Five evolutions in individual career development and their consequences for organisational career management

Abstract

In a hybrid world, for many people work is a lot more than just a functional way of earning money. Professional careers have a strong symbolic function, providing us with a considerable part of our social identity and strongly influencing our self-esteem and overall happiness. Therefore, keeping employees engaged and committed by offering them challenging and rewarding careers is an important area of focus for many organisations and HR departments. However, as a reaction to changing economies, ways of working and organisational designs, the concept of a ‘career’ has changed tremendously. Careers are no longer a sequence of hierarchically ordered jobs, but rather a continually evolving gathering of work-related experiences for which every employee carries individual responsibility. As a consequence, career success is a highly-subjective measure and can only be reached when self-set goals and career values are respected. This white paper consists of two chapters. In the first chapter, we describe five main principles in individual career development that have evolved during the last couple of decades and that strongly impact contemporary career perceptions, leaving the field of careers with a broad spectrum of individual needs and preferences. The second chapter addresses the consequences of these changes for organisational career management and provides suggestions for Talent Managers on how to effectively respond to the evolving career landscape.