CHAPTER 7 MANAGING CAREERS

Slide 2 This slide shows the objectives of the chapter. Slide 3

CONCEPT OF CAREER
A career can be defined as a sequence of positions, roles or jobs held by one person over a relatively long time span. While for some people, the career is planned, for others it could just happen on account of circumstances, situation, and current location. Slide 4 1. Career path: It is the sequential pattern of jobs that form a career. 2. Career goals: Career goals are the future positions that an individual strives to reach as part of a career. 3. Career planning: It refers to the process by which an individual selects career goals and the path to these goals. 4. Individual career planning: It is the process whereby each employee personally plans career goals. Slide 5 5. Organizational career planning: It is the process whereby the organization plans career goals for its employees. 6. Career management: It is the process of designing and implementing goals, plans, and strategies that enable HR professionals and managers to satisfy workforce needs and allow individuals to achieve their career objectives. 7. Career development programs: It helps in the achievement of career objectives.

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CAREER ANCHORS
Career anchors are the basic attitudinal characteristics that guide people throughout their careers. Some of the characteristics are: 1. Autonomy/independence: People who possess this characteristic want to be self reliant and do not like to be bossed. 2. Security/stability Individuals who desire security and stability want to be free from any anxiety of uncertainty or insecurity. They prefer to remain in the same kind of job and with the same employer, for life. 3. Technical/functional competence: These kind of people exhibit strong inclination to develop something which they can call their own. 4. General management: Those with management as a career anchor have good planning, organizing, managing and controlling skills. 5. Entrepreneurial creativity: Those with creativity as an anchor are more often successful as artists, freelancers, entrepreneurs and innovators. They enjoy jobs where they are given enough freedom to create and or not bound by organizational framework. 6. Service: Service as a career anchor drives individuals to take up jobs in not-for-profit service organizations. 7. Pure challenge: People with this career anchor just love solving difficult problems. They are attracted to challenges that do not follow any pattern or style. 8. Life style: For some people, nothing in life is more important than just enjoying life. They have a disinclination to sacrifice life style solely for career advancement. These types of people have life style as their career anchor.

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PROCESS OF CAREER PLANNING

The process of career planning involves four distinct elements: 1) 2) 3) 4) Individual Assessment and Need Analysis Organizational Assessment and Opportunity Analysis Need-Opportunity Alignment Career Counseling

Individual Assessment and Need Analysis: It is the responsibility of the organization to permit and guide each individual to make his own decisions regarding his career objectives and career path. Employees can also be helped through workshops and assessment programs sponsored by the organization. Assessment centers evaluate employees on their competencies and their ability to perform in future positions. The purpose of Need Analysis for the organization is to identify the training and development exercises that will help the individual meet his career plans as well as organizational objectives. Organizational Assessment and Opportunity Analysis: For an employees goals and aspirations to be fulfilled, a basic requirement is that they must be realistic and achievable. They have to be realistic nor only in terms of the employees own capabilities, but also in terms of organizational possibilities. Before realistic goals can be set, an individual employee needs information about possible careers the options and opportunities available. Need Opportunity Alignment: When employees have accurately assessed their career needs and have become aware of organizational career opportunities, the next logical step is alignment. The organization has to make its own alignments to match the employee aspirations with the organizational opportunities. Career Counseling: The supervisor, along with the HR department, has to counsel the employee regarding the available opportunities, the employees aspirations his competencies.

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THE BENEFITS OF CAREER PLANNING TO AN ORGANIZATION

A well-planned and well-executed career planning programs are beneficial for employees as well as the organization. A well-designed career planning exercise and career development program provides the following: 1. Ensures Availability of Resources for Future: Human resource planning determines the changing resource requirements of an organization and career development helps in meeting the resource requirements. 2. Enhances Organizational Ability to Attract and Retain Talent: An organization that shows concern for the employees future by providing them the best opportunities can attract and retain talented people. Career development results in lower employee turnover by matching individual aspirations with organizational needs. 3. Ensures Growth Opportunities for All: A comprehensive planning exercise by the organization ensures growth opportunities for all the employees. 4. Handles Employee Frustration: A career development program can help in handling the expectations of the employees, thereby reducing frustration levels. Slide 9

