1. CAREER AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(DCE3117)
Associate Prof. Dr. Roziah Mohd Rasdi
Dept. of Professional Development & Continuing Education
Faculty of Educational Studies
Universiti Putra Malaysia

2. ORGANIZATIONAL CAREER SYSTEM
Topic 4
ORGANIZATIONAL CAREER SYSTEM

3. An organization is a combination of brains, bodies and behaviors
An organization is a combination of brains, bodies and behaviors. Organization has an image of an identity, which may guide and activate individuals interpretation of certain issue and generate motivations.
To survive and thrive, organization need to recruit right people and retain them
Organization career management is the comprehensive system that organization apply to manage people’s careers

4. The Career Active System Triad (CAST)
The CAST perspective encompasses three level of analysis for understanding career management.
Level
Individual (As)
Organization (Ps)
Values
(the principles, moral and culture)
Aspiration
Philosophy
Approaches (approaches and assumptions that translate those value into next level)
Attitude
Policies
Behaviors
(act and apply)
Action
Practices

5. Strategic HRM, Strategic Career System
The HR strategy should be developed alongside the general strategy of organization, to acquire a cultural fit within the organization and with the outside environment.
Such strategic alignment should lead to high organizational effectiveness and performance (Holbeche, 1999)
Meshoulam and Baird (1987), provide five-scale level of strategy development: initiation, functional growth, controlled growth, functional integration, and strategic integration. Efficiency can be achieved when the level of HR strategy and organizational strategy match.

6. Flexibility and Competitive Advantage
Flexibility means the ability to meet a variety of needs in a dynamic environment (both internal and external environment).
Coordination flexibility
the extent to which the organization can rethink and redeploy resources.
Resources flexibility
the extent to which a resource can be applied to a wide range of alternative uses

7. Strategic HRM Indicators of Resources and Coordination Flexibility
Flexibility in
Factor
Assets/ Resources
Operation /coordination
Application
Rigidity versus flexibility of application
Malleability of practices
Speed of feedback on impacts of practices
Competence
Skill spectrum
Ability to acquire new skills
Variety of skills in the workforce
Ability to acquire diverse skills
(e.g. via contingent workers)
Action
Rigidity versus flexibility
of script application.
Complementary/conflict between scripts of different groups.

8. Flexibility as A Strategic Response
Organization embrace flexibility as a strategic option to gain competitiveness.
Functional flexibility means the ability of the organization to utilize people’s competencies in more than one role.
Numerical flexibility is manifested via different level of anticipated commitment and formal legal contractual ties.
Time and space flexibility are all about where and when jobs are done. This type of flexibility help both individual and organization.
Mind flexibility is the most important for the management of people and for career management as mind flexibility will enable and develop future types of flexibility in management.

9. The Blurring of Boundaries
Ashkenas et al (1995) wrote about the diminishing traditional boundaries within organization and mentioned the following four aspects to demonstrate the breaking of the of organizational structure:
Vertical - referred to the breaking down of rigid hierarchies.
Diminishing horizontal boundaries - merging the different department and units within an organization
External - distinction between the organization as such and the environment, is now not as clear cut as it was.
The last aspects is geography, many organizations now do not have a specific location.

10. Outsourcing
Obtaining (goods or a service) by contract from an outside supplier.
Activities such as developing a performance appraisal system, analysis of the outcome of the process, cultural training and recruitment and selection can be done by external agencies.
However some decision can only taken by the organization itself.
Tasks cannot be outsourced – mentoring (a positive facet), discipline (a negative one), industrial relation, career planning and income decision.

