abilities that an educator must possess but also comprehending what kind of an individual the teacher is and the circumstances in which a number of teachers work. Without apprehending the person and the without thoughtful alterations in which organizations are run, staff developments are most likely to be temporary and unsuccessful overall.  In addition, The National School Boards Administration, NSBO, [6](2006) have shown excerpts from Chapter four of Winning Strategies “Teachers and Technology”. There are two fundamentals steps in gearing up for staff development: “(a) Reviewing policies, regulations and agreements and (b) Conducting a needs analysis.”             Aside from staff development, there must be also individual development.  identified the characteristics of effective individual development as cited in  (1996) and these are: “(a) Collaboration (b) Taking risks and experiments (c) Usage of existing knowledge bases (d) Involvement of suitable participants in making decisions, goal setting, implementation and evaluation. (e) Enough and proper time for developing staff and professional learning (f) Precise and continuous leadership and administrative support (g) The right usage of incentives and rewards (h) Consolidating into professional learning of principles and the change process. (i) Reconciliation of personal and institutional goals. (h) Formal location of professional development within the organizational structure.” As soon as I become the head of the Training Department I immediately identified areas that needed to be rectified within my department. This area was the Career Development Unit that operated directly under my supervision and I have had many complaints from trainees and line departments regarding training programmes set by this Unit. This meant a lot to me as it went very well with my plans for improvement of The Training Department. “Something that I had looked at and wanted to do for along time”.  In addition, The Career Development Group consists of five members of staff and it is a part of the Training Section which in turn is part of the Human Resources Directorate. Its task involved the development of newly recruited graduate employees from the academic level to the practical working environment through training programmes. Hence, they are known as trainees. Trainees need not be only engineers (of various professions), they can be accountants, computer analysts, chemists and technicians. This type of training is designed to promote ‘employees’ to reach a target position as depicted by the policy of the organization; i.e., the Ministry of Electricity and Water.  The main duties of this Group involves monitoring trainees’ progress through continuous guidance and counseling, preparing training programmes, coordinating with the line-management regarding any matters concerning trainees, nominating trainees for specialized courses as means of self-improvement, and assessing trainees’ work through their input to the system as well as their interest for further development. The Training Section was established during the mid eighties a world away from present developments. It remained un-changed until May 2005. The Career Development Group had to alter the input of the training programmes to incorporate new ideas to the system. In order to process any changes, the causes to the trainees’ poor output quality had to be studied and displayed. This involved the usage of the Fishbone Diagram. This chapter will describe the analysis of the problem in this particular department and eventually the reforms that was made.   Statement of the Problem The main problem the Career Development Group faces with its trainees is their poor output quality level during training which worsens after the completion of their training programme. The trainee’s expectations averaged 70% during the past years while the desired standard for the trainees’ output quality is 95%, hence, a gap of 25% had to be overcome. The trainees had shown signs of lack of motivation and interest in completing their programmes. As a result, their promotional grades would be delayed causing not only the stagnation of the training procedures but also, the delay in their future development. Obviously the line-management would be affected by this delay and the Human Resources Directorate as a whole. In order to focus on this problem, the Fishbone Diagram has been introduced. Through brainstorming, the four main categories have been filled with pitfalls. The primary drawback has been identified as the length of the training programmes. Trainees have been complaining that ‘wasting’ four years of their professional lives is considered unfair. Other lesser issues involved lack of motivation including mental aberration. Few cases have appeared blaming the management for improper placement and some have shown malfunction in the coordination procedures amongst all involved parties.             Data and Measurements Once the causes are identified, each of the ‘old’ and current pending cases is evaluated. Only seventy-nine cases are pinpointed having problems related to the causes displayed in the diagram. The measured data were tabulated based on the Fishbone’s X-main divisions as noted in Table below.   Fishbone’s X-main Number of Trainees* % Cumulative % Sub-Divisions Cases Policy <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: 200%; text-autospace: none; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; margin-left: 52.55pt; margin-right: 1.2pt; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt"> 53.0 67.09 67.09 People <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: 200%; text-autospace: none; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; margin-left: 52.55pt; margin-right: 1.2pt; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt"> 14.5 18.35 85.44 Plant <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: 200%; text-autospace: none; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; margin-left: 52.55pt; margin-right: 1.2pt; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt"> 6.0 7.59 93.03 Procedures <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: 200%; text-autospace: none; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; margin-left: 52.55pt; margin-right: 1.2pt; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt"> 5.5 6.96 99.99 total <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left; line-height: 