Items Description of Module

Subject Name Management

Paper Name Human Resource Management
Module Title Career Development
Module ID Module 23
Pre-Requisites Understanding the nature of Career Development
Objectives To study the Features, Objectives, Process of Career Planning
Keywords Career Planning, Career Path, Counseling, Self assessment
 QUADRANT –I

1. Module 23: Career Development

2. Learning Outcome
3. Career Development
4. Types of Career Development
5. Developing Actions
6. The Value of Effective Career Development
7. Suggestions for More Effective Organizational
Career Development
Summary

1. Module 23: Career Development

2. Learning outcome
After studying this module, you shall be able to
Know the concept of Career development
Understand the types of career development
Comprehend the process of performance appraisal
Become award of the methods of performance appraisal
3. Introduction
Career development consists of the individual and organization actions undertaken
to achieve a career plan. Career development looks at the long term career
effectiveness of employees, whereas employee development concentrates on
effectiveness of an employee in the near future.
Career development is a process that takes place over the life span and on the
assumption that biological, psychological, sociological, and cultural factors influence
career changes and career withdrawal across the stages of development. All these
are based on the development theories.
The actions for career development may be initiated by the individual himself or by
the organization.

4. Types of Career Development

The study of careers takes on a very different orientation depending on whether is
viewed from the perspective of the organization or the individual. The career
development from either of these perspectives is concerned with the interests of the
concerned.

4.1 Individual Career Development

Career development is largely the outcome of actions on the part of an individual.
Some of the important steps that could help an individual cross the hurdles on the
way ‘up’ may include performance, exposure, networking, leveraging, loyalty to
career, mentors and sponsors, key subordinates and expand ability. These steps
are shown in Fig. 1

4.1.1 Performance
Career progress largely depends on performance. Career goals can’t be achieved
with sub-standard and even modest performance
 4.1.2 Exposure
Career development comes through exposure, to those who take decisions on
promotions, transfers and other career events. Individuals must undertake actions
that would attract the attention of those who matter most in an organization.

4.1.3 Networking
Networking implies professional and personal contacts that would help in striking good
deals outside. For years men have used private clubs, professional associations, old-boy
networks, etc., to gain exposure and achieve their career ambitions.

4.1.4 Leveraging
Resigning to further one’s career with another employer is known as leveraging. If the
opportunity is such that cannot be resisted, the only choice left is to resign from the present
position and assume the new job. However, jumping too jobs frequently may not be a good
career strategy in the long run.

4.1.5 Loyalty to career

Professionals and recent college graduates generally jump jobs frequently when they start
their career. They think that career-long dedication to the same organization is not going to
help them advance their career ambitions. To resolve this problem, companies come out
with lucrative, innovative compensation packages in addition to employee such option
plans for those who remain with the company for a specified period.
4.1.6 Mentors and sponsors
A mentor is an older person in the role of a manager giving informal career advice to an
employee junior in organizational hierarchy. Mentors regard junior employees as their
protégés and offer advice and guidance regard how to survive and advance in the
organization. They perform as role models. A sponsor is someone in the organization
creating career development opportunities.

4.1.7 Key subordinates

Qualified ad knowledgeable subordinates, often extend valuable help that makes their
bosses to come up in life. The subordinate in his own self-interest must attempt to
identify the winning horse on which to bet.

4.1.8 Expand ability

Career conscious employees must prepare themselves for coming opportunities on their
way internally or externally by taking a series of proactive steps.

4.2 Organization Career Development

The assistance from managers and HR department is significant for achieving individual
career goals and fulfilling organizational requirements. A variety of tools and activities and
employed for this purpose. These are shown in Fig.2.

