CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

INTRODUCTION:
Innovative Career Planning is a most important aspect of human resource management. In the minds of the young managers the upper most question is "How can I plan my career ?" "How can I get ahead in my job ?" "What do I do to get promotions". Many people look back on their careers at the end of their working life with satisfaction knowing that what they did achieve and their career hopes were fulfilled. Others are less fortunate and feel that their potential was not realised. An objective view of a person's career is given by Flippo. According to him, "a career is a sequence of positions held by a person during the course of life time. It comprises of a series of work related activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a person's life." Another subjective view of career is that career consists of the changes in values, attitudes and motivation that occur as a person grows older. The underlying assumption in both these views is that an individual can shape his destiny through a series of well planned and well timed positive moves. Careers today are not what they were several years ago. "Careers were traditionally viewed as an upward linear progression in one or two firms or as stable employees within a profession". Today, instead, someone's career is more likely to be "driven by person, not the organisation and reinvented by the person from time to time as the person and the environment change." Some even suggest that tomorrow's career won't be so much a gradual mountain climb as much as a series of short hills or learning stages, as the person switches from job to job and firm to firm. All this has made the job of HR managers more difficult and complex. The psychological and emotional contract between employers and employees has changed. The HR activities like selection and training are starting to change, in addition to serving the company's needs, these activities much now be designee so that the employee's long run interests are served and that, in particular the employee is encouraged to grow and realise his full potential. The focus of employees, now-a-days, is not on performance but on the sort of training, learning and development, that will allow them to remain marketable.

CAREER PLANNING: "Career planning is the deliberate process through which a person become~ aware of personal career related attributes and the life long series of stages that contribute to his career fulfillment." Carrer planning is a process by which one selects career goals and the path to these goals. The major focus of career planning should be on assisting the employees in achieving a better match between personal goals and the opportunities that are realistically available in the organisation. Career planning is an effort to pinpoint and highlight those areas ; that offer psychological success instead of vertical growth. Career planning is ; not an event or end in itself, but a continuous process of developing human resources for achieving optimum results. It must be noted here that individual and organisational careers are not: separate and distinct. A person who is not able to translate his career plan into I action within the organisation may probably quit the job, if he has a choice. Organisations, therefore, should help employees in career planning so that both, can satisfy each other's needs. Initially, the individual must accept responsibility for his own career, assess his own interests, skills and values and generally take those steps that must be taken to ensure a happy and fulfilling career. The! person's manager also plays a role here. For example, the manager will have to' provide timely and objective performance feed back, other developmental assignments and support and participate in career oriented appraisals etc. The employer/organisation through its policies and systems also plays a career planning and development role. For example, he will have to provide career oriented training and development opportunities, offer career management programmes and establish career oriented appraisal and job posting policies.

OBJECTIVES OF CAREER PLANNING:

Career planning aims to meet the following objectives: (i) To offer careers, not jobs to the employees so that talent can be attracted and retained in the organisation

(ii) To have effective utilisation of human resources which will, in turn, lead to greater productivity (iii) To reduce employee turnover (iv) To motivate the employees and to boost their morals (v) To meet the immediate and future human resource needs of the organisation on a timely basis.

CAREER PLANNING Vs MANPOWER PLANNING:

Both career planning and manpower planning relate to the human resources in the organisation, but these are totally different from each other. The main points of difference between these two are: (i) Manpower planning is the process of determining manpower requirements and the means for meeting these requirements in order to carry out the integrated plan of the organisation. Career planning is the process of finding those employees who could be groomed for higher level positions on the strength of their performance. (ii) Manpower planning provides valuable information regarding the availability of human resources in case of expansion, growth etc. of the organisation. Career planning gives in a picture of who could succeed in case of any major developments leading to retirement, death, resignation of existing employees. In fact, manpower planning is tied to the overall strategic planning efforts of the organisation. There cannot be effective manpower planning in the absence of effective career planning.

