XAVIER INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SERVICE

RANCHI

REPORT ON MANAGING CAREERS OF

SUB -HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

PROF: I.BANERJEE [H.R.M]

XISS DR. CAMIL BULCKE PATH
RANCHI

PREPARED BY
MARKETING -1
SUB -HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
2ND TRIMESTER

SUSMITA BOSE -

01

KUNDAN KRISHNA -

02

CHANDRAJIT SINHA-

07

NEEHARIKA SAHU -

29

SHARAN SABOO -

32

ABSTRACT

The career management process involves career exploration, development of career

goals, and use of career strategies to obtain career goals. The relationship between
different aspects of the career management process and employee development
behaviour and performance was examined in this study. Employees provided
information concerning their personal characteristics, career management strategies,
their manager's support for career development, and willingness to participate in
development activities. Managers provided ratings of each employee's job performance
and developmental behaviour. Position, manager's support for development,
environmental exploration, and distance from career goal explained significant variance
in employees' willingness to participate in development activities and developmental
behavior. Career management was not significantly related to performance ratings.
Research and practical implications of the study findings are discussed.

INDEX

TOPIC

PAGE NUMBER

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

PROCESS FOR MANAGING CAREERS

13

CAREER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

21

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY

25

FACING THE FUTURE

38

LIMITATION AND CONCLUSION

42

BIBLIOGRAPHY

43

INTRODUCTION

MEANING OF CAREER:A Career has been defined as the sequence of a person's experiences
on different jobs over the period of time. It is viewed as fundamentally a relationship between
one or more organizations and the individual. To some a career is a carefully worked out plans
for self advancement to others it is a calling-life role to others it is a voyage to self discovery and
to still others it is life itself. A career is a sequence of positions/jobs held by a person during the
course of his working life. According to Edwin B. Flippo, A career is a sequence of separate but
related work activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a persons life. According
to Garry Dessler, The occupational positions a person has had over many years .Many of
today's employees have high expectations about their jobs. There has been a general increase in
the concern of the quality of life. Workers expect more from their jobs than just income. A
further impetus to career planning is the need for organizations to make the best possible use of
their most valuable resources the people in a time of rapid technological growth and change.

What is Career Management

Career management is defined as: Planning and shaping the progression or movement of
individuals within an organisation by aligning employee preferences, talent and potential with
organisational resourcing needs both now and in the future.

Over the past two decades the notion of career has changed dramatically. As the shape of
organisations has changed, so has the pattern of careers. From a largely organisation-driven
route through the hierarchical rungs of management, career paths in many organisations have
morphed into talent pipelines with the emphasis on capability-building and broadening skills to
develop flexibility, enabling people to be redeployed quickly in response to ever-changing
market conditions. Concepts such as the boundary less career, zigzag careers and projectbased careers have become a reality and career decisions are now largely driven by individuals
and their desire to achieve their potential rather than a paternalistic employer offering a cradle to
grave, well-signposted career map.
The research reported in this publication was designed to give an insight as to how career
management can be used as a tool to manage change, drive capability and organisational
flexibility and contribute to performance through enhanced engagement and productivity. It also
identifies a number of issues and potential contradictions around career management with regard
to both practice and attitudes, which are discussed with implications for practitioners.

Chapter 1
6

CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Career development, both as a concept and a concern is of recent origin. The reason for this lack
of concern regarding career development for a long time, has been the careless, unrealistic
assumption about employees functioning smoothly along the right lines, and the belief that the
employees guide themselves in their careers. Since the employees are educated, trained for the
job, and appraised, it is felt that the development fund on is over. Modern personnel
administration has to be futuristic, it has to look beyond the present tasks, since neither the
requirements of the organisation nor the attitudes and abilities of employee share constant. It is
too costly to leave 'career' to the tyranny of time and casualty of circumstances, for it is
something which requires to be handled carefully through systematisation and professional
promoting. Fortunately, there has lately been some appreciation of the value of career planning
and acceptance of validity of career development as a major input in organisational development
Career development refers to set of programs designed to match an individuals needs, abilities,
and career goals with current and future opportunities in the organization. Where career plan sets
career path for an employee, career development ensures that the employee is well developed
before he or she moves up the next higher ladder in the hierarchy.

The purpose of Career Management

How careers are managed in large organisations has a far-reaching effect on both the
organisations and their employees. But career development is a problematic subject for managers
and HR professionals. Why?
Organisations are very nervous of raising expectations around promotion, and also feel uncertain
about what the future holds. The result is that most large organisations give their staff no clear or
positive message about careers. 'Career development' is not a single intervention you can
implement easily. It relies on a range of activities, involving several core HR processes, and
requires these to be carefully integrated. As a result, considerable confusion prevails about what
career development really is, with a consequent lack of confidence in how to deliver it. Career
development is seen by HR people and most managers as 'nice to have' rather than as an essential
part of people management; it is always the aspect of HR that they are going to get round to
when they have the time. The recent CIPD survey on Managing Employee Careers (2003)
supports this rather gloomy view. The respondents to this survey (who were HR professionals)
showed a desire to improve career development for all employees, but in practice most of the
effort went into relatively small groups of senior or high potential employees. Only a quarter of
respondents had a strategy for career development covering all employees, and only a third felt
that senior managers were firmly committed to career management activities. In this report we
will argue that:
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1.We need to be clear about what we mean by 'career development', and why it matters both to
individuals and organisations.
2.We need to understand the context in which we look at careers not just the organisational
context, but wider economic and social trends .
3.We need to send clearer and more positive messages about careers and career development for
all employees through a career development strategy .
4. We need better ways of thinking about and implementing career development processes and
practices .
5. Part of improving practice is about clarifying who does what in career development the issue
of roles and responsibilities.
6. The final section of the paper offers some suggestions for improving practice, and highlights
some future challenges. Eleven organisational case studies underpin this paper and illustrate
strategies and practices. All the case study organisations have a wide range of career
development initiatives and activities. The illustrations given here are by no means a complete
description of what they are doing. They are intended as selected illustrations of interesting,
progressive or unusual approaches.

CAREER PLANNING
Career Planning is a relatively new personnel function. Established programs on Career Planning
are still rare except in larger or more progressive organizations. Career Planning aims at
identifying personal skills, interest, knowledge and other features; and establishes specific plans
to attain specific goals. Aims and Objectives of Career Planning: Career Planning aims at
matching individual potential for promotion and individual aspirations with organizational needs
and opportunities. Career Planning is making sure that the organization has the right people with
the right skills at the right time. In particular it indicates what training and development would be
necessary for advancing in the career altering the career path or staying in the current position.
Its focus is on future needs and opportunities and removal of stagnation, obsolescence,
dissatisfaction of the employee.

