Moving Through Management Posts - Essay Example

Abstract A pontoon would be better suited for careers in contemporary business than a ladder. Changes in the nature of jobs, capabilities, wants and vocations are dramatic, but they continue to be fluid, with no assurances of any ultimate and stable forms. Flexibility is therefore the supreme and common need of employers, the self-employed and aspirant employees. Fortunately, the demand for goods and services is so large, growing, and diverse that most people have potentials to contribute value. Fishing has always been at the side of civilization. It has taken modern forms of power, with large and mechanized vessels venturing in to far reaches of the oceans, but there are no threats to the quintessential model of a lone fisherperson in shallow waters, or even on the banks. The waters flow with scant respect for lifetimes, so no generation can claim to have it seen it all. Currents, tides, storms, calm, and seasons, come and go inexorably, but even infinitesimal moments of the universe seem like eternities to buffeted mortals. The period from the last quadrant of the 20th century to the first one of the current millennium may be inconsequential in duration for paleontologists, or to life forms in other galaxies for that matter, but it has been a quixotic mixture of despair for some who had hoped for lifetimes of employment and pensions, and hope for others with boards of higher education to ride the waves. There is no shore in sight, and we can but helplessly sense even greater upheavals by surf in the making. Metaphor may clarify, but it will not put bread on the table, so we have to awaken to the Monday morning of making livings. It is no longer fashionable to be a slave of the 9-to-5, to say nothing of the possibility that the commute may be over anyhow. However, there is neither use nor need for despair, because customers like spouses, await us somewhere in the cosmos. Consumption and lifestyles (Edwards and Wajcman, 2005) will let no wallets rest, and all we need for extravagant sustenance and envious recognition by lookers-on, is to either discover our talents, or to develop skills, which let us contribute valuably to the goods and services which the hordes crave. Neither all of us as providers, nor all of us as consumers, are the same, so the trick is to be like locksmiths; sculpting competencies which make the levers of others’ minds fall in to place. Territories of nations have always been nebulous, but never more than in the current age of globalization. The relationships and connections between consumers and producers now reach across the world, and though we may question the distribution of the economic fruits, our shares await no matter where we may stationed. Even the most conspicuous items of consumption have scores of ingredients and processes, in which the humblest can find, succor (Edwards and Wajcman, 2005). The quantum and diversity of opportunities are better than in the days of assured salaries, so there is no shortage of victuals as long as we are willing to break new bread, and to experiment without the impediments of ego and convention. Ethnicity has always adorned communities, and diversity is politically correct to this day. However, there are some moves towards conformity which are even more desirable. It was not by chance that I wrote about fisher-people near the beginning of this essay, for the stereotype of a male-dominated working class is gone forever (Savage and Butler, 1995). Other symbols of social recognition and mobility endure, so there is no rest from the pressures to bring home the catch, to acquire better dwellings, to provide for families, and to invest in better craft as well. The wife can certainly help with the nets, and she may even take the rudder, but we still need to save the faces of house-husbands! Home ownership and consumptive lifestyles continue to pile huge pressures on the roots of careers (Savage and Butler, 1995). Mere literacy is increasingly becoming passé, and college degrees progress towards becoming norms (Brown and Scase, 1994). This is not good news for those past their primes, but no one who is willing can be denied access to continuing and online avenues of progress. The free lunch of the blue-collared may be over, but everyone is welcome to change in to whites! The vocational applications of knowledge outweigh the weights that those who remain in the abyss of the unqualified must carry. Indeed, egalitarian opportunities for everyone to further their learning are causes for celebration, with hopes of universal emancipation. Life did not cease after the real Jurassic Park. The Pterodactyl, a direct descendant of the dinosaurs, even took to the air! Organizational failures and contractions (Eikelberry, 1999) have given way to new corporate structures which are power houses of efficiency, productivity, and of dynamic growth. This transformation is not spatially limited to the first world, and it affects those who work not-for-profit as well (Burke and Cooper 2000). Not everyone feels threatened by evolution, and we even have the new species of ‘hopeful survivors (Burke and Cooper 2000) who thrive in cases of downsizing. Regimentation and bureaucracy of early 20th century organization is giving way to a more tolerant culture, which nurtures individuality (Brown and Scase, 1994). Business today is a glorious and improved version of the early 20th century template. The emancipation of women, once we transcend bigotry and chauvinism, has a salutary effect on both the work place and on the home and family fronts as well (Edwards and Wajcman, 2005). The 1950-1980 model of a straight-line career based on loyalty and bonding between employee and one organization is defunct (Edwards and Wajcman, 2005) but we need have no regrets, because employers