Career Planning and Development

A.
1. Does it make sense to speak of
career planning in today’s business
climate?
Career Planning and Development

A.
1. Does it make sense to speak of
career planning in today’s business
climate?
2. Why is career planning important?
Career Planning and Development

A.
1. Does it make sense to speak of
career planning in today’s business
climate?
2. Why is career planning important?
3. Who is responsible for career
planning?
 Career Planning versus
Career Management
Career Planning
 Career Planning versus
Career Management
Career Planning
• Workbooks, workshops, counseling
 Career Planning versus
Career Management
Career Planning
• Workbooks, workshops, counseling
• Need for self-evaluation
e.g., life/career stages, career anchors
 Career Planning versus
Career Management
Career Planning
• Workbooks, workshops, counseling
• Need for self-evaluation
e.g., life/career stages, career anchors
Career Management
• Job posting, skills inventories, succession
planning
 Career Planning versus
Career Management
Career Planning
• Workbooks, workshops, counseling
• Need for self-evaluation
e.g., life/career stages, career anchors
Career Management
• Job posting, skills inventories, succession
planning
• Mentoring
 Career Planning versus
Career Management
Career Planning
• Workbooks, workshops, counseling
• Need for self-evaluation
e.g., life/career stages, career anchors
Career Management
• Job posting, skills inventories, succession
planning
• Mentoring
• Assessment centers
Assessment Centers
Assessment Centers
• a process, not a place
Assessment Centers
• a process, not a place
• can range from several hours to two
weeks in length
Assessment Centers
• a process, not a place
• can range from several hours to two
weeks in length
• usually done with multiple exercises, multiple
applicants, and multiple assessors, e.g.,
6 applicants and 3 assessors
Assessment Centers
• a process, not a place
• can range from several hours to two
weeks in length
• usually done with multiple exercises, multiple
applicants, and multiple assessors, e.g.,
6 applicants and 3 assessors
• costs range anywhere from $50 to several
thousand dollars per candidate
Assessment Centers
• a process, not a place
• can range from several hours to two
weeks in length
• usually done with multiple exercises, multiple
applicants, and multiple assessors, e.g.,
6 applicants and 3 assessors
• costs range anywhere from $50 to several
thousand dollars per candidate
• extremely high reliability and validity
Assessment Centers
• a process, not a place
• can range from several hours to two
weeks in length
• usually done with multiple exercises, multiple
applicants, and multiple assessors, e.g.,
6 applicants and 3 assessors
• costs range anywhere from $50 to several
thousand dollars per candidate
• extremely high reliability and validity
• excellent for both selection and development
Assessment Center Exercises

• Leaderless Group Discussion (Example)

• A new bonus plan is being considered for our

plant. You six supervisors have been chosen
to discuss important issues surrounding this
plan, e.g.,
– What are the pros and cons of such a plan?
– Should there be one plan for all employees, or different
plans for employees at different levels?
– How should employees be treated who are temporarily laid
off?
– How about employees who quit or retire?
 Assessment Center
Exercises
• In-Basket Exercise

• Participants are given a series of memos,

much like the “in basket” (in box) of a
practicing manager. They are to respond to
each memo as if they were that manager

– What types of decisions do they make?

– What actions or decisions do they delegate?
– How well do they prioritize the items before them?
 Assessment Center
Exercises
Other popular methods used:

• Case studies

• Role play exercises

• Interviews

• Tests

• Simulations/games
Career Planning and Development

B. Some Important Current Issues

1. Career plateaus
Career Planning and Development

B. Some Important Current Issues

1. Career plateaus
2. Work/Nonwork issues
e.g., work/family conflicts
Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993
 Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993
• effective August, 1993, the Act covers
employers with 50 or more employees
within a 75-mile radius.
 Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993
• effective August, 1993, the Act covers
employers with 50 or more employees
within a 75-mile radius.
• 12 weeks of unpaid leave must be provided
after childbirth or adoption, to care for a
seriously ill child, spouse, or parent, or in case
of an employee’s own serious illness. Paid
leave may be substituted for this.
 Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993
• effective August, 1993, the Act covers
employers with 50 or more employees
within a 75-mile radius.
• 12 weeks of unpaid leave must be provided
after childbirth or adoption, to care for a
seriously ill child, spouse, or parent, or in case
of an employee’s own serious illness. Paid
leave may be substituted for this.
• continuous health care coverage must be
provided.
 Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993
• effective August, 1993, the Act covers
employers with 50 or more employees
within a 75-mile radius.
• 12 weeks of unpaid leave must be provided
after childbirth or adoption, to care for a
seriously ill child, spouse, or parent, or in case
of an employee’s own serious illness. Paid
leave may be substituted for this.
• continuous health care coverage must be
provided.
• employees must be returned to the same job,
or a comparable position.
Q: How “family friendly” are organizations
today?
How family friendly should they be?
Q: How “family friendly” are organizations
today?
How family friendly should they be?

Q: What do you think of organizations

providing a “Mommy Track” or
“Daddy Track” for employees who
are less interested in rapid promotion?
Q: Is there a “glass ceiling” which
limits the advancement of qualified
women in most large organizations?
Q: How does one make partner in a
“Big Six” accounting firm?
Q: How does one make partner in a
“Big Six” accounting firm?
• technical competence
• number of billable hours
• service to clients
• generation of new business
• community involvement (Rotary,
Hospital Boards)
• staff development (mentoring)
Conclusions
1. Organizations are paying more attention
to issues of work/life balance.
Conclusions
1. Organizations are paying more attention
to issues of work/life balance.
2. Beware of the “Career success/personal
failure” syndrome (Korman & Korman, 1981)
-- many “successful” people feel highly
alienated because they sacrificed their
family life for their careers
Conclusions
1. Organizations are paying more attention
to issues of work/life balance.
2. Beware of the “Career success/personal
failure” syndrome (Korman & Korman, 1981)
-- many “successful” people feel highly
alienated because they sacrificed their
family life for their careers
-- “The corporate climber has to find his
heart” (M. Maccoby, 1975): organizations
do well at developing the intellectual, but
not the emotional qualities of their managers
(i.e., qualities of the head dominate qualities
of the heart)