11. Alternative Work Arrangements
Telecommuting (also called as home working or teleworking) is the most effective and successful methods of alternative work arrangements.
Telecommuting was expected to be the next workplace revolution in the 1980’s, but more balanced views indicate that the growth of telecommuting is not match expectations.
Baruch and Nicholson (1997) identified four aspects for effective telecommuting.
Figure beside depicts four aspects, and indicate perhaps why telecommuting has not yet grown as much as many futurist forecasted (due to the overlap needed between the aspects).
Individual; Personality; Situation
Organization; Strategy: Culture
Job; Nature; Technology
Home and Family

12. The virtuous versus the vicious cycle of teleworking
Virtuous cycle
Positive outcomes
High efficiency. Quality of life, less stress
Better Performance
Cost Saving, image
Environment and community improvements
Antecedents
Traits and characteristics
Job profile, technology
Policy, support mechanism
Culture and
infrastructure
Teleworking processes
Work/family balance
IT intensity
Distance management
Legislation
Individual
Job
Organization
Nation
Negative outcomes
Isolation, poor career
Poor performance
Poor control
Autistic society
Vicious cycle

13. Possible benefits and shortcomings of teleworking
Level
Possible benefits
Possible shortcomings and challenges
Individual
Improve performance/higher productivity
Less time spent on commuting
Satisfying need for autonomy
Improved quality of working life
Less work-related stress
More time with the family
Could be the only way to work at all (mothers of infants, people with disabilities, etc)
Fewer opportunities for affiliation, detachment from social interactions
Less influence over people and events at workplace
Questionable job security and status
Fewer career development options
Lower ‘visibility’/promotability
Work related use of private space and resources.
More home-related stress
Management of work-home interface without time/space buffers

14. Possible benefits and shortcomings of teleworking
Level
Possible benefits
Possible shortcomings and challenges
Organizational
Higher productivity
Wider labour market to draw upon
Space and overheads savings
Less absenteeism
Image of flexible workplace
Legal requirements
Control over teleworker’s activities and mentoring performance
Control over health and safety
Need for alternative motivation mechanism
Less committed employees
Loss of team-working benefits
National
Less commuting, less pollution, congestion, fewer accidents
Support for local, in particular rural, communities
More people can work
Less discrimination
Creation of an autistic society (i.e. individuals atomized and isolated from social institutions
Need to adapt legal system

15. Alternative Work Arrangements
Multiple Part-Time (MPT) is a new alternative work arrangement, forming part of the emerging ‘New Deal’ in employment.
MTP represent a shift away from paternalistic and benevolent secure employment, to an emphasis on continuous responsibility for self-development and employability on the part of the employee.
Part time work grew very quickly and received much attention in academic research.

16. Alternative Work Arrangements
The evolution of part-time work has been linked mainly to four factors
High rate of unemployment in many develop countries.
The need of business firms to cut costs, to enhance operational flexibility, or to increase access to scarce human capital and to enlarge pool of talent upon which the organization can be build.
Increased participation of woman in the labor force
State incentives, aiming to increase employment rate have increased the use of part-time jobs.

17. Alternative Work Arrangements
Flexi-time – the flexibility to change the time of work from conventional 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. schedule.
Arrangement vary from starting and ending work earlier or later than ‘standard’ to working according to pressure when work is subject to different demands.
Job sharing – enables more than one person to share a certain role.
It came mostly as a response to the needs of working females and mothers, but might mean a loss of opportunities for advancement for those working under such arrangements.

18. Gottlieb et al. (1998) define five major alternative work arrangements:
Flexitime: allows employees to start and /or ending the working day earlier (or later) than usual.
Compressed hours: where employees work fewer (or no) hours some days, and longer hour on other days
Telecommuting: staff work from home for all part of the working week.
Part-time: staff work less than 30 hours a week.
Job sharing: two employees share the responsibility and benefits of one full time position

19. The pros and cons of alternative work arrangements
Expected positive impact
Challenges
Flexitime
Enabling the employee to schedule their working hours in away that they will not clash with their personal activities and commitments
The flexibility of certain policies is limited
Eventually work is expected to take place on employer’s premises
Compressed hours
Enabling employees to benefit from chunks of time off work when they need it
It might be difficult to find time for ‘paying back’ those chunk.
Such arrangements imply that on certain days people will work extremely long hours, which could lead to fatigue and stress