OBJECTIVE OF CAREER PLANNING

To attract and retain the right type of person in the organization.
To map out career of employees suitable to their ability and their willingness to be
trained and developed for higher positions.
To have a more stable workforce by reducing labour turnover and absenteeism.
It contributes to man power planning as well as organizational development and effective
achievement of corporate goals.
To increasingly utilize the managerial talent available at all levels within the organization.
To improve employee morale and motivation by matching skills to job requirement and by
providing opportunities for promotion.
It helps employee in thinking of long term involvement with the organisation.
To provide guidance and encourage employees to full fill their potentials.
To achieve higher productivity and organizational development.
To ensure better use of human resource through more satisfied and productive employees.
To meet the immediate and future human resource needs of the organisation on the timely basis.

NEED FOR CAREER PLANNING

To desire to grow and scale new heights.
Realize and achieve the goals.
Performance measure.
High employee turnover.
To educate the employees
It motivates employees to grow.
It motivates employees to avail training and development.
It increases employee loyalty as they feel organization cares about them.

ADVANTAGES OF CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

In fact both individuals and the organization are going to benefit from career planning and
development. So the advantages are described below:
For Individuals
1. The process of career planning helps the individual to have the knowledge of various career
opportunities, his priorities etc.2. This knowledge helps him select the career that is suitable to
his life styles, preferences, family environment, scope for self-development etc.3. It helps the
organization identify internal employees who can be promoted.4. Internal promotions, up
gradation and transfers motivate the employees, boost up their morale and also result in
increased job satisfaction.5. Increased job satisfaction enhances employee commitment and
creates a sense of belongingness and loyalty to the organization.6. Employee will await his turn
of promotion rather than changing to another organization. This will lower employee turnover.7.
It improves employees performance on the job by taping their potential abilities and further
employee turnover.8. It satisfies employee esteem needs.

Why career development matters to organisations

Careers are how higher-level and business-specific skills and knowledge are acquired.
Employees undertaking sequences of work experiences progressively grow those skills. Key
writers on careers in organisations see careers and learning as inextricably linked .
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Careers are how skills and knowledge are deployed and spread in organisations, as employees
move from one job to another in response to where they are needed. Such deployment and
knowledge sharing is critical to organisational flexibility.
Career movement is also how culture and values the 'glue' of the organisation are
transmitted, and how personal networks are extended and strengthened. Corporate culture and
networks are often key to rapid and effective action.
Career development is a major tool for attracting, motivating and retaining good quality
employees. Purcell et al. (2003) found that providing career opportunities is one of eleven key
practices that influence organisational performance. The Career Innovation Research Group has
shown the link between the extent to which high flyers experience career support and their
intention to stay with their employer (Winter and Jackson, 1999).

Why career development matters to individuals

Your career is your own life story; how you make sense of your working life and how you
achieve some sense of direction and progression in work and inside yourself.
Your career is how you manage your working life to earn income, and also how you balance
work with your other interests and responsibilities.
Career development is about being fully aware of your work opportunities, and making
conscious and proactive choices about the kind of work you do.
Career development is how you develop your skills and CV, and thereby improve your chances
of future employability and avoid long-term unemployment. So, careers matter and organisations
should see them as a central aspect of the employment relationship, not an optional extra. Career
development is of direct benefit to organisations, and should not be seen in terms of 'being nice
nice' to staff.

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Chapter 2
12

PROCESSES FOR MANAGING CAREERS

CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Career planning & Development process

Identifying individual needs and aspirations: Its necessary to identify and communicate the
career goals, aspiration and career anchors of every employee because most individuals may not
have a clear idea about these. For this purpose, a human resource inventory of the organization
and employee potential areasconcerned.2.Analyzing career opportunities. The organizational set
up, future plans and career system of the employees are analyzed to identify the career
opportunities available within it. Career paths can be determined for each position. It can also
necessary to analyze career demands in terms of knowledge, skill, experience, aptitude
etc.3.Identifying match and mismatch :A mechanism to identifying congruence between
individual current aspirations and organizational career system is developed to identify and
compare specific areas of match and mismatch for different categories of
employees.4.Formulating and implementing strategies: Alternative action plans and strategies for
dealing with the match and mismatch are formulated and implemented.5.Reviewing career plans:
A periodic review of the career plan is necessary to know whether the plan is contributing to
effective utilization of human resources by matching employee objectives to job needs. Review
will also indicate to employees in which direction the organization is moving, what changes are
likely to take place and what skills are needed to adapt to the changing needs of the organization
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CAREER PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT STAGES

1.Exploration Almost all candidates who start working after college education start around midtwenties. Many a time they are not sure about future prospects but take up a job in anticipation of
rising higher up in the career graph later. From the point of view of organization, this stage is of
nor elegance because it happens prior to the employment. Some candidates who come
from better economic background can wait and select a career of their choice under expert.2.
guidance from parents and well-wishers. Establishment this career stage begins with the
candidate getting the first job getting hold of the right job is not an easy task. Candidates are
likely to commit mistakes and learn from their mistakes. Slowly and gradually they become
responsible towards the job. Ambitious candidates will keep looking for more lucrative and
challenging jobs elsewhere. This may either result in migration to another job or he will remain
with the same job because of lack of opportunity.
3.Mid-Career stage. This career stage represents fastest and gainful leap for competent
employees who are commonly called climbers. There is continuous improvement in
performance. On the other hand, employees who are unhappy and frustrated with the job, there is
marked deterioration in their performance. In other to show their utility to the organization,
employees must remain productive at this stage. climbers must go on improving their own
performance. Authority, responsibility, rewards and incentives are highest at this stage.
Employees tend to settle down in their jobs and job hopping is not common.
4.Late-Career stage. This career stage is pleasant for the senior employees who like to survive on
the past glory. There is no desire to improve performance and improve past records. Such
employees enjoy playing the role of elder statesperson. They are expected to train younger
employees and earn respect from them.5.Decline stage. This career stage represents the
completion of ones career usually culminating into retirement. After decades of hard work, such
employees have to retire. Employees who were climbers and achievers will find it hard to
compromise with the reality. Others may think of life after retirement

