The Effectiveness of a Career Development Plan in an Organization - Essay Example

The Effectiveness of a Career Development Plan in an Organization Career development is a very important aspect of an individuals life. Whether theyare beginning their first career or transitioning from one aspect to another, career development will always be a part of their growth in their field. Today, many companies have found the value of carer development, especially for their top talent. Retention of key employees can increased productivity in a company and career development planning that is honoured by the company, can make the difference as to whether a strong manger leaves or stays. Career development planning has become an important aspect for top managers and CEOs of companies but it should be important for anyone who wants to move ahead. Statement of the Problem Career development seems to be important to an organization but how important it is will be the topic of this research. Specifically, this research will explore whether the career development plan is an effective training method to use in an organization and whether it will affect the performance of the company. Theories of Career Development and Leadership There are a variety of theories that involve career development and many have been applied to business and leadership. To understand these theories, it is important to understand some general issues about career. When an individual begins a position within a company, they have been recruited in some way. At first, they are doing the job they were hired to do and if they are ambitious, they may want to move to other positions within the company. Usually, there are new skills that the individual must acquire during the course of moving to other positions. In order to do this, many theorists have created an idea of what happens when people enter into career development. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs is one of the theories that people discuss when they are discussing career matters. According to Maslow, every individual has needs that must be met in order to eventually live a fully actualized life. The basic needs of food, shelter and safety (security) must be met before the individual can move onto needs of belonging and eventually self-actualization. It is important for leaders, according to this theory; to understand their needs in an organization and what motivates them (Maslow, 2009). Usually people working in organizations will be motivated internally and externally. Career planning can help understand which things are most motivating, which makes an individual more focused and productive in their job. Maslows hierarchy is very important in understanding how people are motivated to work. Behaviour theories are another area to study in career development because they discuss how people behave within their workplace. These theories place the importance of a career on the factors that contribute to behaviour like the tasks that are involved, the leadership style and the way that the leader was stimulated by their environment. The culture of an organization always determines the behaviour that an employee must work within. The reason they act accordingly will have to do with how they perceive their jobs and the incentives -- both internally and externally -- they receive (Chima, 2005). Cognitive theories assist in career development planning because they help an individual understand themselves better and encourages them to understand their learning style, how they are motivated, how they make decisions and how they solve problems. These factors once defined can help an individual plan for areas of weakness by creating professional development in those areas. In all organizations, those leaders who are not afraid of change are valued. For an organization to move forward, it must be willing to change the way it looks and thinks at times. Transformational Theories address this issue by observing ways in which leaders effectively lead their employees. According to this theory, there are basically three ways leader helps employees change: 1) showing them the importance of a task and how to achieve it, 2) focusing on the needs of the group rather than the individual and helping the team see why they are needed and 3) to motivate them "into a higher-order need" (Career Success for Newbies, 2010). It is clear in this theory that the individual must have charisma so that the employees stronger emotions can help them identify with the leader. Contingency theories help understand how different styles of leadership will work in different situations. These theories contain factors that are to predict whether a leader will become effective or not. They push current leaders to be flexible and to use different styles when they are called into play (Career Success for Newbies, 2010). Attachment theory is also an important theory in career development because it can effect every aspect of career from career indecisions to making decisions on the job and relationships with employees and supervisors. Simmons et al (2009) studied employees and how they reacted to certain situations in the workplace. According to this theory, an individual formed a relationship with their caregiver when they were born. Depending on whether this was a positive or negative relationship determined how securely attached the individual felt. "As adults, the individuals act according to how they attached as children. In other words, if they attached well as children, this allowed them to form secure attachments in other relationships; if not, they had difficulty with adult relationships (Bretheren, 1992). Most organizations are interested in "high performing workers" (Simmons et al., p. 242) and the more