20. The pros and cons of alternative work arrangements
Expected positive impact
Challenges
Telecommuting
Self management of time and operation
Reducing travel – saving time
Reduced teamwork
Reduced visibility
Social isolation
Part-time
Enables people who would otherwise have to quit work to participate in the workforce
Can provide variety if combined with another part-time job.
Part timers might be regarded as ‘second clas’ citizens; they may have lower level of compensation and other benefits
Part-timers tend to have low job security
Job-sharing
High potential employees that otherwise would drop from labor market can perform tasks that usually require a full-time employee
There might be an issue of equity and comparability of inputs from different people

21. Organizational Developments and Career Systems
Herriot and Pemberton (1996) outlined four properties they feel an established career model should possess. .
Contextualization (i.e. taking into account not merely the organization, but also the business, political and economic environment).
The cyclical and processual nature of the model.
Subjectivity (rather than normativity) for the meaning of career success
The interactive nature of the relationship between the organization and the individual.

22. Organizational Developments and Career Systems
The core of this model is the requirement to match individual and organizational needs/wants and provisions.
Added to this are the concepts of procedural and distributive justice, as well as the development of relationships (or psychological contract to use another term) as an end output.
Procedural justice may be defined as the degree to which the rules and procedures specified by policies are properly followed whenever they are applied

23. Organizational Developments and Career Systems
In the organizational career context procedural justice concerns the means (rather than ends) of social justice decisions, i.e. the basis on which career decision are made.
Employees will be willing to accept organizational policies and practices if these are based on fair procedures.
They value not just being treated with dignity and respect, but also being provided with adequate information about these procedures.

24. Career Cone Model (Schein, 1978)
This represented a mould breaking approach to career modeling, from functional, hierarchical progress within a single sector to a multidisciplinary approach that enables sideways development

25. Strategic Career System The Sonnenfeld and Peiperl Model
External-based selection criteria
FORTRESS
BASEBALL TEAM
CLUB
ACADEMY
INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL BASED SELECTION CRITERIA
Internal-based selection criteria
Collectivistic-based promotion criteria
Individualistic-based promotion criteria
INDIVIDUALISTIC VERSUS COLLECTIVISTIC BASED PROMOTION CRITERIA

26. Academy
Firms of this type are characterized as being committed to early career hiring and long term professional growth.
Entry characteristics include a strictly early career and the ability to grow.
Career development includes primary human resources practice, extensive training for specific jobs, tracking and sponsorship of high potential employees, and elaborate career path/job ladder.
Exit characteristics are low turnover, retirement and dismissal for poor performance.
Typical organizational examples are large established blue-chips such as IBM and GM.
Club
Typically have some kind of monopoly protection from markets, often combined with a public interest kind of mission.
Entry characteristic are an early career and an emphasis on reliability.
Career development is general, with slow paths, required steps and an emphasis on commitment.
Exit characteristics show a low turnover and include retirement.
Typical organizational examples are utilities and banks.

27. Baseball team
This type of organizations would not offer employment security and are most concerned with innovation and star performance.
Commitment to the organization is low, but energy and ambition is high, as everyone perceive a chance to be a star.
Entry characteristics include primary human resources practice, an emphasis on credentials and expertise, and recruitment at all career stages.
Career development means on the job-training, with little formal training and little succession planning.
Typical organizational examples are entertainment, advertising and law firms.
Club
This type of firms fighting for survival because of either economic condition in their industry or crises specific to their business.
Entry characteristics include passive recruitment, being drawn to the industry by one’s own interests and background, and selective turnaround recruitment.
Career development is made by and effort to retain core talent.
Exit characteristic show that layoffs are frequent and seniority is respected.
Typical organizational examples are airlines, hotel and retailers.