200%; text-autospace: none; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed; margin-left: 52.55pt; margin-right: 1.2pt; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt"> 79.0   100.00   Table: Data and Measurements   * Should half a number appear, this indicates that the case falls between two main sub-divisions. The results for ‘Policy’ have received the highest value; over half of the problematic cases. Most of the obtained values have reflected the length of the career development programme with few values for Recruitment’s improper placement and trainees’ involvement in other activities as means to pleasing the concerned line-management. The results for ‘People’ have received second highest value; less than a quarter of the total problematic cases. Most of these obtained values have reflected lack of motivation or interest by the trainee, over- or under-confidence which the trainees have possessed and mental aberration. The other two main subdivisions namely ‘Plant’ and ‘Procedure’ are almost equal in results indicating that no cause is more important than the other. Hence, ‘Plant’ has reflected the trainees’ poor performance and ‘Procedure’ has reflected lack of line management support from the beginning of the training programme.   Solutions and Implementation The Career Development Group for many years has adopted a four-year training programme. The trainees, based on the obtained data, have noted the length of the programme as their main hurdle for development. To overcome this problem, the Career Development Group has suggested reducing this duration to two intensive years during which trainees will upgrade their English Language capabilities along with conducting their visits and following-up with the requirements stated in their programme. Additionally, the trainees will be obliged to deliver presentations to combat their fear of speaking publicly. Prior to proceeding with this new policy, identifying the driving and restraining forces for reducing the length of the training programme as noted in Figure below ought to be studied.   Driving Forces                            Restraining Forces       Reducing training programmes duration            Depleting trainees’ energies and to two years                                                     ambitions for a four-year training                                                                          programme       Giving trainees chance to demonstrate           Restricting trainees’ activities while their abilities in two years                               under mandate         Saving time and funds within                          Wasting extra funds due to expenditure the training budget                                            on un-productive trainees               Equilibrium Line (Identification of Drivers/Restrainers for Reducing Length of Training Programmes)   The driving forces have over-weighed the restraining forces. This has come in a form of a presentation raised to the Higher Management which agreed to reduce the training programmes to two years.   Results Amalgamating the above-stated solutions, results have indicated slight improved output quality of trainees who believe that this new arrangement has treated them as employees rather than trainees.   Recommendation Each X-subdivision of the Fishbone Diagram can be an issue of its own. Thus, each can undergo the idea if ‘unfreeze- change or implement-refreeze’ The training programme itself requires further attention. It ought to keep up with new technologies and reflect practical work. This Project could have been more effective if it had been conducted on a long-term basis of about two years minimally. Reducing the duration of the training programmes to two years has been the first step to further improving the cycle of training. Self-evaluation does not only reflect the trainees’ output quality, it reflects the quality of the system. Thus self-evaluation may lead to self commitment to upgrading work inputs. The short duration of this Project however has restricted involving other aspects of the Fishbone Diagram. Moreover, the complexity of this field where many points intermingle can lead to misunderstanding. Hence, implementing the ideas stated herein has been difficult at start but their feasibility has been widely accepted. Yet, this Project displayed the pitfalls the Career Development Group was facing with the trainees’ poor output quality. It has illustrated the effective usage of technical professional methods to tackle these management problems.     CONCLUSION All forms of evaluation and training must be looked at as an evolving thing which with time must be updated to meet the needs of whatever society demands. In this particular age, there is a great demand for high skills in the area of technology and computer skills and even in technical institutes it has been discovered that whereas, a hammer and a chisel approach or so termed “hands on” experience in workshops training blue collar workers in previous times was enough. Nowadays however, blue collar workers must have a good academic background to cope with the instruction manuals. If this is true on the workshop floor how true must it be for chiefs, managers and supervisors at the Middle and Upper Management levels to grasp every opportunity to keep a breast of development in the various fields under their control. Is it not a fact, that the General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors spends three months in every year on the factory  facing the same problems as his workers so that he can go back to his “Ivory Tower” and seek solutions. The lesson surely here is management by distant control is no longer acceptable. The fact of the matter is that painful decisions about changing about changing a course of training whether it be for apprentices or a regular work force must be based upon personal experience of management who having seen for themselves what consequences or benefits would accrue from such changes. Was it not Gestalt who said” Change for Changes” sake is not enough, it must accomplish something better if progress towards perfection is to be achieved.     Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Personal Development Planning

Personal Development Planning I Introduction The Philosopher said 2,500 years ago that “Everything flows and everything is constantl...

