Career Anchors

BY:
PARTH BHATT-2009136
NEHA JHA-2009144
KARAN VYAS- 2009159
KUNAL JAIN-2009161
NISHANT SHARMA-2009170
PRIYANKA TALWAR-2009189
8 Career Anchors

 Technical/Functional Competence
 General Managerial Competence
 Autonomy/Independence
 Security/Stability
 Entrepreneurial Creativity
 Service/Dedication to a Cause
 Pure Challenge
 Lifestyle
Career Anchors

 Each person may be influenced to some extent

by all 8 issues
 However, to be an “anchor,” it must be so
important that you would not give it up
 The person then begins to define him/herself
in terms of this issue and it becomes an
overriding concern at each stage in the
person’s career.
1. Technical/Functional
Competence
 Motivated by exercise of talent/skill
 Want work to be challenging, and to test abilities &
skills
 Want autonomy in performing tasks
 Prefer specialization, not drawn to general
management work
 Prefer recognition for their work from peers
2. General Managerial Competence

 View specialization as a trap, in sharp contrast to

T/Fs.
 Ambition to rise to levels responsible for general
policy decisions
 Motives include advancement to higher levels of
responsibility, opportunities for leadership,
contributions to success of organization, and high
income.
GM Pay and Rewards

 Measure themselves by their income

 Expect to be highly paid
 Oriented toward internal equity (want to be paid
much more than those below them)
 Want promotions to more responsibility, bigger
budgets, more subordinates, etc.
 Recognition from superiors important
3. Autonomy/Independence

 Need to do things their own way at their own pace,

against their own standards
 Can’t stand to be bound by others’ rules, procedures,
standards.
 Most people want some level of autonomy, but for a
person with this anchor, autonomy is overriding
concern
A/I Pay and Rewards

 Prefers merit pay for performance

 Wants immediate rewards, bonuses
 Promotion means more freedom hopefully
 Prefers recognition that is portable; letters of
commendation, awards
4. Security/Stability

 Overriding need to feel safe/secure

 Want future to be predictable
 Seek jobs that have tenure, history of no
layoffs, good retirement plans
 In exchange for security, willing to be told
what to do, where to live, etc.
 May be unfairly viewed as lacking ambition
Security/Stability Pay
and Rewards
 Prefer pay in steadily predictable increments
 Prefer pay based on length of service
 Prefer seniority based promotions
 Wants to be recognized for loyalty and steady
performance
 Hopes loyalty makes a contribution to organization
5. Entrepreneurial Creativity

 Need to create new businesses, products and/or

services
 Or reshaping existing businesses
 Making money is a measure of success
 Often start entrepreneurial activity early in life (high
school)
 Obsession to prove they can create businesses
(different than autonomy/independence)
Entrepreneurism Pay
and Rewards
 Ownership is most important issue
 Want to accumulate wealth through owning business
or patents, but more as a means of showing
accomplishment
 Benefits probably not meaningful
 Building fortunes and large enterprises most
important form of recognition
6. Sense of Service/Dedication
to a Cause

 Oriented toward values (values of organization match

their personal values)
 Career decisions based on desire to help the
world/society (medicine, nursing, social work,
teaching often have this anchor)
 Dedication to a cause, example: HRM who works on
affirmative action
Service/Cause Pay and Rewards

 Want fair pay for their contributions

 Money not central to them
 Want portable benefits; have no strong organizational
loyalty
 Want recognition from professional peers and from
managers which shows their values are shared by
management
7. Pure Challenge

 Success defined as overcoming impossible obstacles,

solving unsolvable problems, winning over tough
opponents
 As they progress, seek tougher challenges
 Type of work or functional area not as important as
the challenge
8. Lifestyle

 Career must be integrated with total lifestyle

 Wants flexibility more than anything else
 Look more for organizational culture than a specific
program; culture which reflects respect for personal
and family concerns, allows flexibility when family
needs change