28. Figure 4.5 Contemporary careers: leaving the organization behind
Herriot and Pemberton have outline four properties they feel an established career model should possess.
Conceptualization (taking into account not merely the organization, but also the business, political and economic environment)
Cyclical and procession nature of the model
Subjectivity for the meaning of career success
Interactive nature in the sense of relationship between the organization and the individual.

29. Recruitment, Selection and Career System
To make sure there is a match between the individual and the nature and demands of the role within the specific organizational context.
There are two issue;
It is still desirable to recruit a person for a career, rather than for a job.
To make sure the right match is found, the organization needs to have as clear an idea as possible about the requirements for each positions.

30. New Deal: The changing nature of psychological contracts
Old Deal
New Deal
Employee offers
Loyalty, conformity, commitment
Long hours, added responsibility , broader skills, and tolerance of change and ambiguity, and willingness to work in a dynamic situation (as long as it fulfils their need)
Employer
offers
Security of employment, career prospects, training and development and care in trouble.
High pay, reward for performance and above all, having a job (employment for as long as business need exists)

31. New Deal: The changing nature of psychological contracts
Old Deal
New Deal
Employee expects in return
Lifelong employment, career prospects, training and development and care in trouble
Development, investment in employability, learning environment, updated technology, flexibility
Employer
Expects in return
Organization needs take over individual needs
Self-reliant, resilient employees, ready for flexibility
General
Standard, rigid structure and work pattern, predictability
Unconventional flexible structure and work pattern, uncertainty
Values
Loyalty, stability, paternalism
Self-reliance, versatility

32. Empowerment
Empowerments means ‘findings new ways to concentrate power in the hands of the people who need it most to get the job done –putting authority, responsibility, resources and rights at the most appropriate level for the task.’
Empowerments is a part of a set motivational techniques designed to improve employee performance through increased levels of employee participation and self-determination.
Traditional paradigm were based predominantly on strong managerial control.
The modern concept of empowerment relates primarily to the delegation of decision-making power to people at lower organizational level, but empowerment means more than merely delegation.

33. Empowerment
Thomas and Velthouse (1990) define four components of empowerment:
Choice – not only providing employees with genuine job enrichment and opportunities to have their voice heard, but also giving them real power to control and influence work processes
Competence – enabling people to be confident of their capacity to make these choice; enhancing their self-efficacy as a pre-condition to making decisions and standing by them
Meaningfulness – valuing the work done by the empowered people
Impact – letting people have influence over what is going on in the organization, ensuring that their decisions make a difference.
All of these components apply to the transformed organizational career system.
Baruch (1998) model of empowerment offers four ways of classifying organizational approaches to empowerment.

34. Empowerment
Beliefs: the extent to which top management genuinely believe in the underlying ideas of empowerment and its potential benefits.
Fairness: the extent to which the approach of senior management to employees is fair and just/honest.
High
Beliefs determine whether career empowerment will be applied in the organization
Fairness implies the support and investment of the organization for the empowered people.
Dissociated
Enlightened
Fairness
Fraudulent
Miser
Low
Low
Beliefs
High

35. Evaluating Career System
Management should be able to evaluate the operational and performance quality of its unit, departments and subdivisions for two major reasons:
The need to be well acquainted with what is happening in the organization
In order to identify and isolate possible problems and difficulties which might be due to poor performance
One way to conduct an evaluation is to look at ‘customer satisfaction’ – one major customer is the employees itself.
Another means of evaluation is to measure the extent to which the unit has achieved its goal

36. Six Dimensions Model Of Evaluating Career System
Involvement: from a very low to a very high level of organizational involvement needed when dealing with the specific career practice
Sophistication and complexity: from very simple to highly sophisticated and complex
Strategic orientation: from very practical or ‘tactical’ to very strategic
Developmental focus: from low to high relevance for developing individuals.
Organizational decision-making focus: from low to high relevance for organizational decision-making processes.
Innovative: from very traditional or conventional, to innovative an unorthodox