CURRENT PRACTICE
A sound strategy for career development is only the first step. Practical processes for delivering
career development are also crucial. Many HR processes can be involved in managing careers,
and that is part of the problem. There are a number of useful reviews of career development,
illustrating a wide range of practices, for example Arnold (1997), King (2004), Gratton and
Hailey (1999), IDS (1999) and Baruch (2004). However, it is clear from the recent CIPD survey
(2003) that organisations mostly rely on:
career planning discussions that are supposed to take place as part of formal appraisal (or
sometimes development review) with the line manager
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internal, open job vacancy systems that allow employees to see and apply for vacant posts
a range of planning mechanisms and development schemes for employees regarded as being of
particular value succession planning and high potential or graduate development programmes
are the most common of these. This set of processes is a partial solution to the problem of how to
manage careers, but it does have some important weaknesses:
open job markets only help career development if employees already have a realistic career
plan and know the kind of job they are looking for. The information and career advice to get
employees to this point are often lacking. One consequence of this is the risk of some employees
becoming job applicant junkies employees who spend a lot of their work time applying for
jobs for which they are not suited
relying on the immediate line manager to give career information and advice in an appraisal
interview has two weaknesses: first, the appraisal process and second, the individual. For an
employee, this is self-awareness of boss. Telling employees to discuss their career once a year at
the end of a long negotiation about pay rarely does the trick. In a study of effective career
discussions, only 7% occurred in appraisals (Hirsh et al., 2001)
this study also showed that over-reliance on the boss is a problem. Managers often have a
limited view of career options and employees often do not wish to rock the boat with their own
manager by raising the possibility of a career move. Lots of people have periods without a boss,
or they have a boss they hate, or a very remote boss, or they have a rapid succession of bosses,
none of whom they get to know well.
corporate career planning for 'special groups' is often better conceived, although rarely well and
consistently implemented for any length of time. There is often insufficient dialogue with
individuals, and development schemes in early or mid-career can come to an end without
preparing employees adequately for managing the next stage of their careers.
From processes to purposes getting a clearer view
In reviewing or redesigning career development processes, it can be helpful to think first about
what purposes a set of processes needs to address. The model is based on simple ideas long used
in career guidance that are related to bringing together a knowledge of the individual and their
career options, forming a plan and then taking action. The model is applicable whether we are
looking at how to support employees in managing their own careers, or at corporately-managed
career activities. The five main elements of the model are as follows:
Employee skills and aspirations is about understanding the individual. For an employee, this is
self-awareness of his or her values and aspirations. This is supported by feedback from the
organisation on perceived performance, skills and potential. In organisational career planning,
15

this is about the 'supply' of employees and their interests and preferences, as well as their
capabilities and experience.
2. Business needs and career options are about career paths and levels of opportunity. For the
individual, it is about understanding the career structure of the organisation and the kinds of jobs
that might be open to them. In organisational career planning, it is the 'demand' side the
numbers and kinds of people needed, and shortages or surpluses.
3.Career planning is about using the first two information inputs above to frame career plans. For
the employee, the career planning activity often involves having discussions and getting advice
from various sources; identifying and required to bring a career plan to fruition exploring
options; framing plans; and possibly negotiating around some things for which they need
organisational support (eg getting some training, an internal secondment, a sideways career move
into another department, etc). In organisational career planning, succession planning includes
sharing information, framing plans and negotiation, both among senior managers and,
increasingly, with the individual employees involved.
4.Work experiences and job moves is about the all important processes that make job moves
happen. These can be employee- or employer-led. They can also include ways of doing new
things without necessarily moving job, eg job rotation, work shadowing, project working,
secondments and assignments.
5.Skill development via formal training and education, and also work-based learning (eg
coaching) is often required to bring a career plan to fruition. As a rule of thumb, an
organisation needs some way of attending to each of these five main components. With this
framework in mind, we will now look at some of the processes that can be used to support
careers.
3 shows just some of these. We can see that quite a few processes are used mostly for limited
populations whose careers are being more corporately managed. Employees taking responsibility
for their own careers use mostly what we might call 'core HR processes' especially appraisal,
training and the job filling process. The newer processes, illustrated by several of the case study
organisations, are often aimed at improving access to career information and advice. Relatively
informal

Corporately-managed careers
As we discussed in Section 3, much effort goes into managing the careers of selected
populations, especially: very senior people, those seen as having the potential to reach senior
levels, and some entry groups (especially graduate trainees). Special career-management
processes tend to be used for these groups.
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Talent management
The processes for managing high potential and senior people need to cover all five purposes and
be strongly integrated. They often include special assessment processes (eg assessment or
development centres, 360- degree feedback) that feed into succession planning and the selection
of staff for high potential or accelerated development programmes. The fashionable term 'talent
management' is used to describe a combination of succession planning and high potential
development activities, while the term 'talent pipeline' is used to convey the need for 'talented'
people at different career stages and often includes graduate recruitment as its start point.
Explanatory accounts of succession and talent management processes include those by the
. Corporate Leadership Council (1997), Charan et al. (2001), Holbeche (1998), IRS (1997) and
Hirsh (2000).
Corporately-managed career processes are also characterised as a collective process where
assessments, business needs and possible career plans are shared between groups of managers.
They often build in considerable dialogue with individuals to find out their needs and aspirations.
Enriched skill development is often part of the deal for these groups, delivered through
leadership development programmes and, increasingly, through the personal support of mentors
and coaches.
The career moves of selected individuals are usually engineered to some extent by the
organisation.
Corporate career planning can easily become a paper process in which the senior managers
involved become bored and disengaged. The Barclays case study (page 20) shows an example of
re-invigorated talent management. Corporate career development is very difficult for some
organisations. In the public sector, for example, career moves are often from one organisation to
another in national job markets. For example, this is the case in

The Environment, Career Issues and Trends

In the current economic environment, education is becoming increasingly critical to career
success. While employment rose for Canadians with university and college educations, 651,000
fewer jobs existed for those people without high school qualifications. Unemployment rates in
the U.S. exceed 10% for those with less than a high school diploma and approximately 2.5% for
college graduates.
1. When professional designations (i.e., accounting, engineering) are taken into account, the
data on employability and income is skewed in favour of the professional, relative to
those who possess only a post secondary educational background. However, in order to
maintain a competitive edge, individuals must continue to invest in their development
throughout their careers. Specifically, with respect to the future for business and
accounting positions, growth due to the increasing number and complexity of business
operations will be offset somewhat by corporate restructuring and downsizing of
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management, resulting in average growth for executive, administrative and managerial

occupations..Because these workers are employed throughout the economy, differences in
rate of expansion for individual industries will produce varying rates of employment
change job seekers with previous work experience, specialized training, or graduate
study have an advantage in competition for jobs.
2. Consequently, a combination of education and experience figure prominently in an
individuals ability to compete. Until recently, education preceded practical experience.
Now, the popularity of concurrent completion of education and practical experience is
growing. For example, universities offer programs which combine education with
practical experience and many organizations are recognizing the importance of formal
training. The CMA program is an example of formal training, combined with practical
experience. Considering the importance of education in an individuals ability to compete
in the job market, lifelong learning is critical.