WORK DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT

WORK DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT The work design and environment structure is one where individuals are active agents in their own career development. The career process is one which insists that we each construct self-images such as vocational identity that influence their responses to jobs and the work environment as the self-understanding is developmental in nature as it changes over time in somewhat regular patterns working people share and it is rooted in intrinsic motives like for instance, curiosity, achievement that help guide their work choices and career development within the workforce. (, 1991) The consequences of job simplification adheres valuable process within various job designs and functions every sector can offer as certain aspects of job design are affected like in terms of self-coordination and career ways of an individual as he should be equipped with right values and attitudes needed in examining inner originating motives that define the framework of work conditions. There has address work and personality from the perspective of intrinsic satisfaction, a view of vocational identity that focuses on the unique contribution to whatever organization or work a person will have to do that is grounded in being a responsible self, choosing which skills, knowledge and abilities he wants to assemble into a sound understanding of job roles and responsibilities. (, 1991)     What a person needs to be seeking is employment security based on life-long learning of new skills consistent with our career motivation as well as the need to develop job search expertise like networking skills which will help him move relatively easily from job to job and the critical new competencies in the boundaryless career within the combination of skills, evolving self understanding, and renewal of such competency that allows him to maneuver in the new economy. ( and , 1986) The job-relevant skill set, mobility constraints and his network of contacts interact with structural characteristics such as vacancy-driven opportunity boundaries, economic factors, and a person’s social container in order to create careers. The work environment and job specifics asks each of the person to devlop skills which permit self-management and vendor-orientation and acting as if you have an ownership stake in the business at hand. Furthermore, every individual is in the business of being herself: her competencies and commitments, her knowledge of the organization’s product and work, her experience at coordinating her work with that of others inside and outside the organization and finally her ability to motivate herself to do what needs to be done. The design and simplification is very picture of freedom yet many workers view freedom as synonymous with insecurity and be able to compete effectively. Thus, worries about job simplification and its vulnerability and how to guard against it dominate career planning discussions which not long ago focused on shaping the work identity which was consistent with the person’s wisest self. ( and , 1986) For adults who somehow managed to survive into adulthood with certain approaches in place, there are fewer and fewer employers willing to provide the kind of security and career development structure that people at this stage feel is necessary. Most companies want you to be an entrepreneur in managing your own career development. ( and , 1991) They want adaptable specialists who can move quickly from one area to another as companies try to respond to rapid changes in the economy and in market demands. The information explosion has evaporated inflexible expertise. As one deals with the anger and disillusionment aroused by the discovery that career development is not as simple as one thought, there is a crisis in identity. The need for priorities creates the foundation for the first big cognitive flip, the first big reorganization of the pattern of individual perceptions: who will author the list of priorities him or the authorities he rely on in his life? ( and , 1991) Who is in control of his mind? Who is exploiting him because of mimicry of the stereotype of a career, my lack of awareness that he is earning good in life? People learn that in most job designs and functions, they have to secure influence about the work status and authority. ( and , 1991) Thus, learning that colleagues often act out of base and selfish motives and that some people are predatory in terms of vocation, sex and emotions. Aside, learning that some people get bored and like to create trouble just to see what will happen regardless of the cost to other people and their productivity. The ideal learning that individuals must continue to grow in their abilities and that growth usually arises from meeting new work challenges as it will promote growth in his job career. (, 1983) The professional self follows the same rules. The more we get invested in a particular definition of our self the easier it is for someone to stick a pin in the balloon. The treasury of human knowledge now includes the understanding that reality is created as we try to comprehend it. (, 1983) The can be