4.2.1 Self-assessment tools

The employees go through a process in which they think through their roles, interests, skills
and work attitudes and preferences. They identify career goals, develop appropriate action
plans and find out obstacles coming in the way. There are two self-assessment tools
commonly used in organization. The first one is called the career-planning workshop. After
individuals finish their self-assessments, they discuss their findings with participants in
career workshops. These workshops throw light on how to prepare and follow through
individual career strategies. The second tool is called a career workbook, consisting of a
form of career guide in the question-answer format outlining steps for realizing career
goals. Individuals use this guide to learn about their career opportunities and throw light on
career paths

4.2.2 Individual counseling

Employee counseling is a process guiding employees in overcoming performance issues. It

is usually carried out through one to one meetings between the employee and the
counselor. Discussions of employees’ interests, goals, current job activities and
performance and career objectives take place. HR department usually offers the
counseling. Sometimes outside experts are also called in. If supervisors perform as
coaches their roles and training should clearly defined. However, this is a costly and time
consuming process.
4.2.3 Information service
Employment opportunities at various levels are made known to employees through
information services of various kinds. Records of employee’s skills, knowledge,
experience and performance indicate the possible candidates are filling up such
vacancies. For compiling and communicating career-related information to employees,
organizations basically use job-posting system, skills inventory, career ladders and
career paths and career resource center.

4.2.4 Employee assessment programs

Initially a new recruit is informed about career policies and procedures of the company.
Socialization programs help the new employee learn these things rapidly. An
experienced employee, acting as a coach may also help the new recruit from a realistic
point of the skills needed at various levels and develop appropriate career goals and
action plans. Formal orientation programs are used to educate employees on career
programs career paths and opportunities for advancement within the company. Several
assessment programs are also used to evaluate the employees’ potential for growth and
development in the organization. They include assessment centre, psychological testing,
promotion ability forecasts and succession planning.
Assessment centre rates a candidate’s potential using performance simulation tests and
exercises. A panel of raters evaluates the performance on these exercises and the
 candidates are given feedback on their strengths and weaknesses to enable them to
assess their position and what is to be done to measure the corporate ladder in future.
Diagnostic tests are used to help candidates determine their vocational interests,
personality types, work attitudes and other personal characteristics that may reveal their
career needs and preferences.
Promotion ability forecasts is a process of identifying employees possessing high career
potential and giving them essential training to prepare them for higher positions.
Succession planning is a report card showing which individuals are ready for higher
positions in the company. The HR department maintains records of all candidates with
potential who could move into senior positions, whenever required.

4.2.5 Employee developmental programs

Employee development programs consist of skill assessment and training efforts hat
organizations use to groom their employees for future vacancies. Seminars, workshops
job rotations and mentoring programs are used to develop a broad base of skills as a
part of such developmental efforts.

4.2.6 Career programs for special groups

In recent times there is increasing evidence concerning dual career families creating
tensions and frictions due to their inability to reconcile the differences between family
roles and work requirements. Dual career couples involve certain puzzling questions
concerning the importance of the career, care of children, promotion of wife, buying of
groceries and cleaning of house if both are busy. Realizing these problems,
organizations provide a place and procedure for discussing such role conflicts and
coping strategies. They are coming out with schemes such as part-time work, long
parental leave, child care centers, flexible working hours and promotion and transfers in
tune with the demands of dual career conflicts.

5. Development Actions
Development of individual takes place mainly through his own efforts. However, the
organizational support is necessary. Some of the actions helpful in career development
are listed below: These development actions are shown in Fig.3.
5.1 Development Actions by the Organization
A number of actions for the career development of individual employees are taken by
the organizations. Some important actions are listed below:

5.1.1 Training
Preparing people to carry out their present job more competently is imparting them
training. This could be through in-house courses or external training programs.

5.1.2 Job rotation

Shifting a person from one job to another to provide varied and interesting work
experience o broaden his perspective.

5.1.3 Job Enlargement

Job enlargement is to broaden the scope of a job by expanding the number of
different tasks to be performed by a person and making the job more challenging.

5.1.4 Special assignment

Special assignment involves entrusting specific role in non-routine work, including
making a member of task force, committee or project. This may be over and above
the normal assignments.

5.1.5 Deputation to other departments

Deputation is temporary attachment to other departments for work experience in an
area other than his normal functions.

5.1.6 Officiating
Allowing employees officiating in absence of section head or peer, encourages active
involvement in professional bodies, taking up training assignment etc.
5.2 Development Actions by the Immediate Superior

5.2.1 Involvement
Immediate superior allows subordinates to participate in decision making,
working in teams and formal presentations.

5.2.2 Delegation
Delegation is power to make decisions and commit resources and non-
interference of the boss in running day-to-day operations.