Analyzing and Adapting to the Shifts in the Job Environment

In addition to a base of education and experience, effective career management requires an
analysis of changes in the job environment and an ability to adapt to meet the changing needs of
organizations. Given the organizational changes that have occurred in recent years (downsizing,
delayering, decentralization, reorganization, cost-reduction, IT innovation, competency
measurement, and performance related measurement), and their potential negative psychological
impacts (anxiety, lowered self-esteem, competitive behaviours, frustration, stress, lowered selfefficacy, and low trust behaviours), a positive framework is required for approaching the future.
Nicholson offers a positive alternative for career management based on: teamwork; the
development of competencies; payment based on outputs; a contract of employability and
flexibility; and a move to self-managed careers. Following Nicholsons framework minimizes the
psychological impacts noted above.
Four fundamental trends must be understood in order for CMAs to effectively manage their
careers: job markets are becoming external to organizations; technical excellence is no longer
sufficient; a new contract exists between employer and employee; and safety comes from risk
taking. Change is now constant, necessitating life long learning.
1. External Job Markets
As organizations become leaner and place greater reliance on semi-permanent alliances,
the importance of local knowledge (the particular ways in which any individual
organization works) diminishes. Diversity of experience substitutes for depth within one
particular organization. Organizations compete by obtaining the best expertise for a limited
period rather than the most loyal follower for their entire career. CMAs cannot limit their
understanding to the particular intricacies of any one organization. Mergers or alliance shifts
may require new approaches to control systems; or new technologies may supersede and/or
devalue the knowledge of prior systems. As organizational hierarchies flatten, career
18

movement will be lateral, between functions, between steps and stages in processes, and
between organizations. These trends necessitate a focus on external job markets by
management accountants.
2. Technical Expertise Becomes Outdated Quicker and Quicker
Technical expertise, once acquired, becomes obsolete with increasing rapidity. For example,
automated data handling tools and processes can substitute software for people. Control
procedures are increasingly automated. Accordingly new technical competencies are required
in the areas of organizational structure and design and strategic planning. Personal
competencies must now encompass both interpersonal and self-management skills as well as
problem-solving and synthesizing skills. Individuals must move beyond a narrowly defined
view of traditional technical expertise, and embrace those areas required
by the emerging competitive environment.
3. The Portfolio Contract Replaces the Job Contract
Projects, tasks and contracts are replacing the traditionally defined job. Individuals must
understand that although they can lose their jobs, they do not lose their skills or
competencies. Historically, the job contract was based on the description, position and
salary. Loyalty was rewarded with tenure. The new contract is based on value added in the
services performed. It is the application of a portfolio of skills to the requirements of a
portfolio of clients
4. Safety Comes From Risk Taking
Individuals must move from a traditional control orientation to one that values calculated risk
taking. Risk taking forces individuals to push themselves beyond comfortable boundaries
into new learning experiences. Learning through repeated attempts and failures prior to
success will allow individuals to adapt as the environment demands. The future remains
uncertain but interpretable patterns do emerge. Effective career management requires an
individual to decipher the emerging patterns, and adapt their thinking, attitudes, skills,
abilities, and behaviour in response.
5.Trends in Organizational Forms
In addition to the environmental trends outlined above, individuals require an understanding
of specific organizational trends. One significant organization trend is that of the new
organizational forms. Job markets shift in terms of industry and demand for different
services, but organizations are also simultaneously transforming in new structures. Classical
organization forms are being replaced by temporary alliances and network organizations.
Organizations are under competitive pressures to focus on the activities they do best and to
outsource the remainder. Supplier partnerships allow organizations to focus on those tasks
where they have competitive advantage. In order to remain competitive, management
accountants must understand the strengths and weaknesses of these new structural forms,
develop needed competencies and personal strengths, and be prepared to facilitate their use,
where appropriate.
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Chapter 3

CAREER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

"A deliberate search for a plan of action that will develop a business's competitive advantage and
compound it. For any company the search is an iterative process that begins with a recognition of
where you are and what you have now. Your most dangerous competitors are those that are most
20

like you. The differences between you and your competitors are the basis of your advantage. If
you are in business and self-supporting you already have some kind of competitive advantage no
matter how small or subtle. Otherwise you would have gradually lost customers faster than you
gained them. The objective is to enlarge the scope of your advantage which can only happen at
someone else's expense."
A career in strategic planning involves helping a corporation design a path to growth and
profitability amidst competition and constant change. The strategic planner's role consists of
helping the organization to gather, analyze and organize information. They track industry and
competitive trends, develop forecasting models and scenario analysis, examine strategic
performance, spot emerging market opportunities, identify business threats, look for novel
strategic solutions, and develop creative action plans. Strategic planning involves understanding
what the organizations current strategy is, what has been tried in the past and also what it will be
in the future (Strategic intent).
Strategic planners analyze and evaluate internal business plans. This involves financial
forecasting, market analysis, competitive intelligence analysis, looking at M&A proposals and
feasibility analysis. There is also substantial focus on vendor relations, logistics and supply chain
issues and geographic expansion. There is a lot of common sense gut feel work here too. Could
an organization really implement a plan? Can Kodak really make the shift from producing film to
digital cameras? Yes. Can Morgan Stanley really start to act like a commercial bank? Maybe not.
Strategy jobs are viewed as some of the most desirable in a large corporation because they
provide access to the overall picture, the vision and the main issues that determine value in an
organization. It is not uncommon for an SVP of Strategic Planning to take the CEO job next. You
will be in frequent contact with senior management and will get the opportunity to see how
decisions really get made in your organization.
At the entry level, you would work as a strategic planning associate or manager. You would work
on assignments directed by more senior members of your group. Your work would focus on
collecting data, putting together presentations, talking to members of the organization to
understand a problem. As you advance you will get more opportunity to direct strategy and to
interact with senior management that provides assignments to your group.
Strategic planners need to draw on multiple disciplines including finance and particularly the
budgeting process. The high level budgeting process in some corporations reports to strategy and
is called FP&A (financial planning and analysis). Another important discipline is marketing. Its
key to focus on customers, markets and technologies to develop new strategies that capitalize on
the growth opportunities that lie ahead. And, of course, there is a developed discipline of strategy
itself. This is taught well at top business schools and there are many books on corporate strategy
that deserve a careful read.
Strategic planners can often work on specific assignments as internal management consultants. It
may be that the grain business in China isnt doing well given a changing competitive dynamic.
Your job would be to understand the market carefully, working with local management and to
recommend a strategy to revitalize growth.
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Yet, strategic planners are different than management consultants insofar as they work inside an
organization and will often be responsible for bringing in external consulting help. Another
related role is business development or corporate development. Business development
professionals have a focus on specific steps required to implement a strategy whether it be
mergers, acquisitions, new market opportunities, licensing deals or alliances. A good business
development professional is expert at making connections with external potential business
partners and is strong in contract discussions and negotiations.
Jobs in strategic planning are not easy to find and often go to mid-career personnel or to persons
who have had previous strategic consulting experience. Yet, a number of large companies recruit
specifically into strategic planning roles and will often target the best and brightest students from
top MBA programs.
At its best, these entry level strategy positions can be a great lead-in to a successful strategic
planning career. But at its worst, a strategic planning job can mean you:
(1) spend a lot of time on ideas that never get implemented,
(2) dont get the line experience that is often crucial for later promotions and
(3) work long hours.
Ultimately, strategic planners differ from other disciplines within the organization insofar as they
develop frameworks for growth and profitability. They focus on the structure of markets and the
organizations role in shaping those markets rather than on the specific tactical steps required to
operate in those markets.
We invite you to learn more about this dynamic, cerebral business opportunity. Feel free to
review the materials below as you explore your opportunity in a strategic planning career.