uncertainty principle which describes the logical impossibility of determining simultaneously both the position and the velocity of a given atomic particle, was only the first tremor in what has become a devastating earthquake for physical science. Much of life is spent resolving paradoxes: taking control while letting go, getting the person out of their way, and finding out the truth that is imparted from within. (, 1983) In work environment, whatever work that may be, people are always moving towards their natural responsibility for creating the work they do for modifying and adapting and redefining the standard forms of employment to simply their job process and vocation. ( and , 1991)  The role in life is to recognize possible options and when people cannot see options, to create them. They intend to identify the places where growth can occur for ourselves and then we foster that growth toward a more comprehensive vision of who we are in the world. Aside, new techniques in individual and group counseling, assessment procedures, and career resources increasingly are being used. Most important, career development is being recognized as a lifelong process within work and job plans of action and individualized career development plans are becoming important instruments that people were using to help the clients meet their changing goals, interests and needs in the fast-paced, rapidly changing society. ( and , 1991) There is then, the description of the nature of one’s experiences and activities is critical and should reflect a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities an individual has had. It is equally critical to translate these experiences into their component competencies. ( and , 1990) The translation process requires users to explore their experiences deeply and to recognize the skills, attitudes, knowledge and competencies they have earned. The process of work exploration and job recognition requires the value of simplifying motives and roles of a work leader, who may be a manager or a head staff. Furthermore, the process of translating experiences into skills, attitudes and knowledge enables the individual to learn more about their effectiveness in the workforce mingling within complex work situations that may encounter.  ( and , 1990)   _____________________ REFERENCES   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

WORK DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT

WORK DESIGN AND ENVIRONMENT The work design and environment structure is one where individuals are active agents in their own career deve...

CAREER AND SELF DEVELOPMENT

Career development models helps a graduating career path to go on smoothly as it implies a sense of balance in the process of life and career in terms of its relevance to a person and his career changing plans. Thus, one type of career model that can be crucial and appropriate to use for a career graduate path can be identified and reflected by means of using the ‘’Life Career Rainbow’’ that can be in a way, become a positive indicator in finding the essence of balanced work and life realities that suits a graduating student. When peaks of demand in one area match troughs in another, life can be good. However, when demands are in synch people can experience dissatisfaction, stress, anxiety, depression and a whole host of other ills as the rainbow model makes it important to find an appropriate balance between your career and your life. Moreover, in the year 1980, Donald Super introduced a theory that describes career development in terms of Life Stages and Life Roles. Super’s original work on career development began in the 1930s and he wrote his defining book, The Psychology of Careers, in 1957. He modified his theories in 1980 to account for the fact that people were no longer continuing on a straight path of career development and he called the theory the “Life Career Rainbow” in order to further take account of modern career life patterns.         Understanding the Model: The Life Career Rainbow helps people think about the different roles they play at different times in life.  “Life Roles” are represented by the colored bands of the rainbow, shown in the diagram below. Age is shown by the numbers around the edge of the rainbow. And the amount of time typically taken with each life role is described by the size of the dots in that colored band of the rainbow. Figure 1: Super’s Life Career Rainbow Model     Super, D. E. “Life Career Roles.” In CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN ORGANIZATIONS,   1986.   Source:    The implications is that, this is the pattern that most people find suits the way they want to live their lives as the model may or may not suit a career path and the circumstances for the individual and making sure a graduate path understands Super’s Life Roles:   Eight Life Roles Child – this is the time and energy you spend relating to your parents. The role begins at birth and continues until both parents are deceased, often into your 50s or 60s. You spend a great deal of time in this role early on which decreases over time until the parents become elderly. At this time, there is often a surge in time and attention spent caring for elderly parents. The student role usually continues until at least the age of 16, although it is now common to see students in their early 20s in many countries. People are also increasingly engaging in masters programs or participating in career training or further education throughout life. Leisurite – this is a word created by Super to describe the time people spend pursuing leisure activities. Many people tend to spend more time on leisure as a child or adolescent, and after they have retired. Citizen – this describes the time and energy spent working for the community, with time spent in non-paid volunteer work.       