INDIVIDUAL CAREER PLANNING:

Planning the career is not an easy matter. Successful career planning requires that every individual should set realistic goals, determine the strengths and weaknesses in his job performance and develop skills that make him marketable. Before planning his career, every individual must ask himself the following questions:

(i) Who am I ? (ii) Where do I want to go ? (iii) How can I get there? To answer these questions, he must make a careful self assessment of his needs, interests, values and abilities. Personal strategies will, then, be formulated for overcoming the weaknesses and utilising the strengths. Individual career planning takes the following factors into account: 1. Preparing Personal Profile. The first important thing in career planning is the presentation of personal profile. It consists of various personality traits of the person. It is very difficult to know one's own nature, but it is essential for preparing personal profile. One should put some questions to oneself like attitudes towards work, nature, confidence, initiative, future expectations etc. The answer to these and similar other questions will help in determining the direction of one's professional career. 2. Formulating Personal and Professional Goals. Both personal and professional goals should be formulated to plan one's career. The personal goals will first enable a person to enter the profession and then professional goals will be needed for reaching higher heights. For example, if a person wants to become a doctor, then he should plan his studies for a period of 5-6 years after schooling. Once he becomes a doctor, then he may set goals for himself in the profession. The setting of performance goals helps in identifying career goals. The career goals are not set once for all. There should be a flexibility in career goals. With the change in circumstances and environment the goals should be revised. In order to support long term objectives, there should be short term objectives and action plans which can be a part of performance appraisal process. Continuing the previous example, if one aims to become a doctor then he should study medical courses for entering this line and then study various aspects of medicine and surgery. So short term action plans are essential to achieve long term goals. 3. Analysing Environment Effect. A good career planning requires a systematic analysis of the environment for opportunities. Both inside and outside environment influence career planning process. The stage of growth of the organisation, future expansion plans, thinking of management etc. should be considered while deciding about career strategy. For example, an expanding organisation will provide more

opportunities to its employees than a mature concern which is not expected to grow. The outside environmental factors such as economic, social, political, technological etc. too need to be discussed for formulation of career strategy. Not only present, but future environment should also be considered. This requires forecasting. Since many factors need to be analysed, planning the career necessitates being selective and concentrating on those factors which are critical to personal success. 4. Analysis of Strengths And Weaknesses. The strengths and weaknesses of a person should be matched with job requirements and environmental opportunities. Different jobs require different skills. One person may be more suitable at supervisory level only, while the other may go upto middle level management and so on. 5. Developing Alternatives. A good career planning requires the development of several alternatives. The alternatives are assessed in view of the environment and the opportunities available. One alternative may be suitable under particular conditions while the other may benefit under other situations. Sometimes, efforts are made to overcome weaknesses to take advantage of opportunities. The strategies should be developed to meet the threats in the environment and cope with such situations. A person with excellent technical and managerial capabilities may like to join an expanding concern so that he benefits later on. 6. Developing Contingency Plans. The career plans are developed in the environment of uncertainty. Even though some future assumptions are made, but these may not prove correct. So contingency plans should be formulated for facing the uncertain future situations. One may be happy while working in a growing concern because of more career opportunities but an assumption should be made if the venture fails then what is to be done. 7. Monitoring Career Plan. The career plan should be monitored to find out if it goes as per the assumptions or not. As required by a particular situation some adjustments may be needed. The monitoring should be done at the time of performance appraisal or when some project or assignment is completed. The appraisal should be in reference to the goals or objectives set not only in operating areas but also in areas where some milestones were to be achieved.

SELF AWARENESS:
The Choice of Career of an individual is influenced by his parents, peer group and sometimes, the status symbol associated with certain fields. When coupled with lack of awareness about various options available today the choice becomes even more difficult. Each individual has unique disposition and there are numerous vocations demanding varied skill sets. People are also capable of adapting to various jobs within their range of abilities. Therefore, given appropriate training and efforts, one can be fit for more than one job. The most important aspect regarding this is self awareness. One needs to assess his or her aptitude through standardised psychological tests and stay abreast of fast changing scenario of employment, opportunities and trends in the market. Career choice is not a one time episode. Rather it is a long process starting from planning through preparation and entry. Stepping into a career warrants setting into life styles. Self awareness is more than gauging one's aptitude, personality variables and interests. Although some jobs may be suitable according to one's aptitude, the work conditions and time commitments may render the Job unsuitable after all. In the world of work, it is not just the opportunity a valuable but also other aspects like the work conditions, nature of Job, salary, environments, future prospects, status symbol and vacations, which need to be considered. An individual can weigh the pros and cons of the alternatives keeping these factor in mind. Unrealistic and misjudged choices could lead to dissatisfaction and even depression, wise career choices lead to greater Job satisfaction, better adjustment in life and an integrated personality. So before one 'plunges into a career, one should question, think and act. The important facts while planning the career are as follows: (i) Career choice is irreversible. Once a career is chosen, it is extremely difficult to leave it and start again. (ii) Be aware of employment trends. Select such as career where it is easy to gain employment and chances of further progress and also there. (iii) Avoid narrow field of specialisation. It limits one's choice of career.

