2. Empowering Development Conference, 17 July 2015
2014/08/20
The impact positive organisational factors on the career success of black employees in the South African work environment: An exploratory study
Malan, DJ & Roux, S
Empowering Development Conference, 17 July 2015
STIAS, Wallenberg Centre, Stellenbosch
Study conceptualised:
Current responsibilities include Talent & Transformation Agenda
Practical interventions on how to improve chances of career development and career success of black designated group

3. Aim of the current study
Research Initiating Question?
Which organisational and individual factors influence the experience of career success amongst black employees in the South African work environment?
Aim of the current study
Develop and evaluate an exploratory theoretical model containing the most salient variables that impact on the subjective career success of black employees in the South African work environment

4. Research Design Mixed-Methods Exploratory Sequential Design Variant
(Creswell et al., 2011)
Three Phases:
Phase 1: Qualitative Study (N=30)
Semi-structured interview (Thematic analysis)
Phase 2: Quantitative Strand: Pilot Study (N=220)
Composite questionnaire (Reliability, EFA, CFA)
Phase 3: Quantitative Strand: Main Study (N= 418
Composite questionnaire (Reliability, CFA, MRO & SEM (Smart PLS plus LISREL)

5. Measuring Instruments
Transformational Leadership (Idealised Influence, Intellectual Stimulation, Inspirational Motivation, Individualised Consideration):
Adapted version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) (Bass & Avolio, 1994)
Past Leadership:
Self-Developed Scale
Job Resources (Growth Opportunities, Social Support, Organisational Support, Advancement):
Adapted version of the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) (Jackson & Rothmann, 2005)
Past Job Resources:
Supportive Organisational Climate (Managerial Competence, Employee Commitment, Cooperation/Coordination, Cultural Sensitivity):
Adapted version of the Supportive Organisational Climate Questionnaire (Rogg et al., 2001)
Psychological Empowerment (Competence, Meaning, Self-Determination, Impact) :
Psychological Empowerment Scale (Spreitzer, 1995)
Psychological Capital:
Self-rater version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire - 24 (PCQ-24) (Luthans et al., 2007)
(Luthans et al., 2007)

6. Measuring Instruments
Objective Career Success (Current):
Self-Developed Scale
Objective Career Success (Past):
Subjective Career Success:
Perceived Career Success (Career Satisfaction):
Perceived Career Success Scale (Greenhaus et al., 1990)
Perceived Internal Marketability:
Perceived Internal Marketability Scale (Johnson, 2001)
Perceived External Marketability:
Perceived External Marketability Scale (Johnson, 2001)

7. Theoretical Model

8. Model 6 (Final Results)

9. Results Main Study (n= 418) Model 6 (Structural Model): Final
Correlation Analysis
Subjective career success significantly correlated (p<.05) with all variables
except objective career success (past)
Stepwise Multiple Regression
Empowering Job resources: 27%
Psychological Capital: further 6%
Supportive Organisational Climate: further 2%
Total variance in Career Satisfaction explained = 35%
Model 6 (Structural Model): Final
Composite Reliability:
TL (α= .97); JR (α= .86); SOC (α= .91); PE (α= .88); PSYCAP (α= .86); SCS (α= .87)
R2 in Career Success explained (SmartPLS) = 42%
Goodness-of-fit:
RMSEA= .07 (.07; .08); NFI= .94; CFI= .96; SRMR= .70

10. Managerial Implications
Considerations
Notion of Protean Career – changing nature of employment relationship
Retention vs employability
Is there an ethical responsibility?
Consequences of organisational support of career development
Internal and external marketing
Exchange implications of Psychological Contract
Increased engagement/commitment
Positive job attitudes

11. Managerial Implications (Continued)
Leadership development
Transformational leadership training
(Personal growth, conceptual understanding of impact on career development, feedback, skill building)
Develop feedback learning-oriented culture
Organisational efforts to improve quality of feedback
Develop policies supportive of this orientation
Align supportive interventions with policy
Adhere to principle of employee being self-developer
Aim to establish organisational climate marked by being supportive, co-operative and direction-giving

12. Managerial Implications (Continued)
Career supporting strategies
Promote career identity by clarifying requirements for vertical progression - develop career plans
Career advancement through feedback, mentoring, training and development
Facilitate self-assessment – understand own values, goals and motivation
Collaboratively identify areas for improvement
Reinforce excellent performance and adopt remedial strategy towards failure experiences
Coaching interventions
Boost self-knowledge and shift behaviour in desired direction

13. Managerial Implications (Continued)
Psychological Capital Interventions
Hope – facilitate career goals, establish more than one pathway to overcome blockages
Self-efficacy – actively promote identifying of mentors, mentors provide modeling & positive feedback
Optimism – adopt leniency for past ; appreciate the present, and seek opportunities for future
Identify resources under control of employee and utilise to solve current problems
Resilience
Assets – resources used to deal with setbacks
Risk factors – reduce resiliency
Influence processes – interpretation of setbacks (asset-focussed, risk-focussed, and process-focussed)
Latter means continuously identifying resources

14. Thank you