People often engage in this as their children get older and they have more free time available. This role describes the time spent raising children and looking after them. The parent role is usually significant until children reach their mid-teens but, with many grown children staying at home during higher education or moving back home as adults, the parent role can continue at a relatively high level for quite a while after this. Spouse – this role represents the time and energy spent in a committed relationship. It also includes activities that keep the union strong. Home-maker – in this role, people are expending time and energy on maintaining their home: cooking, cleaning, repairing and shopping. This role typically starts as soon as a person leaves his or her parents’ home.  When Super developed his model, peoples lives tended to move through five clearly defined “Life Stages”, which were a major feature of the model. Today, people’s careers tend to follow a less predictable pattern, so if a person want to use the Life Stage idea, it is better to adjust them to fit the pattern of  own life.               Super’s stages were:  Growth (ages 14 and under) – This Life Stages focuses on physical growth, and is a time when people begin to form ideas about their self-worth. During this time people start discover many of their interests, talents, and abilities.  Exploration (typical age range 14 – 25) – This stage is when people start learning about the different types of work available and what is required to be successful in different careers. During exploration, the more you learn, the more committed you become to a few of the choices and you start to narrow the field to those types of jobs you would like to pursue. Near the end of the exploration stage you will (ideally!) have analyzed the career options against your personal skills, talents and interests as well as your expectations from a career. In reality it is not, which means we often make “quirky” career choices. While your first experience with this stage happens usually between the ages of 14 and 25, it is increasingly likely you will return to this stage at least once later in your life as you think through your choices again, hopefully in a more rational and considered way. Establishment (typical age range 26 – 45) – This Life Stage starts as people settle into their chosen career, and become productive members of society. This stage is marked by increased responsibility and personal satisfaction from work and career. Maintenance (typical age 46 – 65) – People at this stage are maintaining their current career and participating in career development activities that will keep them up to date in their present job. Disengagement (ages 65 and up) – This is the stage when someone has chosen to slow down and eventually retire from their career. During this stage the emphasis moves away from paid work and leaves people with time to concentrate on the other roles they engage in like leisurite, home-maker, and citizen. In particular, the middle of life was taken up with the intense and often-conflicting activities of hard work and parenting, with relatively little time dedicated to the role of “leisurite”.   Figure 2: Example Current Work/Life Balance Pie Chart:   Source:   It’s too easy for people to let emotion cloud their judgment here and think that they routinely spend more time on roles they dislike than they actually do.   Figure 3: Example Ideal Work/Life Balance Pie Chart:     Source:         The ideal message of Super’s Life Career Rainbow is that career development is a lifelong process that is influenced greatly by other areas of life. There is no one-way to develop a career and one of the most important aspects of career planning is finding the balance between work and the rest of life. The Life Career Rainbow is a useful tool for thinking about how the demands on person’s time change depending on life circumstances. It helps him understand why he might be overloaded or experiencing stress and helps him understand what he can do about it and the trade-offs the person should expect as a consequence. As the individual see how he split up his work roles and his life roles, it can be much easier to identify where his work and life is out of balance and begin the process of creating the harmony the individual need.         ___________________   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

CAREER AND SELF DEVELOPMENT

Career development models helps a graduating career path to go on smoothly as it implies a sense of balance in the process of life and ca...

