Career Planning and Development

What is a career ?• Career represents an organized, well timed and positive move

taken by a person across time and space

• It consists of a series of properly sequenced role experience leading to an increasing level of responsibility, status, power and rewards

• A person’s career is shaped by many factors, for example, education, experience, performance, etc.

• Professionals deal independently in shaping their careers, however, others who work under somebody do not have much scope for their own pursuits

Career planning ?

Career planning can be defined as a systematic process by which one decides his/her career goals and the path to reach these goals

From an organizations view point, career planning stands for the forward looking employment policies of it which take into account the career of individual employees involved in various tasks

It unites organizational human resource planning with individual career needs. This is necessary to properly motivate the people to identify themselves fully with the organization

“Thus, it is a managerial technique for mapping out the entire career of employees from the employment stage to the retirement stage”

Key terms in Career Planning• Career goal

• Career path

• Career anchors

• Career progression

The future positions one strives to reach in his/her career

The sequential and progressive path or line through which one

moves toward his/her career goal

These are the basic drives acquired by an individual during the socialization process which

urge him to take up a career of a certain type

Making progress in one’s career through a series of right moves in

the form of promotions

Key terms in Career Planning• Mentoring

• Career planning

• Career development

• Career management

A process wherein a senior employee serves in an informal

way as a guide to the new employee in the organization

This is the process by which an employee selects career goals

and the path to these goals

The personal improvements one undertakes to achieve a personal

career planThis is the process of designing and

implementing goals, plans and strategies to enable the organization

to satisfy employee needs while allowing individuals to achieve their

career goals

Career anchors• Five career anchors are:

• Managerial competence

• Technical-Functional competence

• Security

• Creativity

• Autonomy-Independence

Need for career planning• Attract competent person and retain them in the organization

• Provide suitable promotional opportunities

• Map out careers of employees suitable to their ability, and their willingness to be trained and developed for higher positions

• Ensure better utilization of managerial reserves within an organization

• Reduce employee dissatisfaction and turnover

• Improve employee morale and motivation by matching their skills t job requirements

• Provide guidance and encouragement employees need to fulfill their potentials

• Achieve higher productivity

Succession planning• The survival of any organization on continuous basis requires a

succession of persons to fill key positions

• This is done through succession planning

• It can be defined as an executive inventory report indicating what individuals are ready to move into higher positions in the organization

• The basic purpose is to identify, groom, develop, and make people ready to occupy higher level jobs as and when they fall vacant

Succession planning

• Succession may be both from internal and external sources

• Internal sources is advantageous to the organization as well as the employees

• Organization can buy employees loyalty and commitment

• Employees feel belongingness and shared development

• It is however important to allow new blood into the organization

• When qualified and competent people are not available internally, and in case of major diversification and expansion external sources may be considered

Scope of succession planning

• Identifying the shortage of leadership skills and stating the requirements

• Identifying the potential successors for critical positions

• Coaching and grooming the stars

• Securing the top management commitment and support

Career stages

• Exploratory stage

• Establishment stage

• Mid career stage

• Late career stage

• Decline stage

• It is a stage in which a person explores, possible career options for oneself

• This happens when one makes transition from education to work• This stage begins with choosing a job or career for oneself

• This stage is marked by first experiences on the job, acceptance and evaluation by peer groups

• One tries to make his/her mark and in the process commits mistakes, learns from the mistakes and gradually assumes more responsibility

• This is the stage where one is no longer seen as a leaner

• Mistakes committed are viewed seriously and invite serious penalties

• This stage is marked by improved performance or level off or starting deterioration

• This is a pleasant stage for the good performers. But, for those who have deteriorated this stage brings the reality for them as they are no longer required

• During this stage people do not have to learn but to suggest and teach others

• This is the final stage of one’s career

• This stage is more frustrating for the good performers as they have to step out of the limelight

• Many organization conduct training programmes for the retiring employees to help them cope with the situation

Career stages

Exploration Establishment Mid-career Late career Decline

25 35 50 60 70

Career planning process

• Analyzing employee needs and expectations

• Analyzing career opportunities

• Identifying congruence and incongruence

• Action plans and periodic review

An analysis of the employee career anchors, aspirations and goals must be done through objective assessment. This assessment is based on personnel inventory.The second step is to analyze various

career opportunities available. The career paths indicate career progression.

The next step is to identify the congruence between employee career aspirations and organizational career system. This mechanism enables the organization to develop realistic career goals

After identifying the mismatch, it is necessary to formulate an alternative strategy to deal with the same.

Career Path

Unskilled Workers

Semi Skilled

Skilled

Highly skilled

Foreman

Supervisor

Assistant Manager

Deputy Manager

Manager

Chief Manager

Problems in career planning

• Non-availability of opportunities for mobility

• Changes in environmental factors

• Existence of prejudices and interventions

• Decline in career opportunities

• Complication of career issues

Career planning vs. Succession planning

• Both the terms appear similar however, they differ from each other

• Career planning covers all levels of employees ; whereas succession planning is generally meant for higher level executive

• Succession planning is essential for the survival and success of an organization as it identifies and prepares the existing workforce to replace the key personnel employed in key positions

Career planning vs. Succession planning

• Moreover, succession planning provides opportunities to the existing potential employees to advance their careers

• Generally a career plan is based on the succession plan of higher level executives

Career development

• Career need assessment

• Career opportunities

• Need-opportunity alignment

Career management

Individual career planning

Organizational career planning

• Assess needs• Analyze career opportunities• Set career goals

• Assess human resource requirements

• Career paths for each person• Integrate career goals and

organizational needs• Initiate career development

efforts

Career development

• How individuals can reach the top?

• How organizations can help?• Self-assessment tools• Individual counseling• Information services• Assessment programmes• Development programmes