Career development roles and organisational capability

Much has been written about the benefits to be derived from maximizing organizational
capability as a means of increasing competitive advantage, establishing human resource
functions as a strategic partner and improving stakeholder satisfaction. However, there is very
little in the research on how organizations build their organizational capability. This paper
proposes a Model of Organizational Capability based on three domains the Strategic Intent,
Organizational Structures and Individual Knowledge. The Model explores how systems and
processes can be aligned to maximize organizational capability. The model can be used by
researchers to examine the forces that build organizational capability in organizations, and
determine critical success factors. Practitioners wishing to maximize their organizational
22

capability can draw on the Model and suggested steps, to assist them to explore the
organizational capability agenda for their business.

Much has been written about the benefits and impacts of organisational capability (OC) in the
workplace. The role OC can play in organisations has been described as:
Increasing competitive advantage through basing strategy on an understanding of the strengths
and weaknesses of the workforce (Barney 1991; Grant 1991).
Establishing the Human Resources Development function as a strategic partner. In this way OC
acts as a linchpin between strategy and human resources (HR), therefore HR becomes a
proactive source of competitive advantage, rather than reactive in focusing on performance gaps
(Ulrick and Lake 1991; Luoma 2000)

23

Driving organisational outcomes, such as stakeholder satisfaction and customer satisfaction

(Ulrick and Lake 1991; Yeung and Berman 1997).
Improving person-organisation fit from selection processes, more favourable employee
attitudes, and reinforcement of appropriate organisational design (Bowen, Ledfor et al.
1991)Communicating valued behaviours, raising competency levels and reinforcing positive
values (Finegold, Lawler III et al. 1998).
There is very little offered in the literature on how an organisation may build its OC.
Although Prahalad (1998) identifies that OC development needs to be managed at the
individual, team and organisational level, he does not offer an approach for developing
desired OC. This point is clearly made by Finegold, Lawler III et al. (1998, p. 152) who
suggest that there are still no operational systems that would allow an organisation to go
directly from a strategy calling for particular competencies to organizational systems in
which particular competencies could be developed.

Chapter 4
24

Definition of Organizational Capability

OC according to Leonard-Barton (1992, p. 113-4) is the knowledge set that distinguishes
and provides competitive advantage. This suggests that pursuit of greater organizational
knowledge is a central motivator for organizations seeking to develop their OC. Nonaka
(2002) defines knowledge as justified true belief. Delahaye (forthcoming) suggests a four
tier hierarchy of knowledge that reinforces the significance of the individual in the building
of knowledge in organizations. His hierarchy builds from data with no meaning on its own;
information having simple messages (for example, within the manual of procedures of an
organization); inert knowledge giving considered opinion (for example, within textbooks);
through to embodied knowledge, held within the minds of individuals, that can be accessed at
various times depending on conscious and sub-conscious cues.
The depth of understanding of how individual expertise is developed provides useful insights
for OC. Taxonomies of how individuals learn proposed by several writers (Perry 1975; Biggs
and Collis 1982; Stephenson 1992; Sveiby 1997) suggest that expertise is at the ultimate
level when the knowledge, skills and abilities of the individual allow them to operate in new
contexts and new ways, thus demonstrating innovation and flexibility.

The goals of

innovation and flexibility identified for individuals can be applied equally to organizations.
Therefore, this paper defines OC as the embodied knowledge set that supports competitive
advantage through innovation and flexibility gained by building alignment between the
expertise of the strategic direction, the organizational structure and the knowledge and
expertise of the individuals in the workforce.

25

To assist organizations to build their OC, this paper proposes a Model of Organizational
Capability (MOC), based on a review of the literature. A model can be a powerful vehicle for
developing greater understanding of the critical domains and enablers that constitute OC.

Three Domains of Organizational Capability

The MOC suggested in this paper is based on three domains or spheres of influence
strategic intent, organizational structure and individual knowledge. Similar domains have
also been identified as necessary for building knowledge and organizational performance
(Boyatzis 1982; Leonard-Barton 1992; Prahalad 1998).
Strategic Intent Domain
The Strategic Intent Domain is the first domain of the MOC. This domain explores the
strategic direction of the organization in terms of the Resource Based Theory of the Firm
(RBTF) perspective of strategy development (Barney 1991; Grant 1991).
The traditional approaches to strategic planning assume resources will be readily sourced in
the market, whereas the RBTF places an unequivocal value to the organizations human
capital, and sees the strengths of the workforce as the starting point for strategy development.
RBTF acknowledges the strategic value of the intangible resources of the organization, and
bases strategy development on the characteristics and qualities of these resources (Hayes
1985; Prahalad and Hamel 1990; Ulrick and Lake 1991; Teece, Pisano et al. 1998; Luoma
2000).
The focus on human resources and intangible assets is supported by research on large
innovative firms. This research has shown that successful organisations were able to identify
their core strengths, and then use this understanding to determine a viable strategic direction
26

(Prahalad and Hamel 1990; Pavitt 1991; Teece, Pisano et al. 1998). The change in thinking
about the strategy development approach is clearly stated by Hayes (1985, p. 118) Do not
develop plans and then seek capabilities, instead, build capabilities and then encourage the
development of plans for exploiting them.
The RBTF offers the following desired characteristics for the Strategic Intent Domain:

Explicit direction

Organizations need to make explicit statements about their direction, or at least describe
deliverables in strategic plans (Handy 1994; Yeung and Berman 1997; Schn 2002). In
most strategic plans this explicit direction is provided by the mission statement (Davidson
and Griffin 2003).