HRM

“Nobody wants to work like they did in the good old days.” “Half the problems we have around here are due to a lack of personal motivation.” “Workers just don’t seem to care.” Such sentiments are often expressed by many of today’s managers. However, motivating employees is not a new problem. Much of the pioneering work in the field of management, which took place early in the twentieth century, was concerned with motivation. One can even find examples showing motivation problems existed back in biblical times. One reason why leading is such an important management activity is that it entails ensuring that each member of a team is motivated to perform highly and help the organization achieve its goals. When managers are effective, the outcome of the leading process is a highly motivated workforce. Managers frequently ask the following questions: (1) what does it take to motivate my direct reports? (2) How do I get people to do things? (3) Why is motivation so complicated and difficult to understand? (4) Can basic principles of motivation apply to today’s individual employees and teams? (5) Am I motivated?   No two managers will answer these questions in exactly the same manner. Motivation is an individual phenomenon affecting each person in a different way. Although motivation continues to be a popular word, it is extremely difficult to define. Yet its importance cannot be overemphasized. In reality, managers are not evaluated on what they do, but, instead, on what they cause their direct reports to do. The mark of a successful manager is to be able to motivate people, causing them to advance their best efforts to accomplish and possibly exceed organizational goals and objectives.   Most knowledgeable observers in the field of human resource management (HRM) would agree that its major development as a profession came during the half century or so between the end of World War II and the early 1990s. As organizations employing as many as hundreds of thousands became dominant influences in the world of work and as questions about selection, training, work motivation, and compensation practices became more challenging in a growing, dynamic society, the need for professionally trained, skilled personnel became great. Also, despite occasional downturns in the economy, the professional growth of HRM took place against a general culture of prosperity, a belief that such good patterns would continue and even improve, and an assumption that work organizations should and would share in such growth.   Important too as HRM developed during this era was that the policies and practices developed and implemented were based in large part on the assumption that a desire for personal growth was the most important motivational characteristic of the workforce, along with the belief that more of everything (particularly economic outcomes) is better. Authors has referred to this pattern as self-enhancing motivation and has cited as illustrative of this type of motivation such actions as making choices that match and fulfill one’s personal needs, engaging in activities that foster self-growth, attempting to attain high levels of work performance, and working for goals that legitimately enhance oneself in one’s own eyes and those of others. Given the cultural context and the assumption of the dominance of this type of motivational pattern, it was a relatively short step for HRM professionals during this era to develop a perspective that reflected them. Characteristic programs of this type included job enrichment, career management and career development, self-appraisals and peer performance appraisals, and income incentives of various kinds.   Less significant as an influence on HRM during this era but still of some importance were programs were called self-protective motivation, defined as the desire to defend oneself from perceived threatening environmental and personal forces that might affect one’s sense of identity. Despite its importance, however, this need was generally viewed as less important than employee needs for growth, development, and achievement during the years of prosperity.   There were, then, these two patterns of HR practice. One, the more influential, assumed that the more important motivational patterns were desires for growth, development, achievement, and self-enhancement. The second, less significant as an influence, assumed desires for job security and self-protection. Both were recognized, and both influenced HRM practices. Less recognized was that the disparity in influence of these patterns of practice encouraged another important underlying assumption. This assumption was that HRM policies and practices could be developed in a manner that would enable the attainment of two goals. The first of these goals was to help organizations obtain their objectives. The second was that HRM could help employees meet their most important needs because the employees’ desire to attain positive outcomes (both intrinsic and extrinsic), that is, self-enhancement, and their willingness to work for them were congruent with organizational needs for effective performance. Furthermore, this congruence could be maintained and encouraged because of the continuing expected affluence. In contrast, rarely if ever discussed was that these practices and policies and the assumed congruence between employer and employee depended on these assumptions of continued prosperity and that other approaches would become necessary if the situation changed.   Human Resource Management System: An organisation’s human resource development (HRD) system is a key mechanism for enabling the achievement of business goals through what has been argued to be one of the few remaining sources of competitive advantage ( 1988) – namely, people. It is also closely linked to national contextual factors. As such, the political and educational system play an important role in determining the types and levels of skills available in the labour market as well as in shaping national values and approaches to training and development issues. National context can therefore be considered a key predictor of organisational HRD practice. However, globalisation has introduced many changes, one of which has been the increasing presence of foreign multinationals (or MNEs) in host countries. Under such conditions, there is a need to compare the role of the host–national context to that of the parent in shaping MNE management practice.   