(iv) Make a realistic choice. The choice made should be according to your abilities and not something which is too tough and difficult to achieve, which can lead to frustration.

MANAGING THE WORK SITUATION OR CAREER MANAGEMENT

Every management should have a policy to provide its employees with appropriate opportunities, encouragement and career growth. This policy should be consistent with the contribution of the employees to the growth of the organisation. Career planning of the organisation should be done in such a way that every employee has a fair. consistent. and uniform chance of promotion, By providing equality of opportunities in growth, management can improve the morale of the employees. Every employee should be provided information about the opportunities of growth that exist in the organisation, depending upon his qualification and experience.

ELEMENTS OF CAREER MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

A career management programme should have the following important elements: 1. Preparation of an Upto date Inventory of Job Positions in the Organisation. The first element in career planning is the preparation of an upto date job inventory, which will give complete information about the job positions. This inventory should contain the following information: (i) Number of Jobs at each level of career paths, number of vacancies' likely to occur due to normal turnover and retirement and additional hands needed on account of implementation of development programmes. (ii) Information about the duties, responsibilities and functions of each job. (iii) Requisite academic qualifications, training, skills experience and personality traits required for performing each job assignment. The above information will help in the development of career pattern, the placement of personnel who will best meet job requirements and the promotional opportunities in the organisation.

2. Preparation of Personnel Inventory of Present and Anticipated Homan Resources. The second element in career management is the preparation of inventory of human resources in the organisation. This inventory will contain information about the currently employed manpower resources, their academic qualifications, training, experience of various positions held and the appraisal of their performance. Further, an estimate will be prepared for the anticipated future manpower requirements based on job estimation. This manpower inventory will provide the basis for planning and development of manpower resources needed by the organisation. It will lay a scientific base for planned career advancement and selection of eligible persons for career promotions. 3. Career Planning and Development. Till recently, majority of the organisations are not aware of this element of career management. They are not aware of the needs and aspirations of the employees. But research has proved that it is very essential for the organisation to give consideration to the long range and short range goals and aspirations of the employees. Only then the management can devise career plans which will help the employees in moving towards their goals. The development of career plans will educate the employees in selfdevelopment. From the very stage of entry into the organisation the employee should know, which career path he has to follow to reach the desired level in the organisation. The management has to go through the following stages for an efficient and effective career management programme: (i) Matching of Management and Individual Career Plans. While allocating jobs to the employees, management should take into consideration their personal interests, goals, needs, aspiration and capabilities. If the management fails to do so, and the employees are not associated with their jobs, the employees will not display their real worth in their work and the management cannot make optimum utilisation of manpower resources. Thus, the management should pnwide a flexible organisational structure which will match the career paths with the individual interests, capabilities, aspirations, attitudes on the one hand and the manpower needs of the organisation on the other hand. Once the individual employee in assigned a specific career path, he will be allowed to continue unless it is felt that the particular path does not suit the employee or that he will do better in another career path.

(ii) Management Development. A very important segment of career management programme is the management development and introduction of development techniques which help in effective implementation of this programme. Development of personnel should relate to the present and future needs of the organisation. Moreover, the individual employees abilities and potentialities as indicated by their performance appraisals will also have an impact on the development programme. For the development of management skills, a lot of techniques can be used. But the most important and commonly used techniques are "on the job training" and "coaching through work experience". Training will enhance the skills and knowledge of personnel, give them an added sense of dignity and confidence and improve their capacities in their respective fields of work. Training should be given keeping in view the employees' past job experience and anticipated assignments. Management should try to have a model plan for each career path, describing the skills required at specified points of time and devising techniques for enabling the employees to acquire or develop these skills. Thus management development can be very important in career management in the following way: (a) Assessing manpower needs. (b) Ascertaining skills and capabilities required for effective performance. (c) Utilisation of full potential and capabilities of employees. (d) Development of potential and capabilities of employees through training and coaching. (iii) Criteria in Development of Career Planning. In the next stage, the management has to decide the criteria which is to be used for developing career planning. A number of criteria can be used by the management for this purpose such as : (a) Dialogue. Dialogues can generate the interest which will be advantageous to the organisation as well as the individuals. Generally, this dialogue is between the individual employee and his immediate superior, but it can be between the individual and the top management of the organisation. (b) Guidance. Within the framework of the career planning, individual employees can be guided to plan intelligently their