Qualities of workforce

This requires an understanding of a workforces qualities, rather than merely budgetary

focused profiling information (Grant 1991; Pavitt 1991; Teece, Pisano et al. 1998). Such
an understanding could be found in a knowledge audit report, or indirectly, in job
descriptions.

Inform organizational processes

This includes management processes such as organizational structures and hierarchies,

technical systems and the values and norms of the organization (Leonard-Barton 1992).

Inform future direction

27

Clearly defining probable future direction enables focused information-sharing across

boundaries, and triggers the development of future expertise that individuals may need to
develop to give the organization optimum flexibility and direction for innovation (Hayes
1985). Such future direction should be provided in the strategic plan, especially in the
explicit strategies and the strategic objectives.
In summary, the Strategic Intent Domain should clearly define the capabilities of the
workforce, inform organizational processes and inform future direction

Organisational Structures Domain

The second domain reflects the Organizational Structures.

This domain represents the

traditional HR strategies and processes. The MOC identifies the following characteristics of
the organizational structures domain:

Meaningful job roles

Job roles need to be sufficiently aligned with the strategic intent to anticipate changes.
This allows both the organisation and individuals to be more flexible in how they
respond to movements in the domains (Nankervis, Compton et al. 1993; Handy 1994;
Shippmann, Ash et al. 2000; Brannick and Levine 2002).

Guided performance management explicitly describes how jobs and organisational

processes support the strategic intent, and can be used as a vehicle for organisational
change and learning (Mohrman Jnr and Hohrman 1998; Turner and Crawford 1998;
Scotts 1999; Delahaye 2000).
28

Individual Knowledge Domain

The third domain of the MOC is the Individual Knowledge Domain. Every individual who is
part of the organization has their own unique knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA) that they
bring to the organization. These KSA reflect the whole person, of which their work roles are
but only one facet. These KSA are seen as being context free, with a specific attribute having
a fixed meaning in itself, and thus can be adopted in a range of work activities (Sandberg
1994). For example, communication skills can relate to a variety of work contexts.

The characteristics of the Individual Knowledge Domain are as follows:

Clearly defined core KSA

This assists the organisation to develop the optimum workforce for the future by
creating greater stability and career opportunities (Sandberg 1994; Sveiby 1997).

Current and future knowledge networks

Knowledge networks need to support both current job contexts and future potential
innovations.

Attention to supporting both provides the organisation with added

flexibility in responding to changes in the defined core capabilities. These are seen as
including both tacit and explicit knowledge networks (Leonard-Barton 1992).

Model of Organizational Capability

The model, as shown in Figure 1, has three major sections the three domains of strategic
intent, organizational structures and individual knowledge, already discussed; three enablers
29

that are formed by the intersection of the three domains; and Core OC, at the centre of the
model and formed by the intersection of the three enablers.
Figure 1: Model of Organizational Capability

Organisational Capability
The intersections of the three domains of strategic intent, organizational structures and
individual knowledge identify the enabling systems and processes that build the synergy and
alignment between the domains. The three enablers of organizational systems, knowledge
networks and job context become the basis for building OC. These enablers are:
30

Organisational Systems Enablers

from the Strategic Intent and Organizational

Structures Domains. These are the organisational systems that imbed the strategic
intent into the organisational structures (Leonard-Barton 1992; Sveiby 1997), and
include:

management processes such as business planning and workforce planning;

technical processes that support the business;

organisational values and norms; and

inert knowledge systems, such as career path planning.

For example, in university faculties, the workforce planning process could be seen as an
organisational system enabler. This enabler includes information about the profile and
expertise of the workforce that links the strategic direction of the university with the
organisational structures.

Knowledge Networks Enablers from the Strategic Intent and Individual Knowledge
Domains.
The Knowledge Networks Enablers reflect the KSA an individual possesses that can
directly contribute to the organisations strategic purpose. These are the KSA a person
has that aligns most closely to the strategic intent of the organization, with the size of this
overlap a strong indicator of the suitability or fit of the workforce. It is reflected by
processes that encourage multi-disciplinary exchanges of tacit and explicit information
sharing (Barney 1991; Grant 1991; Sveiby 1997). For example, universities collect
information on the research interests and grants profile of academic staff.

31

This

information links the strategic focus of the university with the knowledge of individual
academics.

Job Context Enablers from the Organizational Structures and Individual

Knowledge Domains.
The Job Context Enablers represent the elements of an individuals job that are
reinforced by the organizations structure. How the organization defines the work roles
and organizational structures, guides staff as to which of their KSA are most valued.
Individuals naturally bring a wide range of KSA to the roles they perform - only a subset of these will relate directly to the strategic context at any given time. Therefore,
learning and development programs need to use job contexts to build the most relevant
expertise of the individual. Extensive research shows that job contexts that support
learning and development programs increase the learning of staff (Gonczi 1999;
Chappell, Gonczi et al. 2000; Sandberg 2000a; Sandberg 2000b; Schn 2002). For
example, universities define the roles and competencies required of senior academics.
This defines for the academic which of their KSA most directly relate to their job role,
and as such, are reflected in the organisational structure.

In summary, the three enablers of organisational systems, knowledge networks and job
context, support the organisation to build its organisational capability. Bringing the three
domains together provides the complete MOC. OC is built in organisations by aligning the
organisational systems and processes represented in the model, to maximize the alignment of
32

the enablers. Clearly, the greater the overlap between these three domains, the stronger the
match between the expertise of the individual and the organisational structures that support
and reinforce the strategic direction.

Core Organisational Capability

The organisations core capabilities are represented at the union of the three enablers, and
provide the central focus for the MOC. The intersection of the three enablers forms the Core
OC, which is supported by the development of organisational capability through the three
enablers.
Applying Prahalad and Hamel (1990, p. 83-84) tests for organisational core competence and
capability, which relates directly to the Core OC discussed in this paper, helps to clarify the
difference between OC and a Core OC. Their criteria are as follows:

provide potential access to a wide variety of markets

make a significant contribution to the customer's perceived benefit of the product are
difficult for competitors to imitate, and

are broadly based across the organisation and are more visible to customers than
competitors (Hamel and Prahalad 1992).