need capable employees more than ever before. Linkages between employees and companies may be loose, but this works for mutual advantage. New job contracts call for changes in measures of self-esteem and social acceptance (Burke and Cooper 2000), so the pink slip need carry stigma no longer. Flexibility has many connotations, and they all apply to jobs, careers, vocations, employers, and to gainful employment and enterprise. The most vaulted positions of today can be defunct tomorrow, and the most unwanted individuals may have invaluable resources. Some will always be fortunate to be born with rare and popular talents, while others may come in to this world with abundant reserves of wealth. However, the opportunities of the modern age await all, and the spread of careers is broader than ever before (Brown and Scase, 1994). It is only the fear of change, and the hesitations to acquire new knowledge and skills which limit prospects of the inert, but no one should expect to remain still in a current. Indeed, gaps between artistic talents and the economics of traditional careers have narrowed significantly (Eikelberry, 1999). Creativity and individual traits which never produced any financial returns in earlier generations can be paying careers today, as in home business and online ventures. Trades, such as those related to fashion, which yielded nothing more than subsistence earlier, are amongst the most glamorous in the age of consumption. The dichotomy between talent and economics has ended there is a fit for everyone. This applies not just for small and medium enterprises, but to functions in the best run corporations. There may be economies which remain behind the leaders, but the global move towards universal income generation opportunities for all is clear. A modern career is akin to a journey, whose final destination is not known. The spirit has to be one of adventure, with travelers willing to improvise around sudden obstacles, and ever vigilant for enticing new paths. The back-pack of skills must be filled to meet as many eventualities as possible, and everyone has to stop and replenish supplies from time to time (Eikelberry, 1999). The kerb-side check-in facility has stopped for some time now, and the full-service airline style of travel is under threat! The all-purpose vehicle mentality will win when it comes to shaping careers starting now, and even those in mid-flight will do well to descend and get new boarding cards. Take heart, because this new travel class is fun and relaxing once you have stuffed the starched shirt for ever! The 20th century career may be dying, but the new model delivers better value. Old career concepts need adaptation (Savage and Butler, 1995). Rigidity and a unitary direction are virtues no longer. It is only self-defeating to fight change, but it is exhilarating at the same time, for those who learn to surf in the drenching waters of new opportunities. Occupations which are available now are more engaging than the ones which were available to today’s senior citizens. We may enjoy riding horses on occasion, but that should not cause regret for the invention of engines and automobiles. The charm of new organizations beckons suitors with such passion that only abject defeatism can cause any grief at the demise of fettered bureaucracy. Perhaps every generation has encountered massive discontinuities, and we may lose sight of how yesterday’s norms started out as the most creative innovations. Not everything changes. Skills of work organization, team development, effective communication, discipline and courtesy, continue to matter (Otazo, 2006). Ignorance of business etiquette can be a drag, and people who start careers on their own have to make special efforts to acquire the benefits of training that came with steady jobs and career paths of yesteryear. One person’s needs are career opportunities for others, and many in the ranks of the supposedly redundant, may actually have invaluable reserves of experience on the strengths and procedures of the old model of organization. Counseling, coaching, consulting, and teaching are new careers which the laid-off of this world can use to turn new pages. It also implies that every fresher without battleground experience cannot succeed with qualifications and talents alone. The new system of careers and vocations has networks of opportunities to embrace even those stranded by the Titanic of evolution. The ability to innovate matters above all. (Peiperl, Arthur, and Narasimhan, 2002) The metaphor of the ladder is no longer relevant, though the power of the metaphor remains. We are social animals, so we cannot do without organization. We may be in small teams, or in professional leagues, but elevation and relegation are constant and companion threats and opportunities. Individual careers and organizations alike must stand poised to cross rivers with improvised bridges, to enter and remain in watertight compartments under the water, and even to float indefinitely at times, and we have to be prepared to fashion such pontoons out of whatever materials are at hand. References Brown, P. and Scase, R. (1994) Higher Education and Corporate Realities, Routledge (UK) Burke, R. J. and Cooper, C. L. (2000) The Organization in Crisis: Resturcturing, Downsizing, and Privatization, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford Edwards, P. K. and Wajcman, J. (2005) The Politics of Working Life, Oxford University Press, Oxford Eikelberry, C. (1999) The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley Otazo, K. L. (2006) The Truth about Managing Your Career, Prentice Hall, PTR Peiperl, M. A. Arthur, M. B. and Narasimhan, A. (2002) Career Creativity, Oxford University Press, Oxford Savage, M. and Butler, T. (1995) Social Change and the Middle Classes, Routledge (UK) Read More