securely attached they are to the organization, the better they will work. Personality theories are also important to this discussion because there are a variety of assessments that help an individual understand their likes and dislikes based on their personality type. Companies have spent thousands of dollars over time to give tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to their managers and other employees to understand how to make matches to certain positions. The personality must be taken into consideration when conducting the career plan in order to provide a full understanding of an individuals career development. There are many theories that have been used to promote leadership and career development. The challenge can be that theories only tell one aspect of the process and there are a variety of factors that compose an individuals career. Career Development Plans in Organizations Successful organizations have a business plan that guides them through specific aspects of the business. The business plan is a working document and one that changes as the business continues to meet its goals. The business plan may also include a strategic plan that tells how the business will meet its goals. A career development plan works with an individual much like the business plan works for a business. Just like the business plan, the career development plan will assist the individual in staying on track with their career goals. In recent years, companies have found that employees who have written career plans are more flexible and open to change than those who do not. The career plan enables a manager to move towards their goals within a company and make sure that their needs are met. Most organizations present career development planning through their department of Human Resources (HRD) because: the HRD function is uniquely positioned to integrate the interests of employees with the needs of the system, staying attuned to the strategic plans of the organization while remaining cognizant of the free agent nature of the employer- employee relationship (McDonald and Hite, 2005, p. 422). The success of the organization can depend on how the system within the organization supports the process of career development by allotting resources and making the process a priority (McDonald and Hite, 2005). Career development will affect an individual at work and outside of work as people find their own courses or learning projects to do that enhance their skill levels. Many find that having an intrinsic motivation for their careers will bring more job satisfaction than extrinsic rewards. In the past, most organizations promote development opportunities to upper management but all employees must be able to take part in these activities if the career planning will see major success (McDonald and Hite, 2005). This means that whether the career development provides courses, training or other opportunities they must be offered to everyone in the company. The researchers gave practical advice for HRD personnel and how they can help employees develop their careers. This information added to the understanding of how effective an organization can be through helping employees. Parker and Carroll (2009) suggest that career development planning can motivate development of new leaders. According to these researchers, career development is the way in which "individuals effect personal transitions in their working lives "(Parker and Carroll, p. 264). The activities that are involved in career development can be through experience, work related learning and personal, work and life goals. Sometimes these goals may overlap or they can influence one another. When leadership is exampled form a career standpoint, the authors felt that the two concepts echo one another. In fact, they have in common that they are relational in nature and they are social. This meant that many leaders in the study were able to advance their own career development by taking ownership of their careers and actively seeking what they needed to keep them from happy within their organizations (Parker and Carroll, 2009). The research done by Parker and Carroll reinforced that when it comes to career development, an individual cannot wait for the organization to take care of their own career. Instead, the individual must have their own plan in place. When they become more effective leaders in themselves, they are able to move forward in the company according to their own needs. The current economic crisis and the fact that many organizations have had to lay off workers to downsize their companies, has made career development planning more important to individual and organizations. Gutteridge, Leibowitz and Shore (1993) suggest that this is a good time for career development. They promote a systems approach to career development rather than "isolated interventions" (p. 26). The systems approach creates career development activities that can be integrated within human resource activities and the overall goals of the organization. These systems are most effective when they are connected with partnerships with managers, employees and the organization as a whole. In the system, each individual will have a specific role to play and these will be defined, and there will be specific responsibilities. In a survey that these researchers conducted, they found that the most effective organizations linked career development initiatives to specific objectives within the business. They survey also stressed that managers must support career development efforts by helping their employees "identify their skills, interests, and values" (Gutteridge, Leibowitz and Shore, p. 26). By helping employees align their career goals with the company goals and by encouraging communication