To clarify the difference between OC and Core OC, the university examples of enablers, can
show how systems and processes can differentiate between those aspects that are part of
broader OC, and those that more directly help to build the Core OC of the organisation. The
examples below focus on a Core OC of securing funding for university research programs:

33

Organisational Systems Enablers Workforce planning information is important

to universities, who can spend in the vicinity of 80% of their budget on staff
related costs. The establishment listing showing staff numbers by level is part of
this information, and assists faculties prepare budgets, but does not support the
Core OC. However, the staffs experience and performance in securing research
funding and establishing strategic alliances with industry, support the Core OC.

Knowledge Networks Enablers The university database of staff's research

interest can help to support information-sharing on issues of common interest to
academics, but does not support the Core OC. However, records of current
research programs will support sharing of knowledge between disciplines that
build Core OC.

Job Context Enablers All organisations need to define the roles and
expectations of individuals. These roles are then reinforced by organisational
structures and defined in job descriptions and role statements. Most academics
need to undertake teaching and learning, and conduct research. However, the
Core OC relates to an academic's ability to build alliances to secure ongoing
funding.

This does not imply that the broader OC processes and systems are not important, but they do
not directly build the competitive advantage to the same extent as the Core OC systems and
processes (Leonard-Barton 1992).
Although the Core OC is the intersection of all three Domains, the need for innovation and
flexibility requires the supporting enablers systems and processes to be more broadly based.
By having supporting systems and processes, the organisation can fine-tune their view on
Core OC with minimal change in focus to the organizations systems and processes. The
34

advantage of an OC agenda is the added flexibility of being able to respond to these changes
by incremental movements in the enabling systems and processes that support the MOC.
This mitigates the need for more radical changes that might otherwise be required if more
quantum changes in knowledge were seen as required by the organisation.

Implications for Building Organisational Capability

An organisation with an effective MOC gives individuals a clear message of what KSA the
organisation values now, and in the foreseeable future. By strengthening the enablers to
support the Core OC, at least three additional benefits can be achieved:

Stronger competitive advantage and reduced risks - greater flexibility and innovation
to respond to changing external influences.

The knowledge networks, job contexts and organisational systems can be aligned to
develop an appropriate depth of Core OC, based on a greater level of organisational
knowledge.

Greater stability - organisations are better placed to make measured changes when
their domains are well aligned.
When the enablers are overtly aligned, adjustments that may be necessary, due to
changes in Core OC can be more readily made.

It is far easier to modify the

alignment of existing processes and systems than to create new ones.

Individuals are more informed and empowered.

The workforce can take responsibility for their own careers, as expectations are
explicit.
35

The MOC offers researchers and practioners a framework for defining and developing OC.
The MOC can be used by researchers to examine the forces that build OC in organisations,
and compare the approaches of different organisations, to determine critical success factors.
Practioners wishing to adopt an OC agenda can draw on the MOC to assist them to:

Define their Core OC to provide a clear focus for developing the enabling
systems and processes.

Define their Domains of Strategic Intent, Organisational Structures and

Individual Knowledge.

Examine the alignment of enabling systems and processes to build their OC.

To maximize their Core OC, organisations need to focus on the following:

Step 1: Define the desired Core OC based on an understanding of the qualities of the three
Domains of the strategic intent, organisational structures and knowledge of
individuals in the workforce. This can be achieved in a number of ways, depending
on the nature of the organisation. Stakeholder forums, analysis of strategic plans,
focus groups with senior managers, and environmental analysis can provide useful
sources of information.

Prahalad& Hamel's (1990) criteria is a useful guide to

distinguishing between OC and Core OC. Once identified, these will need to be
reviewed to accommodate changes in the three Domains.
Step 2: Review the characteristics of the three Domains and the degree of overlap in current
systems and processes. Maximum overlap can be achieved by:

Strategic planning processes based on RBTF perspectives formulating strategies that

build on the intangible assets of the workforce.
36

Building organisational processes that support a congruent message of the future

direction of the organisation, for example:

performance management processes focusing on Core OC;

workforce planning processes based on Grant's (1991) model;

promote a culture, values and norms of the organisation based on performance, open
sharing of information and self empowerment; and

knowledge management approaches that imbed the Core OC by building the tacit and
explicit knowledge of the organisation.

Developing the optimum workforce by engaging and promoting staff with the
expertise needed now, and in the future. Defining job roles that support the
development of KSA to build an organisations competitive advantage. This can be
achieved by behavioural competency based recruitment and selection, and targeted
learning and development strategies.

37

Chapter 5
Facing the future

Improving Practice Is an Achievable

Goal as this paper has outlined, career development practice in many large organisations is
still relatively muddled and consequently weak. But things are on the move. The case study
examples show the benefits of adopting a clearer and more positive approach. They also show
that comparatively small amounts of concentrated attention can vastly improve career
development support in organisations. Improving practice is both about what you do (ie the
content of strategy and the design of processes) and how you do it (ie the approach you take
to managing this form
of organisational change).
Top tips for improving career development

Start with an audit of the processes you already use for managing careers, and an
analysis of business needs for career development and your employees key career
issues.

Work with business leaders to commit the organisation to a realistic and positive
message for all staff about career development. Explain the deal what employees
have to do and what you offer them.

Provide a simple explanation of the types of work in the organisation and the broad
career paths available.

Give one, fairly senior, person at the corporate centre the clear responsibility for
career development strategy, and the development of career support for all staff. They
should work closely with business leaders and a range of employees.

Be clear and realistic about the line managers role in career development and train all
managers for it. Ensure they all understand the processes they are being asked to use.
Help managers work collectively on the career issues of their staff.

38

Provide some form of off-line career advice on request for all employees and provide
more in-depth training for those taking more expert roles, eg as career advisers, career
workshop facilitators, career coaches or mentors.

Empower and encourage employees to seek informal career advice from anyone they
feel can help. Ask senior managers to role model giving informal career support, and
try leaving the HR office door open.

Ensure opportunities through normal job filling or internal secondments for

employees who are seeking to make lateral moves into work they have not done
before, but which they can learn quickly.

Be aware that some groups of employees (eg women returners, part-timers, minority
ethnic groups) are often disadvantaged in internal labour markets just as they
are in the external labour market. Processes need to be designed to ensure that these
groups can progress their careers alongside their work colleagues.

If you identify people for corporate career development through succession plans or
development schemes, make sure this process is rigorous, ensure they get the career
experience you identify for them and track their careers.