THE BENEFITS OF CAREER PLANNING TO AN INDIVIDUAL

Career planning; Helps understand strengths and weaknesses Helps to have a better knowledge of the career opportunities Helps plan career in a long-term prospective Helps to change career plans according to the changing needs Achieving career objectives gives a sense of satisfaction

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ISSUES IN CAREER PLANNING

1. Dual Family Careers: Organizations employing people whose spouses are working, must deal with the implications of dual-career planning. 2. Low Ceiling Careers: Some highly specialized jobs have little room for career advancement in career terms. It is difficult for employees to get promotions, despite their career plans in such jobs 3. Declining Opportunities: Career opportunities for certain jobs or categories sometimes decrease due to technological and economic changes. A career shift is perhaps the only solution for such a problem. 4. Career Stages: Employees move through different career stages and their career needs change as they move from one stage to another. In such a situation, the career plan of the employee becomes dynamic and keeps changing with his changing personal needs. 5. Restructuring: The demands of a fast changing economy have been forcing organizations to restructure and reorganize themselves. The concept of lean and mean organizations and flat structures has forced employees to revamp their career plans. 6. Career Plateaus: Employees reach a plateau in their career when they feel that there is nothing else left to achieve. Lack of motivation, high levels of stress, personal problems, lack of requisite knowledge and skill set, lack of opportunities or a slow moving business can lead to a career plateau. 7. work-family Issues: Elderly parents, school-going kids, a sick relative or family member, are some of the many family issues that change the career path of an employee. These issues might sometimes lead to career plateau.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT CYCLE

Career development is the process by which employees progress through a series of stages, each characterized by a different set of developmental tasks, activities, and relationships. The employee undertakes different developmental tasks at these different stages. Slide 12 The four stages in the career development cycle are: 1. Exploration Stage: Individuals try to identify their likes and dislikes at this stage. They try to discover their inclination towards different kinds of work. Exploration typically occurs during mid-teens or early twenties when an individual is in high school, college or university. The exploration stage continues when an individual takes up a new job and starts his career. 2. Establishment Stage: In this stage, the employee has identified his job, is satisfied with it and tries to settle down. The individual takes more responsibility, makes independent contributions to the organization, achieves financial success, and establishes desirable life-style. 3. Maintenance Stage: The employee at this stage strives to maintain a reputation and likes others to perceive him as one who is a major contributor to the organization. Individuals at this stage have enough job experience and can be a good trainer or mentor for the new employees. 4. Disengagement Stage: During this phase, the individual equips himself for a change, to balance work and non-work activities. Disengagement of an old employee is normally retirement and pursuit of his hobbies, social work etc.

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TYPES OF PROMOTIONS AND TRANSFERS PROMOTION

Promotion refers to the reassignment of an employee to a higher level job. Promotions are generally based on performance in the current position, ability to take up a higher position and in some cases, the seniority of the employee. Three types of promotions are: 1. Merit based promotions: This type of promotions is awarded to those employees who have consistently produced excellent performance. 2. Seniority based promotions: This type of promotions is given to employees who have been loyal to the organization for long years and have served at a particular level for a specified period. 3. Merit-cum-seniority promotions: For this type of promotions, individuals have to work for long years with the organization and also deliver good performance consistently. Weights are attached to merit and seniority to award scores to employees and the one with the highest score is selected for promotion from that level. Another classification of promotions results in two kinds of promotions: 1. Time-bound promotions: Here, employees get promoted after a fixed tenure at a particular level. 2. Vacancy-based promotions: Employees at the same level are judged based on their performance and service, and the best one from the lot is promoted to the vacant position at the next level.

TRANSFER
A transfer involves horizontal movement from one job to another, at the same level of the organization. It is the reassignment of an employee to a job with similar pay, status, duties and responsibilities, but in a different place or unit.