5.2.3 Counseling and coaching

This involves clarifying roles, areas of growth and career progression; on the job
regular counseling and coaching sessions

5.2.4 Development Actions by the Employee

These are the actions to be taken by the individual employee. These include
knowledge upgrading, skill building and behavior/attitude development

5.2.5 Knowledge upgrading

Self study by reading books and other literature, and distance learning; keeping
abreast with the latest developments, through consultation with experts, active
participation in professional forums, visiting other departments or organizations,
talking to visitors, etc.; and attending part-time courses, etc.

5.2.6 Skill building

This involves gaining hands-on-experience such as working on personal
computer, and operating equipment; earning good managerial practices.

5.2.7 Behavior/attitude development

This involves systematic work habits, thoroughness, perseverance and hard
work, etc.; positive thinking and willingness to change; introspection and period
self reviews; learning from experiences of self and others.

6. The Value of Effective Career Development

A long term career focus increases the organization’s effectiveness in managing its
human resources. More specifically, various positive results that can accrue from a
well-designed career development programs can be identified. The value of an
effective career development program is evident from the following arguments:

6.1 Ensures availability of needed talent

Career development is a natural extension of human resource planning. Changing
staff requirements over the intermediate and long term should be identified in human
resource planning. Working with individual employees to help them to better align
their needs and aspirations with those of the organizational needs increases the
probability that the right people are identified to meet the organization’s changing
staffing requirements.
6.2 Provides assistance in attracting and retaining personnel
The career development efforts improve the organization’s ability to attract and retain
high talent personnel. Outstanding employees will always be secure, and they
usually find there is considerable completion to secure their services. Such
individuals may prefer employers who demonstrate a concern for their employees’
future. If already employed by an organization that offers career advice, these people
may show more loyalty and commitment to their employer. Career development
appears to be a natural response to the employees’ rising concern for the quality of
work life and personal life planning. As more and more people seek jobs that offer
challenge, responsibility, and opportunities for advancement, realistic career
planning becomes increasingly necessary. Additionally, social values have changed
so that a larger segment of the work force no longer looks at their work in isolation.
Their work must be compatible with their personal and family interests and
commitments. Again, career development should result in a better individual-
organization match for such individuals and lead to les turnover.

6.3 Ensures growth opportunities for all employees

Equal employment opportunity legislation and affirmative action programs demand
that minority groups and women get opportunities for growth and development. This
will prepare them for discharging more responsibilities within the organization.
Minorities and women are asking for career development assistance. Furthermore,
the courts often look at an organization’s career development efforts.

6.4 Reduces employee frustration

As the educational level of the work force has risen, so have its occupational
aspirations gone up. Unfortunately, the late 1970 s and early 1980s were
characterized by a slowing of economic growth and reduced advancement
opportunities. The result was increased frustration by employees when they saw a
significant disparity between employees’ aspirations and real opportunities. Career
counseling can result in more realistic, employee expectations.

7. Suggestions for More Effective Organizational Career Development

Managers can utilize different methods or tool to better match the career needs of
their subordinates with the requirements of their organization.

7.1 Challenging Initial Jobs

The literature survey shows that employees who get especially challenging
assignments early in their careers do better on later jobs. More specifically, the
degree of simulation and challenge in a person’s initial job assignment tends to be
significantly related to later career success and retention in the organization.
Apparently, initial challenges if successfully met, stimulate an individual to perform
well in later years.
There are definite benefits for managers who correctly fill positions with persons
possessing appropriate abilities and interests to meet the job’s demands. Given the
prior evidence, managers should be concerned with the match for new employees,
who are just starting their careers. Successful placement provides significant benefits
to the organization and the individual.

7.2 Dissemination of Career Option Information

 Several employees may be lacking substantive information for career options.
As managers identify career paths that successful employees follow within the
organization, they should make this information available. Such valid and reliable
data will be of more help to the young, upwardly ambitious employees than, say,
some co-worker’s offhand comment that this company favors well rounded people for
promotions.
Will the dissemination of career option information ‘turn off’ the ambitious employee
who finds that the organization desires skills that he or she lacks? There is the risk
that it might. It may frighten you, if you aspire to a top-management position in your
firm, to learn that your organization expects its senior executives to show outstanding
abilities in meeting with the media, giving interviews, responding to questions without
preparation, and testifying in front of congressional committees. However, it may be
just the stimulus to direct you to take courses in public speaking and debate, to get
involved in community affairs, or to seek out a one-year special assignment within
the company to work on a public relations project. Just as the openness and
truthfulness in realistic job preview help increase the job tenure of new employees,
managers enhance the chances of retaining employees by providing them realistic
information about the successful career paths that past employees followed and that
future employees should consider.