between employees and supervisors, the organisation has a win-win situation. Although this research was done in 1993, the information is still timely for today. "The researchers gave practical advice and step-by-step information on how to use career development systems. The research is thorough and gives information that can still be followed for success. Career development is more than a static process as shown by the research thus far. Knapp and McLean (2002) addressed this issue for Parks and Recreation manager but the information is valid for any organization. They suggest that employees must be cross trained in some areas and the must help develop new professionals by mentoring, networking and involving them in professional organizations. Several organizations have combined aspects of career theory into their workplaces in order to promote a more definite idea of career development planning. Lee, et al (2000) used the five factor model of personality to increase their organizations function. The Five Factor Model (FFM) allows an organization the measure "lower level traits" (Lee et al, p. 420) though it does not capture every personality trait. Some of the traits it measures include "emotional stability, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness" (Lee et al., p. 420). Each of these traits are explained by the study and the model helps an organization discover thee employees who are ready to move ahead. According to the researchers, the scores on this particular test can give Human Resources a better way to make decisions about selections for specific job openings. This information coupled with information on cognitive abilities and experience can help identify those employees who are exhibiting high performance and help to create a stronger fit in the organization. The FFM is also a good model to help employees find a career fit based on their personality. As stated previously, a personality test is an integral part of any career planning. Using this information when openings become available inside the organization, could assist HR departments in matching the best applicant for the job (Lee et al., 2000). The FFM is important to this discussion because many organizations need a place to begin their carer development planning. This research article provided specific information about how the FFM could be used in any organization to help it become more effective. They also presented the pros and cons of using it. Although research has shown this far that career development planning is important to organizations, some organizations are not ready for it or not open to developing it. In order for career planning to be effective, the organization must be conducive to its use. Gilbreath (2008) defines the career conducive organization as one where "employees and their careers can thrive" (p. 8). The researchers went on to describe what this type of workplace looks like. As an example, they acknowledge that a career conducive workplace is a "healthy psychosocial environment" (Gilbreath, p. 9). This means that stress and conflict are minimal and social support is available when and if it is needed. People feel safe in this environment and employees are encouraged to give feedback to competent and supportive supervisors. The study gave four factors to use to make a conducive organization but it seemed they needed to study other types of organizational support that was needed. I also thought they needed to interview employees within career conducive organizations more deeply to help readers understand exactly how these companies were working. There are organizations today who are still attempting to work within traditional models of management and career development where it was believed that careers were structured and only to be focused on an organisation. According to Baruch (2006), there needs to be a balance between traditional and contemporary theories. The research that he conducted was more a history of career development through comparing the traditional versus modern day beliefs. He purports his own model called the CAST (Career Active System Triad) model. He suggests that his model can assist organizations who are traditional in their thinking do not have to change their thinking, but they have a new role. This new role allows them to become "supportive, enabler, developer of its human assets" (Baruch, p. 1320). Another thing that Baruch brings to this discussion is issues that face the future of career development. He brings together many aspects of career development and how traditional organizations can who are wrestling with how to make use of career development planning. Harms and Knobloch (2005) studied the traditional organisation of teaching and how career development planning related to career choice, particularly in the areas of recruitment and retention. They based their research on Maslows Hierarchy of Needs because research on education shows that "needs relate to job satisfaction," especially when "three higher-order needs" are not met (Harms and Knobloch, p. 103). These three needs are self-esteem, autonomy, and self-actualization. It would seem that these three needs would be important job satisfaction in any organization. They also compared needs with the need for self-efficacy that Albert Banduras theory of self-efficacy. The point of the study was to show whether teachers felt they could do well in the profession of teaching if their needs were met. This research was important to career planning because an individual must be motivated to stay within a career in order to be retained. Career planning in this situation would help individual be more open to staying within an organization. The Baby Boomers are a group that must be considered for career