Three types of transfers are:

1. Employee initiated transfers / personal transfers: It is primarily in the interest of the employee, to match his needs. 2. Company initiated transfers: It is undertaken mainly to cater to the changing demands and requirements of the company.

3. Public initiated transfers: These are generally initiated by the government/politicians for various reasons like disciplinary action or special assignments. Slide 15

MODEL FOR PLANNED SELF-DEVELOPMENT

The model for planned self-development for an individual consists of six different stages. The steps in planned self-development are: 1. Self Assessment: In this step an individual analyses his personality, values, knowledge, skills and interests. 2. Opportunity Analysis: Here, the individual has to discover the wide range of opportunities, selects the ones that match his assessment of self, find out the specifics of each job, and analyze work-related trends. 3. Decision-Making: At this stage, the individual has to establish objectives in the areas of career, personal life, community service and lifelong learning. Making decisions, setting goals for self and writing a career action plan are the various steps involved in this stage. 4. Leverage Network: The individual at this stage has to try to make the best of the available opportunities. He/she has to search for the right contacts, who can help him/her get the desired job.

5. Venture:

At this stage, the individual should assess the offers made to him to start his career and venture into the job/area that suits him the best. 6. Continuous Assessment: Once the individual enters his new job and settles down, he has to start assessing the job and the benefits in comparison with his aspirations and goals. The benefits can be anything from monetary benefits to a learning experience. Slide 16

SUCCESSION PLANNING
Succession planning in an organization helps identify specific individuals to fill future vacancies in key positions. An organizational replacement chart forms the basis for the process of succession planning. Effective succession planning incorporates the following elements: 1. Continuity: Succession planning should not be an annual event. Regular and continuous communication can help the management in reaching this stage of organizational development. 2. Long-Term Perspective: A ready pool of talent should be available in the organization to provide resources for immediate replacement. 3. Organizational Need Perspective: The organization should develop a culture where external recruitment for key positions is normal in the absence of internal talent. 4. Turnover Management: Appropriate action plans to generate turnover have to be developed to avoid positions becoming blocked. 5. Emphasis on Results: Measurements to evaluate succession results have to be developed.

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CASES AND EXERCISES CASE 1: SELECTION OR PROMOTION?

CRR Industries Ltd., Eluru is producing electric bulbs, water coolers, air coolers and refrigerators. Recently it added a new line of production i.e. electric motors both for domestic and agricultural purposes. It needed one electric engineer with B.Tech qualification to look after the new plant producing electric motors. Presently five electric engineers with B.E. qualification as Assistant Engineers are working in the existing plant. The company advertised for the post of Chief Engineer (Electricals) for its new plant. It received twelve applications out of which five are from the Assistant Engineers working in the existing plant. The company used techniques of preliminary interviews, tests, final interview and medical examination and finally selected Mr C.B. Sastry, employed in the existing plant of the company. He is fourth in the seniority list of the Assistant Engineers in the present plant. The company served the appointment order to Mr Sastry and he joined as Chief Engineer in the new plant. But the three Assistant Engineers in the existing plant moved the issue to the court of law contesting that the selection of Mr C.B. Sastry is not valid as he is not the senior one among the Assistant Engineers in the existing plant. Questions: 1. What would be the managements` version in this case. 2. Predict the court judgement regarding this issue.

CASE 2: LEARNINMOTION.COM THE CAREER PLANNING PROGRAM

Career planning has always been a low priority item for LearninMotion.com, since just finding good employees and keeping them is enough of a problem, as Mel likes to say. And dont forget, he recently said, this isnt General Motors and our employees havent got hundreds of possible positions they can make plans to be promoted to. Yet, Jennifer thought it might not be a bad idea to give some thought to what a career planning program might involve for LearninMotion.com. For one thing, she knew three employees the web surfer, and two content managers were students at local colleges, and so obviously had higher career aspiration: Why not at least create the possibility that they continue their career with us, if everything works out right? she said. Jennifer also knew that Maureen, the Web designer who could now only handle the front end design of the site, wanted to learn more about programming of the site. And, while one of the sales-people seemed to be dedicated to the sales function, the other had several times expressed an interest in getting more involved in the management