Pick a small number of career development processes and check they are wellbalanced across the five underlying purposes: employee skills/feedback; business
needs/career options; advice and planning; job movement and experience; and skill
development. Aim to implement a few things well rather than attempt too many
interventions.

Stick with it. Clarify an approach that fits your business, communicate it relentlessly
and allow it to adjust and evolve, but don't give it less than five years to work.

Thorny issues
Some key challenges will be about implementing things we can already see as likely:
Sustaining a segmented career strategy. How successful will organisations be in supporting
self managed careers for the majority of employees alongside more corporately-managed
careers for selected groups?
This combination is probably a rational response to the career context and seems unlikely to
go away, but different career deals for different workforce groups present challenges of both
communication and implementation (Viney et al., 1997). In practical terms, operating
managed job moves for the few in an open, internal job market for the many is a tricky
business.
Being a reliable career partner. Organisations seeking to deliver higher productivity through
greater organisational commitment will be drawn towards stronger career partnerships with
their employees. But how will organisations learn to make and keep career promises, even
over short periods of time, when line management relationships are often so frail and shortlived? Who exactly can individuals 'strike their career deal' with?
39

Remote career advice. The next few years will see organisations learning how to make the
best use of remote electronic and telephone career support alongside face-to-face career
advice. Information provided inside organisations will be competing with huge amounts of
electronic information from outside most of it pitched at attracting employees to work for
someone else.
Up skilling career support. New roles for providing career advice and guidance inside
employing organisations are emerging, with different purposes and varying skill
requirements. Better training is clearly needed for those in such roles, but will the full
paraphernalia of new professional bodies, standards, qualifications and accreditation help or
stifle the development of the capability to offer better career support? Will public policy ever
subsidise the cost of in-depth career guidance for employed adults?

Future challenges
As raised in Section 2, changes in business, demography and social attitudes will raise more
fundamental challenges for managing careers in organisations:
Managing mobility as the geographical movement of work to people and people to work will
increase. The freer flow of people internationally and increasing globalisation of large
companies will present individuals and employers with new opportunities, but also many
challenges, especially as large organisations reach for global rather than colonial career
models (Trompenaars, 1993). It seems likely that organisational careers will contain varying
periods of geographical mobility rather than the 'all or nothing' mobility commitments that
organisations have often asked for in the past.
Work-life balance is unlikely to go away as a tension. In many organisations, it is possible to
access more flexible working patterns, but only if you sacrifice career ambition. Tackling the
time demands of senior roles is long overdue (Kodz et al., 2002).The careers of older people
seem likely to present both the biggest challenges and biggest opportunities (Mockler, 2002).
The unspoken career deal for senior people in many large organisations is that you work
unreasonably hard, but get out in your 50s with a good pension, and then 'get a life'.
Demographics, skill shortages and the state of pension funds will see this deal dying away for
all but the highest-paid. Large organisations have a huge opportunity to pace careers better,
redesign jobs and offer flexible working options to older workers as a means of both retaining
and developing their skills.
Diversity is the essential challenge of the future. This is not just in conventional terms of age,
gender, ethnicity, disability, social background, religion, sexual orientation, etc. The
workforce will also be increasingly diverse in terms of educational and career experiences,
attitudes and aspirations. Rigid career assumptions about what kinds of people have access to
what types of job and at what ages are not sustainable. An important part of the response to
these changes is around developing more flexible career and employment opportunities.
Employers would gain enormously in terms of employee commitment and also retain scarce
skills from making flexible working arrangements more widely available. Flexibility includes
time and place of work and a better work-life balance (eg flexitime, working from home,
annual hours, etc) but also flexibility in mobility, the pace of career progression and
alternative career paths.

40

This flexible career management is all about continuously adjusting the work that employees
undertake over time to meet changing business and individual needs. It is in marked contrast
to the UKs much-discussed 'flexible labour market' that relies on hiring and firing to
resource changing business needs. Such flexibility may be crucial in some circumstances, but
can also be an inefficient and lazy way of deploying the workforces skills and talents.
If diversity and flexibility are the requirements of future careers, then the organisations that
can really respond to the varying needs of each employee over time will attract and retain the
best people, and also get the best from them. Positive career development will be about this
ability to respond to what each individual can offer, and employee commitment will be the
prize for organisations that rise to this challenge.

41

LIMITATIONS OF CAREER MANAGEMENT

Despite planning the career, employees face certain career problems. They are:
1.Dual Career Families:-With the increase in career orientation among women, number of
female employees is on increase. With this, the dual career families have also been on
increase. Consequently, one of those family members might face the problem of transfer. This
has become a complicated problem to organizations. Consequently other employees may be
at disadvantage.
2.Low ceiling careers:-Some careers do not have scope for much advancement. Employees
cannot get promotions despite their career plans and development in such jobs.
3.Declining Career Opportunities:-Career opportunities for certain categories reach the
declining stage due to the influence of the technological or economic factors. Solution for
such problem is career shift.
4. Downsizing and careers:-Business process reengineering, technological changes and
business environmental factors force the business firms to restructure the organizations by
and downsizing. Downsizing activities result in fixing some employees, and degrading some
other employees.
5. Career planning can become a reality when opportunities for vertical mobility are
available. Therefore, it is not suitable for a very small organization.5.Others:-Several other
problems hamper career planning. These include lack of an integrated human resources
policy, lack of a rational wage structure, absence of adequate opposition of trade unions, lack
of a good performance reporting system, ineffective attitudinal surveys, etc.

CONCLUSION
It is difficult to find the time required for professional and career planning. However, Do
your best goals or relying on the organization seldom produce desired outcomes. They
relegate career and professional development responsibilities to good intentions, chance, and
the whims of others and make it impossible for us to undertake a thoughtful, pragmatic, and
programmatic approach to identifying and bringing desired changes to life.
Alternatives and opportunities are waiting to be developed. Career and professional
development planning cannot guarantee health, wealth, and happiness. However, we can
choose to take actions that will significantly influence what we do and how we live. A well
thought out, action-oriented plan will help us get to where we want to go.
Career Management takes a lot of work, but there is nothing more rewarding that doing
something you enjoy and getting paid for it. Enjoy the process because it will be an ongoing
practice throughout your working life. Change is consistent and most of us will need to make
42

several adaptations to our career path throughout our lifetime. The skills you learn today will
certainly help set up your success for the future.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
www.researchandmarkets.com
Human Resource Management by Ashwathappa
How to identify your organization s training needs by John H McConnell
Hr competencies mastery at the intersection of people and business by: Dave Ulrich
www.careerguide.com

www.kotterinternational.com/Books

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