7.3 Job Postings

To provide information to all employees about job openings, managers can use job
positing. Organizations that post jobs typically use bulletin board displays, but they
may also use company publications and similar vehicles. The posting lists the
abilities, experience, and seniority requirements to qualify for vacancies.

7.4 Assessment Centers

Assessment center also has relevance as a career development tool in addition to as
a selection device and as a management development device.
By putting people through assessment center we obtain observable evidence of their
ability to do a certain job. Additionally, and often overlooked, is the fact that this
technique almost always uses internal supervisors and managers to do part of the
appraisal. In this role as assessor, individuals learn how to observe behavior
carefully, to make inferences from observations, and to give feedback to the
assessed. Therefore, the process helps to build the important managerial skills
necessary for performance appraisal. Even more important, it makes assessors
more aware of what is involved in the process of development and this awareness
can provide valuable insights into their own career development.

7.5 Career Counseling

Career counseling is one of the most logical parts of a career development. The
career counseling process may not be easy for the manager. If the employee
expresses unrealistic aspirations, the manager should be prepared to give a frank
appraisal of where and how the individual fall short- an activity that is rarely
enjoyable. However, the final outcome should be a mutual understanding between
the employee and the manager as to the realistic expectations the employee should
hold about a career within the organization.

7.6 Career Development Workshops

 The workshops to facilitate career development are valuable. By bringing together
groups of employees with their supervisors and managers, problems and
misconceptions can be identified and resolved.
Entry workshops are a natural extension of realistic job previews and the orientation
and socialization activities providing the opportunity for groups of new employees
and their supervisor’s o share their separate expectations. Mid career workshops can
help individuals with similar background and length of tenure in the organization to
assess their career development. The organization may also provide late-career
workshop useful for employees preparing for retirement.

7.7 Continuing Education and Training

Training and development efforts bring down the chances that employees find
themselves with obsolete skills. Additionally, when these development activities are
carefully aligned with an individual’s aspirations and anticipated future organizational
needs, they become an essential element in an employee’s career growth

7.8 Periodic Job Changes

Periodic job changes can achieve the purpose of employees’ career development.
Job changes can take the form of vertical promotions, lateral transfers, or
assignments organized around new tasks such as being made part of a special
committee of task force.

Summary

Career development consists of the individual and organization actions undertaken to

achieve a career plan.
The study of careers takes on a very different orientation depending on whether is
viewed from the perspective of the organization or the individual.
Career development is largely the outcome of actions on the part of an individual which
include performance, exposure, networking, leveraging, loyalty to career, mentors and
sponsors, key subordinates, expand ability the assistance from managers and HR
department is significant for achieving individual career goals and fulfilling organizational
requirements including self-assessment tools, individual counseling developmental
programs, career programs for special group.
In recent times there is increasing evidence concerning dual career families creating
tensions and frictions due to their inability to reconcile the differences between family
roles and work requirements. Dual career couples involve certain puzzling questions
concerning the importance of the career, care of children, promotion of wife, buying of
groceries and cleaning of house if both are busy. Realizing these problems,
organizations provide a place and procedure for discussing such role conflicts and
coping strategies. They are coming out with schemes such as part-time work, long
parental leave, child care centers, flexible working hours and promotion and transfers in
tune with the demands of dual career conflicts.
Development of individual takes place mainly through his own efforts. However, the
organizational support is necessary.
A number of actions for the career development of individual employees are taken by the
organizations. These actions include training, job rotation, job enlargement, special
assignment, deputation to other department and officiating. Development actions by the
immediate superior include involvement, delegation, counseling and coaching. The
development actions by the employee include knowledge upgrading, skill building
behavior development
A long term career focus increases the organization’s effectiveness in managing its
human resources.