of the company. Jennifer thinks providing more career-oriented support might build commitment. Jennifer, thats a great theory, but weve got so many other things to do, replied Mel. After discussing the issue, theyre atleast willing to formulate a simple career management program a try. Now they want you, their management consultants, to help them actually do it. Heres what they want you to do for them: Questions: 1. What would be the advantages to LearninMotion.com of setting up a career planning program? 2. Who should participate in the program, and why? All employees? Selected employees? 3. Describe the program you would propose for injecting a career planning and development perspective into LearninMotion.com. Slide 18

HR FOCUS HR FOCUS 1: CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS

The career development programmes for executives in private organizations are much more targeted and performance-oriented than those in the government organizations. On talking to the above mentioned people, we found that the career development patterns being followed by the three organizations were almost identical. When we asked Mr Shah as to the reason for this, he commented that the big organizations are continuously hunting for innovative schemes and borrowing HRD practices from each other. So whatever succeeds in one organization is bound to be tried by all others as well. However, there is one significant difference between L&T and Godrej Soaps in that, Godrej ensures that, Godrej ensures that each executive receives at least one week training in a year. L&T tried to implement this scheme, but failed to do so, because of the diverse training requirements of a technical organization and constraints of resources. Bataliboi Ltd also has minimum training period stipulated for the executives. The general pattern followed is that the executive is asked to fill a performance appraisal form, which lists the support areas that the organization is willing to provide for the self-development of the employee. This includes training, self-development actions (by the organization), self-development actions by the employee, and actions by immediate superior. Some of the areas in which training programmes are to be conducted by the organization are: Managerial and behavioral programmes

Core development programmes Appreciation programmes Computer learning programmes Programmmes related to HRD interventions Programmes for senior officers

The HRD department refers the requests to the immediate superior/boss of the executive and also the head of the department. Based in their evaluation of the executive, the HRD department determines who is to be trained and in which fields. The effects of the training programmes are periodically reviewed and additional inputs are given to the executive, if required. The career development activities are thus targeted to the immediate needs of the executive, focused to help him with his career planning and are instrumental towards his future growth, promotions and postings. Bataliboi Limited follows a slight variation of the practice. The organization selects one or two of the executives from the team and sends them for training programme. When they return, they are asked to design and conduct training programmes for the rest of the rest of the group members/executives in those areas for which they have just received training. This, they claim, not only helps them conserve their resources but also helps in designing training programmes which are more focused and cater to the exact needs of the organization. The career development programmes in the private sector organizations are conducted for executives on a case-to-case basis, and vary rarely on a group basis (except for new recruits). The HRD resources are limited and are to be used optimally, seems to be the motto of the private sector organizations, and rightly so. Development of individual takes place mainly trough his own efforts. However, the organizational support is necessary. Some of the actions helpful in development are listed below:

Development Actions by the Organization

I. Training: Preparing people to carry out their present job more competently. This could be through in-house courses or external training programmes. II. Job Rotation: Shifting a person from one job to another to provide varied and interesting work experience to broaden his perspective. III. Job Enlargement: Broadening the scope of a job by expanding the number of different tasks to be performed by a person and making the job more challenging. IV. Special Assignment: 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. V. Deputation to Other Departments:

Temporary (2 to 6months) attachment to other departments for work experience in an area other than his normal functions. VI. Others: teaching Allowing officiation in absence of section head or peer, encouraging active involvement in professional bodies, taking up training / assignments, etc.

Development Actions by the Immediate Superior

I. Involvement: Participative decision making; working in teams; formal presentations. II. Delegation: Power to make decisions and commit resources; non-interference of the boss in running day-to-day operations. III. Counseling and Coaching: Clarifying roles, areas of growth and career progression; on-the-job regular counseling and coaching sessions.

Development Actions by the Employee

I. 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.; attending part-time courses, etc. II. Skill Building: Gaining hands-on experience such as working on personal computer, and operating equipment; learning good managerial practices. III. Behavior/Attitude Development: Systematic work habits, thoroughness, perseverance and hard work, etc.; positive thinking and willingness to change; introspection and periodic self reviews; learning from experiences of self and others.