development planning because they are an integral part of any organization. According to Callanan and Greenhaus (2008) the Baby Boomers must be taken into consideration for career planning because of the mark they leave when they are gone. Callahan and Greenhaus suggested that they must create career management for this growing generation. However, the attitudes of some organizations preclude how the Boomers are treated. Although much of their article was geared towards helping organizations understand the value of the Boomer generation towards effective career management, the researchers also point out that this was part of keeping the organization stay effective once the Boomers retire. The organizations are not seeing this as necessary because of their attitudes towards the Boomers. They think they will cost them more money but in reality, according to Callanan and Grenhaus, the career development planning ahead of time, would save money to the company in the long run. Older workers are living and working longer and when they retire, they leave gap in an organization that can take time and money to fill. This research gave an understanding to this dilemma and the many challenges that are faced when a career development plan is ignored. When examining whether career development planning helps an organization, this research has examined the attitudes of organizations and of leadership. Another area that is important is employee attitude. Eby, Allen, and Brinley (2005) studied this issue as it applied to career management. For the purpose of their research, they defined career management as "the process by which individual develops insight into themselves and their environment, formulate career goals and strategies and acquire feedback regarding career progress" (Eby, Allen and Brinley, p. 567). They purport that career management is based on several opportunities that are both internal and external to the employee needs. What they found was that when the organization is committed to career development planning, employee attitudes seem to be higher in favour of the organization. When career management practices are focused on "future strategic human resource planning" (Eby, Allen and Brinley, p. 591), the attitudes of employees is more favourable. This article gave an understanding that career development planning is essential to employee satisfaction. The study was a bit limited because it did not look at whether the organization is looked at more favourably in the recruitment process if they talk about career development planning. They do provide recommendations for both large and small organizations as to what they can do to promote strategic planning of their human resource needs. Zaleska and Menezes (2007) add to the discussion of employee attitudes as it relates to traditional and new careers. This study pointed out that organizations have gone from offering professional development as a way to stay in an organization with what the researchers call "a boundaryless career" (Zaleska and Menezes, p. 988) that encourages employees to stay within the organization or more between them, depending on the type of development opportunities they are offered. The intention of this article was to show trends in development practices as new careers are added to traditional ones. The new career methods allow employees more flexibility as to where they go and their skills become more portable which also make them more marketable (Zaleska and Menezes, 2007). This also makes their skills more transferable than they were in the past. In the new careers, employees are expected to take charge of their own careers to self-manage them. In many cases, an entrepreneurial approach has created more success for the employee. In this potion, the company lets employees know about internal and external career activities so they can match them to their career development plans. The results of Zaleska and Menezes (2007) study was that there is more need for development with older and low skilled workers. The development they have received in the past has been more task oriented and they need to have opportunities to grow their skills. The study added valuable information to this research in organizations because it gave more insight into new career attitudes versus traditional ones. They only observed employees from six companies so this was a relatively small scale. Because it was so small, it may not have been a representative sample that would be the same in a larger study. In order for career development planning to be ultimately successful, there are other factors that organizations must take into consideration. Mentoring is one of these factors. When employees enter an organization, as they move up in the organization and as they move through performance milestones, a mentor who is positive and uplifting can mean the difference between a productive and a mediocre employee. Kay, Hagan and Parker (2009), studied the importance of mentoring in t early stages of an individuals career. The goal of a mentor is to guide and train a less experienced employee. Usually, mentoring is provided by a senior member of the staff or by someone who is more experienced than the individual and who would be supportive. The mentor would help the mentee learn basic skills within their chosen field. The mentor also helps the individual acclimate to the organizations culture and can help them move along the path they have chosen for their career development plan. Mentors also help the individual who wants to become a leader within the organization, understand what they need to put into place in order to accomplish that goal. One interesting point that Kay, Hagan and Parker make is that women are often left out of mentoring and are "less likely