own careers. They should be given information about options, opportunities and goals available. (c) Involvement and Participation. Employees should be involved in the setting of goals, time schedules, value system and other meaningful issues. This participation will give them a sense of belongingness to the organisation. (d) Feedback. There should be an effective feedback of information including employees' personal information as well as information about his career paths. This information is to be collected in a systematic way so that it can be used for knowing how many and what kind of human resources are available in the organisation. (e) Dynamic. The career planning programme should be dynamic because individuals are not static, they are changing entities. (iv) Career Planning System. The career planning system will be effective only if the individual and organisation are honest and informative about each other. Career planning system can generate data of great use in manpower planning process, The personnel department can playa very important role by organising career planning workshops for employees which give them the basis for initiating career changes, Some of the important methods of career planning are: (a) Career Paths. "Career paths can be defined as the simply structured series of predetermined on the job experiences which result in job promotions within the organisation itself. Career path can be a useful method, only when structured experience is a technical necessity. This method will not be suitable in the changing environment of individuals and the organisation. (b) Job Posting. Job posting as a method of career planning is an intra. organisational activity. In this method, the organisation. announces the various positions and vacancies in the classified section of a newspaper. Employees apply for these positions according to their aspirations and career plans. Thus in this method, the employees opt themselves for promotion or job change, When individuals apply on their own for the vacancies, it will produce a climate in the organisation which will produce individual and organisational optimisation, This method can produce very effective and efficient results. Job posting creates

an attnosphere of openness, honesty and confidence among the individual employees. (c) Assessment Centre. This method can be applied in almost all the situations. Under this method, miniature situations of job functions and processes are created under controlled conditions, where individuals may be systematically observed by specialists and the candidates' readiness to advance in the organisation is evaluated. The process of assessment can be carried out by I designated unit of the organisation or a consultant. The assessment centre is an effective method to provide an objective evaluation of developed abilities, potential, strengths, weaknesses and motivation of employees. This evaluation provides a basis of career planning and development.

CAREER MODELS:
Research has concluded that there is, generally, uncertainty among managers of professional employees about how to guide the, careers of their subordinates? Why have some professionals remained high performers over the years while other have not? What have they done differently? Part of the confusion about careers has grown out of the career models used by the organisations. (i) Pyramidal Model The first and most influential model is the Pyramidal Model of organisations and of careers. In this model, authority, status and pay all increase as the individual moves up the pyramid. As professionals first moved into industrial and government organisations, this was the sole career model they encountered. Many professionals with advanced degrees become prime candidates for management positions. But many professionals were dismayed to find that the ability and willingness to manage seemed almost the sole criteria for advancement, recognition or reward in their organisations. Similarly, many organisations found that the pyramid model failed to take important realities into account. Too often, they found themselves promoting a key technical specialist to a management position because it was the only way to reward him. More and more firms began to set up special new pay and promotion schemes such as the dual ladder for their professional employees in order to recognise the critical contributions they could make as individuals

. These criticisms have not subsided. Instead, they have persisted and indeed increased in recent years. (II) The Obsolescence Model After the initial stage was over, a new problem arose. As the number of professional with 20-25 years experience grew, a new model of professional careers began to emerge. The low performance ratings of many of these senior employees led to the use of the metaphor of obsolescence. The picture projected by the metaphor was that of a rapidly changing technology in which the skills of the older professionals were rapidly outdated and in which recent professionals who had mastered the latest tools and techniques were at a premium. This model carries with it an implied solution to the problem. When it is assumed that professionals become obsolete like machines, the obvious solution is to update or reeducate professionals and to restore them to the state they were in when they came out of management school,-on top of the newest and most sophisticated techniques. All this money and effort spent on training of obsolete employees rests on a questionable model. It has not been concluded that these training courses improve performance. (III) A New Model A new model of professional careers have been developed by researchers after an extensive and in-depth research. According to this model there are four distinct stages in a professionally trained employee's career. Each stage differs from the other in the tasks an individual is expected to perform well in that stage, in the type of relationships he engages in and in the psychological adjustments he must make. Research has proved that individuals who were moving successfully through these stages had received the high performance ratings. Conversely individuals who had remained in the early stages were likely to be low rated. These stages are as discussed below: (a) Stage I. In stage I, the individual works under the direction of others as an apprentice, helping or learning from one or more mentors. As he is new.. to the organisation and lacks experience, and because others do not know how much they can rely on his judgement, he works under the fairly close