HR FOCUS 2: CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES

In central government service, an individuals career planning and development activities do not necessarily mean a better career, because the officers remain in a queue for promotions and postings. According to the guidelines laid down in the National Training Policy, all the central government services follow the following pattern for the career development of its group A officers: Promotions: The typical promotion ladder, which any central government officer climbs is that he gets first promotion after three-five years of joining service. He attains the level of Deputy Secretary within 12 years and reaches the rank of Joint Secretary between 16-18 years of joining service. After this, promotions depend on criteria such as seniority, merit and numbers of years left for retirement. If for some reason, it is found in any department of service, that the officers have not reached the above mentioned ranks in the stipulated period, a Cadre Review Committee (CRC) is formed for that particular department or service. The Committee examines the reason for the stagnation by a detailed study of the organizational pyramid. A cadre review is done with respect to the number of posts and therefore suggestions are given to clear the stagnation. Training programmes: According to the training policy, formulated by the Department of Personnel and Training, all central government employees receive mandatory training at various stages, usually spaced between two to five years. These training courses are related to functional as well as general management areas.

Special Case Indian Railways

The Indian Railways comprise ten major departments-civil engineering; mechanical engineering; electrical engineering; signals and telecommunications, stores; traffic and commercial, accounts, personnel, railway police, and medical services. It is divided into nine railway zones northern, eastern, southern, western, central, north-eastern, southcentral, south-eastern, and north-east frontier. There is atleast one training manager per zone per department, totaling to 120 training managers for the whole of India. Group A officers are subjected to the following three types of training programmes: Mandatory training: Mandatory training comprises all compulsory training programmes and functionrelated courses. The compulsory training programmes are as follows:

(i)

In the first 1 to 2 years of joining service, the new recruits undergo practical and theoretical training in Railway division / workshops and institutes. The non-accounts recruits undergo 18 months of training while the officers of the accounts service undergo an additional 6 months training at the National

Institute of Financial Management, Faridabad to master the skills of finance. During this period, there is an ongoing basis of training reports and UPSC merit list. According to this merit list, the officers are allotted to their respective Railway Zones and divisions/cities. The purpose of this training is three-fold: Exposure to the organization Learn about the system of working within own discipline Learn about linkages with other disciplines

After this training period, the officers are sent on probation period for a period of one year, after which they are confirmed. Thus, there is a total evaluation period of three years before confirmation. Roughly 1/2 percent of officers are rarely removed from service based on performance during this period. There is no grading in any training course, after these three years. Functional training: This type of training comprises two categories: (i) Training for technical/departmental/discipline inputs, which is conducted at the following centres: Track and Bridge Institute, Pune Signaling Institute, Secundrabad Electrical Institute, Nasik Mechanical Institute, Jamalpur Traffic/Accounts/Personnel/Stores Institute, Baroda RPF Training Centre, Lucknow Training for general management principles is conducted at the Railway Staff College, Baroda. The training schedules of the courses for officers are: After 3-4 years of joining service: Training for technical/departmental inputs (2 weeks) Between 5-7 years of joining service: Training for general management principles (2 weeks) Between 9-12 years of joining service: Training for technical/departmental inputs (2 weeks) Between 12-15 years of joining service: Training for general management principles (1 week) Between 18-22 years of service: Function related training (1 week)

(ii)

Upto 15 years of service, the training imparted to an officer is regardless of his current assignment, need s or requirements. However, after 18 years of service, the officer is imparted function-related training, which focuses on the current assignment of the officer and the specific roles, and responsibilities of that post. Strategic management courses:

In addition to the mandatory courses, some strategic management courses are organized by the Railways for its officers on requirement basis. In the annual appraisal report, the officers ask for particular training inputs, and his immediate superior gives his comments on whether he recommends or not. Based on the number of requests, one to two week strategic management courses are arranged and officers are invited to attend. These courses are not compulsory and are arranged for the development of the individual. There are no incentives or career advantages offered by any course attended after three years of joining service, with respect to promotions or postings. None of the courses after three years of joining are compulsory and have any bearing on the career growth or development. These courses are conducted by Railway Staff College and various premier institutes of the country like, IIMs. NITIE, MDI, National Institute of Financial Management, the specialized training centres of Railways, foreign institutions like British Rail, etc.