Self-Career Management: Self-career management programs are designed primarily for those individuals who view themselves as relatively independent professionals or “businesses,” rather than as organizationally dependent job holders. These are individuals who can and do make their own decisions about their careers, know their capabilities, and understand where they can find the types of work opportunities where they can “sell” themselves as a business or service. Self-career management is a different way of looking at oneself and one’s work capabilities. It is a mechanism for declaring oneself independent of an organizational control system but at the same time being willing to negotiate mutual terms of acceptability concerning work contributions to that system. Self-career management—thus defined as the giving up of relatively permanent organizational relationships in favor of more self-controlled career decision making—has become increasingly recommended to and by HRM professionals as a possible approach to dealing with challenges presented by the emerging world of work, a world still dominated in great degree by the use of downsizing as a management strategy despite continuing questions about its outcomes ( 1993;  1997).   Clearly, there are reasons for such positive evaluation. Self career management recognizes the tentative nature of a specific employment relationship while also emphasizing the need for employee skills and meaningful contributions and the opportunity to fulfill the desire for self-enhancement that is so important in the work setting. In addition, for the appropriate individual and the appropriate situation, self-career management also provides an approach to meeting the need for self-protection, because this can be negotiated by the individual involved. The key, however, is in the word appropriate. Self-career management is appropriate when the individual has or can develop both meaningful self-knowledge and the types of skills and abilities that are in demand. In addition,   Human Resource Management on Career Development:   A career is a pattern of work-related experiences that spans the course of a person’s tenure in an organization or their life. The two elements in a career are the objective element and the subjective element. The objective element of the career is an observable, concrete environment. For example, you can manage a career by getting training to improve your skills. In contrast, the subjective element involves your perception of the situation. Rather than getting training (an objective element), you might change your aspirations (a subjective element). Thus, both objective events and the individual’s perception of those elements are important in defining a career. Effective career development is integrated with the existing HRM functions and structures in the organization. Integrating career development with other HRM programs creates synergies in which all aspects of HRM reinforce one another. For example, in planning careers, employees need organizational information on strategic planning, HRM planning. Skills inventories can provide this information. Similarly, as they obtain information about themselves and use it in career planning, employees need to know the career paths within the organization and how management views their performance.   Career management is a lifelong process of learning about self, jobs, and organizations; setting personal career goals; developing strategies for achieving the goals; and revising the goals based on work and life experiences. Whose responsibility is career development and management? It is tempting to place the responsibility on individuals, and it is appropriate. However, it is also the organization’s duty to form partnerships with individuals in managing their careers. Careers are made up of exchanges between individuals and organizations. Inherent in these exchanges is the idea of reciprocity, or give and take.   In this hyper-competitive economy increasingly driven by knowledge work, competitive success is often dependent upon the talents, knowledge, and skills of the workforce. Firms need more than mere flexibility in the deployment of the workforce; they need each employee to be continually adaptable on the job. In light of the demands for adaptability and responsiveness associated with the complex work and competitive environments of contemporary organizations, we would argue that a strong commitment to career development is one of the most important levers available to organizations for developing and maintaining competitive advantage. Where employees’ capabilities are most strategically important for the firm (e.g., knowledge-based businesses), career development becomes evermore strategically critical.   From a strategic perspective, Organizational Career Development (OCD) is not merely a tool for enhancing employee capabilities and performance; it is also a powerful retention mechanism. Organizations can simultaneously engage employees in the pursuit of organizational goals and outcomes and encourage ongoing commitment to the firm by creating conditions for them to develop valuable skills and competencies that will enhance their employability. Despite firms’ concerns about investing in the development of employees who have the potential to act as self-interested “free agents, ” research has actually found that individuals are more committed to firms when they “believe that they are being treated as resources to be developed rather than as commodities to buy and sell” (1989). For example,  (2000) showed that an insurance firm’s investments in insurance agents’ general development were associated with greater agent commitment to the firm. Where firms provide valuable opportunities for development, employees, rather than opportunistically “taking the training and running,” are likely to be more committed to the firm than where such opportunities are lacking.   