supervision of a more experienced person. Much of the work in this stage involves fairly routine duties. The individual customarily gets assignments that are part of a larger project or activity directed by a supervisor. Many young professionals find such a relationship frustrating. They are eager to have their own projects and independent jobs. If the individual learns quickly and well at this stage, he will be given increased responsibility. If he fails to do so, he may continue to do the routine work under close supervision as long as he remains with the organisation. (b) Stage II. The primary theme in stage II is independence. In this stage, a person is expected to improve his professional skills to a high level. One way to achieve this competence is to develop an area of specialisation. Using this strategy of focusing his energies in one area enables the individual to develop a sense of competence. In addition to increasing his self esteem, the individual also tends to enhance his visibility in the organisation. A carefully selected speciality in stage II usually forms the base for a productive and successful career. Failure to establish such a base is a risk few professionals can afford to take. In stage II, peer relationships take on greater importance. A person at this stage continues to be someone's subordinate, but he comes to rely less on his supervisor or mentor for direction. Research indicated that doing well in stage II is extremely important in the process of careeer development. Moreover many people remain in stage II throughout their careers, making substantial contributions to the organisation and experiencing a high degree 'of professional satisfaction. However if they do not move beyond this stage the probability that they will continue to receive above average ratings, diminishes. (c) Stage III. In stage III, three roles are played by the individuals. Informal mentor, idea man and manager. These are not mutually exclusive, one individual may play all the three roles. The most central shift that occurs as a person, moves into stage III is the nature of his relationships. In stage II, he had to take care of himself, in stage III, he has to take care of others, to assume some form of responsibility for their work. In this stage, he has to satisfy a number of people. He now has responsibilities upwards as well as downwards. In this stage, he must develop a sense of confidence in his own ability to produce results and to help others do the same. He must be psychologically able and willing to take responsibility for someone else's output. Along

with conflicts, stage III also brings long term satisfaction. There is adequate social involvement, recognition from peers and the satisfaction of helping junior professionals in furthering their careers. Generally, the organisational rewards, both money and status, reach a fairly satisfactory level. Some people find this stage satisfying till retirement. Others move on to a new stage. (d) Stage IV. Stage IV people usually play at least one of three roles manager, internal entrepreneur, idea innovator. These people are not close enough to the details of the daily work to perform in these roles. Instead, they formulate policy and initiate and approve broad programmes. One of the major ways in which those in stage IV influence the direction of the organisation is through the selection and development of key people. The people in this stage are also heavily involved in key relationships outside the organisation. In this stage, the individual influence others by means, other than the direct supervision-through ideas, through personal selection, through reviews, through resource allocation and through changes in organisational designs. Another critical shift for those moving in stage IV is a broadening of perspective and a lengthening of time horizons. Moreover, he must also become accustomed to using power. He needs to be able to form alliances and to take strong positions without feeling permanent enmity towards those who differ with him. This new model also raises a number of questions: (i) Whether the person who skips a stage will be a failure? The answer is that though he will not be a failure, but the person who goes through these stages will be better equipped for settling into a professional career. (ii) Whether the only successful people are those who have progressed to stage IV ? The answer is that people in all stages make important contributions to the organisation. However, research indicates that as people grow older, they are less likely to be highly valued if they don't move beyond the early stages. (iii) Do people only move forward in these stages? Generally, those moving backward implies demotion and people are reluctant to make this transition.