HR FOCUS 3: CAREER DEVELOPMENT IN IT INDUSTRIES Wipro Technologies Ltd.

The career planning and development is done very meticulously. As the employees learn and grow in their career, they gain new credentials that help them prepare for the next position. Wipro considers each position level carefully and awards appropriate responsibilities to them to achieve a new career goal. The system of career achievement is built on the following levels and their respective career paths: Team Member: New employees with less than one year of work experience may become a team member of the first few projects. Their primary task will be to gain experience with various tools and software development while developing software programs. Module Leader: After the role of a developer, they will move to the role of module leader. A module leader interacts with customers in addition to developing software and leading his team. At this level, they will have the option of choosing between a technical and a consulting and business development career. Employees can choose one of the following: Technology Specialist Marketing Process and Quality Business Development Project Manager:

In the technical career path, a module leader progresses to the role of a project manager. As a project manager, they take charge of a project, set project standards, work to build customer relationships, provide technical assistance to the project team, develop a good work atmosphere in the project team, and work as an interface with other internal departments. Technical Manager: Based on performance and experience, project manager progresses to the role of a technical manager. A technical manager will manage more than one project. His or her primary responsibilities will include issues relating to customers, people, and business. Later, they may aspire to head any of the SBUs (Strategic Business Units). Not many organizations allow them to alter their career path midway to better suit their core competence. The opportunity to branch out into a functional or technical specialization will depend upon the interests and expertise of the employees.

Infosys Technologies Ltd.

For a typical software professional in Infosys, the growth path is as follows:

Developer: A person who joins Infosys with less than one year`s work experience, starts as a developer for the first couple of projects. Here, his/her primary task is to pick up expertise in various tools in software development while developing software programmes. Module Leader: After the initial stint as a developer, one moves to the role of a module leader. A module leader interacts with customers in addition to developing software and leading his team. Projects Leader: After gaining some experience, an employee moves to the role of a project leader. Here he/she takes charge of a project, sets project standards, works to build customer relationships, provides technical assistance to the project team, develops a good work atmosphere in the project team, and works as an interface with other internal departments. Business Manager: Based on the performance and experience, software professional progresses to the role of a Business Manager (BM) whose basic responsibilities are to manage customers and other issues relating to customer, people and business, the customer issue relating to customer, people, and business are the primary responsibility of the BM. Later employees can aspire to head any of the SBUs (Strategic Business Units). This of course is only one of the routes in the Infosys Career Path. There are other routes for those in support functions. There are international opportunities for the Business

Development Managers (BDMs) based in their various offices worldwide. This job does require travel in order to meet prospects and build relationships with customers. Infosys uses the Global Delivery Model. In this model the project is divided into components; some are executed onsite (may be in India/abroad) and the rest at the Indiabased development centres. Depending on project requirements, software professionals may be required to be based at the customer site.

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SUMMARY
A career is the sequence of jobs held during ones working life. Career planning refers to the process by which an individual determines his/her career objectives and plans the path to achieve these objectives. An effective career planning and development program improves the ability of the organization to attract and retain talented personnel. Career development is the process by which employees progress through a series of stages, each characterized by a different set of developmental tasks, activities, and relationships. The career path of individual progresses through promotions and transfers, toward its final objectives. Promotion is the reassignment of an employee to a higher level job. Transfer refers to the assignment of an employee to another position with similar pay, status, duties and responsibilities. A model for self-development consists of six stages - self-assessment, opportunity analysis, decision-making, leveraging network, venturing and continuous assessment. Organizational planning of employee career paths to fill up future vacancies with the best replacements from within the organization is termed as succession planning.