to advance and more included to leave" (p. 70) than those women who have been mentored. The authors suggest an integrated model of mentoring so that employees can glean the most benefit from this process. The study was geared towards lawyers in a law firm but the information was pertinent t any organization. The in depth study they presented gave a thorough understanding of why employees should be mentored and how this effects the organization and the employees. Sosik and Lee (2002) also examined mentoring but in the context of developing leaders. The researchers pointed out that there is a relationship between a mentors "social judgment capabilities" and how they "Relate to mentoring in organizations (Sosik and Lee, p. 18). They suggest that mentors provide two functions: 1) career development that includes "sponsorship, exposure and visibility, coaching, protection and providing challenging assignments and 2) psychosocial support that includes "Counselling, friendship, acceptance and confirmation and role modelling" (Sosik and Lee, p. 19). This combination not only helps to build skills and opportunities, but it also helps to solve social problems. The authors give a thorough understanding of mentoring and how it helps the organization and the individuals. They give diagrams to help understand their concept. As an example, wisdom is a social judgement that the mentor develops that include their own self-reflection and perception of the system. This information is used in the mentor function of career development and one of the mentees outcome form this is job and career satisfaction. This researcher felt that the article was lengthy but it gave good insight as to why mentoring was important. Once mentoring ahs occurred and leaders have been made, career planning must be continued in order to create a stronger organization. Field (2008) suggests that recruiters are always looking for top talent and they are experts at finding them. When an organization has helped to create this talent, they must keep them interested in their company. Field states that experts who have studied the reasons employees stay in an organization is more because of the career development opportunities than the salary. Many companies hire coaches to help their employees move forward in their careers, but the company itself can help. The most important aspect of the career development process is to help employees plot their career path. Field suggest that plotting the career path means listening to employee likes and dislikes, soliciting and giving feedback, understanding the trends in an organisation and how these trends will affect employee carer plans, and helping them explore options in the company. They should also help employees link to others within the organization who can help them with specific goals. Field states that being involved in employee progress to their goals helps them become more effective in their jobs and this reflects on the organisation. This article was very informative and gave food for thought in how career development affects retention. Altman (2009) says that career development planning is also important in the area of succession planning because it helps put into place the strategies that are needed to use when top talent retires. Altman says that management succession planning "is about a systematic approach to identify, develop and plan talented people for key positions in the company" (Altman, p. 72). By planning, a company can give a new candidate a change to run part or all of the company to see whether they will be a fit before a decision needs to be made. This allows an accurate way to promote from within when needed. Taking the time to plan for succession will give the company a change to find the best candidate for the job and keep the company moving forward. Career planning is important to succession because it allows candidates in a company to set their goals towards specific positions. One skill that the individual would need is the ability to look to the future of the company and how the business might change and develop over time. Altman makes several very good points and the article explains that career planning makes sure that the organization continues to flourish despite the absence of a top executive. Planning also allows for development of a competency framework that can be followed by anyone in the company who wants to excel in the organization. Many organizations rely on online learning for training employees. Many think that offering courses through various universities will fulfil their needs for career development. Trierweiler and Rivera (2005) surveyed 151 executives who had participated in online learning at Capella University. They defined online education as" educational opportunities including degree and training programs provided by accredited colleges and universities, delivered either entirely or partially, via the Internet (p. 44). The survey revealed that participants saw online learning as an important aspect of their career development planning for two reasons: 1) it increased the range of opportunities for employees and 2) it increased employee retention and satisfaction (Trierweiler and Rivera, p. 45). To be valuable for the company, the coursework must be directly related to the needs for education in the organization, so that employees can be reimbursed for the education. It was clear from this article that at least from this survey, online education is an important aspect for some employees because it adds to their career planning. The article gave insight into this issue but the sample was small and it left this researcher wondering about what studies would say showing larger samples. Conclusion Career development planning can be a complex issue that encompasses a variety of factors for its success. It is a process that must be done on a personal and an organizational level. Those organizations that use a career development planning process seem to be more effective because they are able to retain top employees and give them career satisfaction. The literature supports the problem statement for this research in discovering that the career development plan is an effective tool in helping employees understand their needs and align their career goals with their organizations. It also helps an organization plan for the future and the retirement of older workers on top executives. REFERENCES Altman, W. (2009). Whos next in line? [management succession planning]. Engineering & Technology (17509637). 