(iv) Are the stages not merely another way of describing the management hierarchy? But this is not so. Many non-managers perfonn stage III and IV work, but in traditional hierarchy non managers could not be in the top hierarchy of the organisation. Our model of career stages has both pragmatic and theoretical implications for those who work in organisations as well as for those who manage them. Individuals need a longitudinal framework within which to form their own career decisions. Managers need a framework for predicting some of the long term consequences of short term career decisions. Managers in several organisations have found it useful to examine the stages of career development in their own organisations as a way of identifying the factors that block or facilitate movement between stages. iv.: The Japanese Career Model The Japanese model emphasises life time employment and promotions based on seniority. The Japanese have realised the importance of a stable workforce long back (immediately after World War II) and have consciously put legal restrictions on terminations. The extensive use of automation and robotics in work place also contributed to the practice of life time employment in Japan. One reason for the widespread use of such advanced technology is that employees know that they will not lose their jobs. Extensive training is also offered to workers so that they do not leave the company. Despite life time employment, Japanese companies do have a mechanism for discharge, namely, early retirement. Early retirement is given to workers even in their late 40s-if necessary, of course, backed by attractive severence pay and benefits. BENEFITS OF CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT: Career planning and development is beneficial to the individual as well as to the organisation. These benefits are as discussed below Benefits To The Individual 1. It helps the individual to discover his own talents, needs and motives related to work. 2. It helps fulfill the individual's need to know what his position and future in the organisation will be.

3. It provides a sense of affiliation with the organisation and a feeling that the organisation is interested in the individual's development. 4. It provides greater opportunity for the individual to obtain optimal return for his personal investment (contribution of talent, time etc.) in the organisation. 5. It provides the individual with a greater awareness of his work environment and hence, promotes more intelligent decision making with respect to careers and avoids frustration caused by lack of career information. 6. It helps fulfill the individual's need to retain a sense of control over his personal destiny in the increasingly complex and impersonalized modern industrial society. 7. It provides greater opportunities for change in the working environment that would otherwise lead to boredom. 8. It is conducive to job satisfaction by providing assignments most suited to the individual's needs and tastes. 9. It leads to optimal personal development by developing abilities and aptitudes to the full. Benefits To The Organisation 1. It helps in increasing efficiency/productivity in jobs and in turn, effectiveness in meeting the organisational objectives through greater creativity, motivation and contribution of the staff. 2. It helps in reducing the turnover of high potential staff and absenteeism of all staff. 3. It facilitates staff mobility by planning assignments well enough in to move at short notice. 4. It helps in providing greater assurance of an adequate supply of qualified personnel for future openings in managerial, technical and other key positions. 5. It promotes continuity of organisational knowledge by drawing more upon internal personnel resources.

6. It helps in reducing pressure on job classification and other personnel system resulting from frustrated career. 7. It provides an added input in programme planning by offering more data on the capabilities of the work force which, in turn permits a better judgement to be made of whether or in what manner proposed programme objectives can be accomplished. 8. It prevents organisational chaos by helping to provide a more regulated, ordered and objective procedure for upward mobility of the staff members. 9. It promotes optimum utilisation of human resources both at present by preventing instances of mismatched staff members and in the future by permitting longer term planning of the development of the employee's usefulness to the organisation. 10. It contributes significantly to the reduction of costs.
LIMITATIONS OF CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT:

There are some development also:

drawbacks

of

the

career

planning

and

1. Career planning is not suitable for small units where the opportunities for vertical growth of the employees are very few. 2. Several environmental factors may upset career planning and development efforts of the organisation e.g. government policy, reservation policy, regional pressures, trade union demands etc. 3. Problems may crop up, if the management fails to focus on any of the career related issues e.g. minority groups, early career issues, retirement issues, late career issues etc.
STEPS IN EFFECTIVE CAREER PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT:

Systemetic career planning offers a large numbers of benefit to the individual as well as to the organisation. To ensure the success of such activity, a number of steps should be taken. A few of these steps are as follows: 1. Support from the Top Management. Career planning efforts to be effective must receive consistent support and help from the top management.

2. Clear Cut Goals. The corporate goals must be laid down clearly. It is not possible to develop appropriate goals for human resources if the management is not sure about the corporate goals. 3. Rewards for Performance. There must be appropriate rewards for employees as well as managers, who show promise. Employees must be made willing to expand their abilities and managers must be willing to coach, counsel and share their knowledge with employees. 4. Proper Placement. Every effort must be made to put the employees on jobs for which they are best suited. If a talented employee is put on a job, below his standard, he will quit in frustration as soon as he gets the opportunity. 5. Career Paths. The career paths for different employees should be laid down clearly. Fast promotions should be available to talented people. 6. Continuous Basis. Career planning efforts should be carried out on a continuous basis keeping the changing needs of employees and the organisation in mind. A record of career movements of employees must be kept and periodic assessment of who has gone where should be made. 7. Awareness. There should be publicity of the career opportunities in the organisation, so that all the employees become aware of these opportunities. SUCCESS IN CAREER: Conventionally, a persons career success is judged by the organisational level achieved, the salary earned, or the standing in a profession. Career experts, however, argue that this is too simple a conception, career success should be judged on several dimensions as discussed below: 1. Career Performance. Career performance can be judged by the level of objective success and the level of psychological success. Objective Success. Objective success is usually reflected by the achievement of the most common measures of success e.g. pay and the attainment of high post in the organisation. Attaining objective success depends upon how well one