A survey of more than 400 mid-level executives in a wide range of industries around the globe revealed that those who were satisfied with opportunities to enhance their employability in their current firms were much more committed and intended to stay with their companies longer than executives who were less satisfied with these opportunities ( 2002). Further, the more executives saw opportunities within the company to realize their career aspirations, the more committed they were to their firms and the longer they intended to stay. Most interestingly, development opportunities were more strongly associated with commitment and intentions to stay than the provision of employment security and employment stability ( 2004).    (2001) examined these issues in the context of managers in expatriate assignments. In the highly competitive market for global managers, there is a reason why some companies in the current protean, “free agent” economy are unwilling to make these investments in the development of their employees: they are afraid that investing in the employees’ human capital will make them more attractive targets to other employers, who might hire them away. Isn’t there a risk of betrayals and unhappy endings if the firm invests in keeping its employees employable and marketable? response was that there is a paradox at work here: for the best development and retention of your people, you have to be willing to let them go. That is, you have to accept the fact that if you invest in employees’ development, not only will that make them more effective for your firm, but the visibility that comes from their success in high-profile developmental assignments will also put them on the “radar screen” of recruiters. The psychological contract between employees and workers has changed. Yesterday, employees “exchanged loyalty for job security.” Today, employees instead exchange performance for the sort of training and learning and development that will allow them to remain marketable. This, in turn, means that the somewhat unidirectional nature of HRM activities like selection and training is starting to change; in addition to serving the organization’s needs, these activities must now be designed so that the employees’ long-run interests are served, and that, in particular, the employee is encouraged to grow and realize her or his potential. Like performance appraisal, training and development is an equally important element in managing organizational behavior and the enhancement of motivation and performance is the set of activities and processes that constitute career development and planning.   HRM on Training: The technology of effective training evaluation is built largely on the knowledge of what and how to measure. The art of training evaluation springs from knowing why. There are a limited number of ways in which to address questions of training success. This fact sometimes leaves training practitioners feeling frustrated with both the state of evaluation research and the lack of guidance for implementing evaluation programs.    (1992) outlined a series of strategies for managing the transfer of training that focused on three time periods—before, during, and after training—and on the responsibilities of three separate organizational roles—the role of the manager, the role of the trainer, and the role of the trainee.  (1994) also presented a model for the transfer of training that included pertaining strategies, strategies to use during training, and post training strategies. The strategies suggested by these authors highlighted the importance of viewing the transfer of training as a process rather than an outcome. This chapter will divide the transfer process into the same three time frames and describe strategies that can be implemented at each stage.   Other authors have developed theoretical models that examine the impact of different training input variables, such as trainee characteristics, training design variables, and work environment factors, on the transfer process (1988). Successful transfer of training to the workplace is not solely determined by any one factor—such as performance in the training program. The employee’s level of motivation and ability to understand and benefit from training are important determinants of the learning outcomes. There are also organizational and contextual requirements for the effective transfer of training. (1997) proposed a three-level model incorporating the individual level, the team or unit level, and the organizational level, which expanded how the transfer process was conceptualized. They suggested that at each level there are complex processes involved in transfer of training and also processes by which outcomes at one level combine to emerge as higher-level (that is, unit or team, or organizational) outcomes. Therefore, it is proposed that an integrated model of the transfer process should examine strategies that can be applied before, during, and after training at the individual, unit or team, and organizational levels.   Managers all over the world are making capital investment decisions. They are, for the most part, taking great care and putting a lot of thought and time into gathering detailed information regarding their alternative purchasing possibilities. Consider equipment purchasing in a production situation. Managers are considering which machine Is going to be able to do the job required and be the most durable. They are, after all, considering investing thousands, even tens of thousands, or even millions of dollars in the machine, and the decision has to be the right one because an employee’s down time costs the company plenty in terms of lost productivity; and replacement and retraining are also expensive and time-consuming. Investment in people needs to be viewed in the broad sense.     Conclusion:   Smart managers are becoming increasingly aware of the nature of their investments in people. People are the best investment. Chosen carefully, maintained thoughtfully, and fueled with adequate wages, fair hours, and a committed concern to nurture their emotional and career oriented growth needs, the people that make up the labor force will respond better than a well-maintained machine. Labor will produce efficiently, effectively, enthusiastically and will respond with dedication, loyalty, and a commitment to the company and the product.                           Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

HRM

“Nobody wants to work like they did in the good old days.” “Half the problems we have around here are due to a lack of personal motivation...