4 (15). [Online] pp. 72-75. Available from doi: 10.1049/et.2009.1516. Baron, T. (2004). The link between leadership development retention. T&D 58 (4), pp. 58-65. [Online]. Available from Academic Search Premier An: 12784021. Baruch, Y. (2006). Career development in organizations and beyond: Balancing traditional and contemporary viewpoints. Human Resource Management Review. 16, pp. 125-138. [Online] Available from doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2006.03.002. Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology. 28, pp. 759-775. Available from http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/attachment/online/inge-origins.pdf. [Accessed 21 March 2010]. Callanan, G.A., Greenhaus, J.H. (2008). The baby boom generation and career management: A call to action. Advances in Developing Human Resources. 10, 70. [Online]. Available from Doi: 1177/1523422307310113. Career Success for Newbies. (2010). Define leadership--Understanding it for your career growth. [Online]. Available from http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com/define-leadership.html [Accessed 21 March, 2010]. Chima, F.O. (2005). Integrating traditional organisational behaviour theories and issues for employee assistance practice. Journal of Workplace Behavioural Health. 21 (2), pp. 59-77. [Online]. Available from Academic Search Premier. [Accessed 18 March 2010] AN: 2241652. Eby, L.T., Allen, T.D. and Brinley, A. (2005). A cross-level investigation of the relationship between career management practices and career-related attitudes. Group Organization Management. 30 (565). [Online] Available from Doi: 10.1177/1059601104269118 [Accessed March 18 2010]. Field, A. (2008). Do your stars see a reason to stay? Harvard Management Update. 13 (6), pp. 3-5. [Online]. Available from Business Source Premier. AN 32539513 [Accessed 22 March 2010]. Gilbreath, B. (2008). Creating career-conducive organizations: A primary intervention approach. Advances in Developing Human Resources. 10, 8. [Online]. Available from Doi: 10.1177/152342230731310109 Gutteridge, T.G., Leibowitz, S.B. and Shore, J.E. (1993). When careers flower organizations flourish. Training & Development. 47 (11), [Online]. Available from Business Source Premier. AN: 9084689. [Accessed 22 March 2010]. Harms, B.M. and Knobloch, N.A. (2005). Preservice teachers motivation and leadership beahviors related to career choice. Career and Technical Education Research. 30 (2), pp. 101-124. [Online]. Available from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/CTER/v30n2/pdf/harms.pdf [Accessed Retrieved 26, March 2010] Kay, F.M., Hagan, J. and Parker, P. (2009). Principals in practice: The importance of mentorship in the early stages of career development. Law & Policy. 31 (1), pp. 69-110. [Online]. Available from doi:10.1111/j.1467-9930.2008.00285.x. [Accessed 22 March 2010]. Knapp, J. and McLean, D. (2002). Help employees move to the top of your organization. Parks & Recreation. 37 (8), pp. 20-25. [Online] Available from Academic Search Premier. AN: 7244596. [Accessed 18 March 2010]. Lee, F.K., Johnston, J.A., and Dougherty, T.W. (2000). Using the five factor model of personality to enhance career development and organizational functioning in the workplace. Journal of Career Assessment. 8, 419. [Online] Available from doi: 10.1177/106907270000800411 [Accessed 18 March 2010]. Maslow, A. (2009). Maslows hierarchy of needs (motivation). Abraham Maslow: Father of Modern Management. [Online]. Available from htpp://www.abraham-maslow.com/m-motivation/Hierarchy-of-Needs.asp [Accessed 18 March 2010] McDonald, K.S. and Hite, L.M. (2005). Reviving he relevance of career development in human resource development. Human Resource Development Review. 4 (418), [Online]. Available from Doi: 10.1177/1534484305281006 [Accessed March 16 2010]. Parker, P. and Carroll, B. (2009). Leadership development: Insights from a careers perspective. Leadership. 5 (261).[Online] Available from Doi:10.1177/1742715009102940 Simmons, B.L., Gooty, J., Nelson, D.L., Little, L.M. (2009). Secure attachment: Implications for hope, trust, burnout and performance. Journal of Organizational Behaviour. 30 (2). 233-247. [Online]. Available from doi: 10.1002/job.585. [Accessed 12 March 2010]. Socik, J.J. and Lee, D.L. (2002). Mentoring in organizations: A social judgement perspective for developing tomorrows leaders. Journal of Leadership & amp: Organizational Studies. 8 (17) Available from Doi: 10.1177/107179190200800402. [Accessed 18 March 2010]. Trierweiler, C. and Rivera, R. (2006). Is online higher education right for: Corporate learning? T+D 59 (9), pp. 44- 51 [Online]. Available from Academic Search Premier. AN: 18299746 [Accessed 12 March 2010]. Zaleska, K.J. and de Menezes, L.M. (2007). Human resources development practices and their association with employee attitudes: Between traditional and new careers. Human Relations, 60, 987. [Online]. Available from doi: 10.1177/0018726707081155 [Accessed 12 March 2010]. Read More