performs one's job and the extent to which it is valued by others in the organisation. While it is generally true that the best performers are the most successful, this is by no means always the case. Sometimes, a person who is a very good performer gets passed over for another who is not quite effective. Or two people may be equally capable, but their careers may progress at different rates because they work for different firms eg. a person working in IT industry will progress at a faster rate as compared to a person working in paper industry. Psychological Success. Psychological success occurs when the person's self-esteem increases. Psychological success may be linked to objective success. It may increase when the pay of a person increase. It may decrease when one experiences job dissatisfaction. But self esteem may also increase when one begins to sense personal worth in many other ways ego Job recognition, developing confidence and competence etc. Objective career success may then become secondary. This sometimes happens after one has achieved some degree of economic security, enough to be certain that family and personal commitments can 'be met. The achievement of psychological success explains that why some persons who had been advancing rapidly but then slowed down, can be quite happy with their lines. 2. Career Attitude. Career attitudes are the specific individual attitudes related to work. These are the attitudes about the work itself, the place of work, Job satisfaction, the level of achievement and the relationship between working life and personal life career attitudes begin to be formed early in life, before a person joins a job and continue to be shaped by the person's work experiences. 3. Career Identity. Individual identity is the unique way that a person believes he fits into the world. Work, career and a place in the organisation will have an effect on identity. Career identity is that particular facet of a person's identity related to his occupational activities. 4. Career Adaptability. Career adaptability is the individual's willingness and capacity to change occupations and/or the work setting in order to maintain his standards of career progress. The level of career adaptability has important implications for managers, professionals and persons who aspire for career advancement. Those interested in advancing to higher levels must be able to handle different jobs and to make frequent

moves. Job-hopping is a common practice in many organisations and it shall continue to stay. NEW ORGANISATIONAL CAREER PATTERNS: STRUCTURES & CHANGING

In strong trend in the 1990's has been called Restructuring, downsizing and rightsizing. Organisations are cutting their labour costs by reducing the size of their permanent full time staff. These cuts have affected middle managers as well as blue collar workers. Organisations have abolished entire levels of management to become flatter, quicker to respond and closer to the customers. To meet varying labour needs, the new right size firms hire temporary workers or contract out work to smaller firms and consultants. There has been a substantial rise in part time employment because (i) part time workers are less expensive (ii) they provide greater flexibility in scheduling employees for peak demand period. Career patterns for individual employees are also changing. In a traditional career plan, one enters the organisation near the bottom, works in the same firm for many years, gradually and predictably moves up and retires from a fairly high level position. The bulge of young professionals has made climbing the hierarchy much more competitive and the flattening of organisational structures has reduced the number of management positions. This has caused a great deal of frustration, since the middle aged employees fail to advance as rapidly as they had expected. Even greater frustration and career blocking is afflicting young professionals. Most of these professionals resort to Job hopping as a career pattern, to advance rapidly. Organisations are trying to maintain the motivation and creativity of employees by developing alternatives to the traditional hierarchical career path. Some of these alternatives are: 1. Organisational pay and Job Structures are changing to accommodate new forms of career movement. Broad Banding is becoming. the common practice. It is the combining of many previous discrete job titles, ranks and pay grades into much winder categories ego a company has ended 19,000 Job titles and over 32 salary grades into 200 titles and 13 salary bands. This system encourages lateral Job movement by deemphasising progress through a myriad of Job grades and by

rewarding changes.

both performance

excellence and

in band

job

2. Spiral or Cross Organisational Career Paths. Offer another attraction to today's employees, the possibility of staying in one location much longer. With the increasing number of dual career couples, people may prefer to remain in the same community for a longer period, moving between different types of Jobs within the same establishment or moving within the same specialty across local employers. Unfortunately, HR specialists are finding it difficult to change the prevailing 'up or out' culture of most organisations, which defines lack of upward progress as failure. Employer oriented creative career planning is becoming even more important to effectively utilise talent and provide satisfying career for today's employees. Since traditional linear career planning is no longer feasible.