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Critical career transitions & career development
Melker, G.P.
2017
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Melker, G. P. (2017). Critical career transitions & career development: A study on determining and improving the
success of transitions in managerial careers.
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Contents
List of tables 12
List of figures 14
List of text boxes 14
1. Introduction 17
1.1. Overview 18
1.2. Career development and critical career transitions 20
1.3. Goal and research questions 21
1.4. Structure of the thesis 22
2. Critical career transitions from a theoretical point of view 25
2.1. Introduction 26
2.2. Management and managerial behavior 26
2.2.1. Taxonomies of managerial behavior 29
2.2.2. Dimensions and situations of management 32
2.2.3. Management role versus management style 33
2.2.4. Competencies versus competences 35
2.3. Careers and career transitions 37
2.3.1. Careers: definitions and trends 37
2.3.2. Definitions of career transitions 39
2.3.3. Types of career transitions 42
2.3.4. Louis' typology of career transitions 45
2.3.5. Focus of this study 49
2.3.6. The process of career transitions: the transition cycle 51
2.3.7. Louis’ essential transition tasks 55
2.3.8. The magnitude of career transitions 56
2.4. The success of critical career transitions 60
2.4.1. What is effectiveness? 60
2.4.2. What is a successful critical career transition? 61 2.4.3. Objective and subjective career success criteria 63
2.4.4. Hall’s career effectiveness 67
2.4.6. Objective versus subjective career elements 73
2.5. Career development en career management 74
2.5.1. Definitions of career development and career management 74
2.5.2. The multiple career concept model 75
2.6. Management development and social support 78
2.6.1. Management development: definitions and activities 78
2.6.2. Career transitions and managerial learning 84
2.6.3. Role learning and career transitions 87
2.6.3.1. Role attributes 88
2.6.3.2. Sources of support 89
2.6.3.3. Individual differences 95
2.7. Jaques’ levels of work 102
2.7.1. Time-span measurement 103
2.7.2. Jaques’ time span and formal role sets 105
2.7.3. Levels of work and time span 106
2.8. Keil and Cortina’s cusp model 110
2.9. Mumford's leadership skills strataplex 112
2.10. Summary and syntheses 118
3. Critical career transitions from a practical point of view 123
3.1. Introduction 124
3.2. Watkins’ first 90 days 124
3.3. The Shell competence matrix (MITRE model) 125
3.3.1. Job challenges and levels of management 126
3.3.2. Critical comments concerning the MITRE model 129
3.4. The Leadership Pipeline model 129
3.4.1. Critical career passages and job requirements 129
3.4.2. The six critical career passages 132
3.4.3. Critical comments concerning the Leadership Pipeline model 140
3.5. Summary 141
4. Results of pilot studies 143
4.1. Introduction 144
4.2. Pilot study 1: HR experts 145
4.2.1. Objectives and research questions 145
4.2.2. Method 145
4.2.3. Results 146
4.2.4. Conclusions from pilot study 1 151
4.3. Pilot study 2: (former) CEOs 151
4.3.1. Objectives and research questions 151
4.3.2. Method 152
4.3.4. Conclusions from pilot study 2 156 4.4. Pilot study 3: Top managers of for-profit organizations 157
4.4.1. Objectives and research questions 157
4.4.2. Method 157
4.4.3. Results 158
4.4.4. Conclusions from pilot study 3 163
4.5. Pilot study 4: Senior managers in civil service 164
4.5.1. Objectives and research questions 164
4.5.2. Method 164
4.5.3. Results 166
4.5.4. Conclusions from pilot study 4 166
4.6. Summary 171
5. Research model and hypotheses 175
5.1. Introduction 176
5.2. Research model 176
5.3. Objective and subjective success of the transition 178
5.4. Personal factors 181 5.4.1. Socio-demographic factors 181 5.4.1.1. Gender 182 5.4.1.2. Age 184 5.4.1.3. Marital status 185 5.4.2. Human capital 187 5.4.2.1. Level of education 187 5.4.2.2. Managerial experience 188
5.4.2.3. Readiness for change 190
5.4.3. Personality traits 191 5.4.3.1. Adaptability 191 5.4.3.2. Interpersonal sensitivity 194 5.4.3.3. Ambition 196 5.4.3.4. Conceptual skills 198 5.5. Situational factors 200
5.5.1. Characteristics of the career transition 200
5.5.1.1. The objective and subjective magnitude of the transition 200 5.5.1.2. The objective magnitude of the transition 201 5.5.1.3. The subjective magnitude of the transition 203
5.5.2. Sources of support 204
5.5.2.1. Organizational support 204
5.5.2.2. Personal social support 207
6. Methods 213
6.1. Introduction 214
6.2. Samples 214
6.2.1. Sample 1: Construction and engineering company 216
6.2.1.1. Preparatory interviews 216
6.2.1.2. Online survey 217
6.2.2. Sample 2: Global energy consultancy company 217
6.2.2.1. Preparatory interviews 218
6.2.2.2. Online survey 219
6.2.3. Sample 3: HR consultancy firm 220
6.2.4. Sample 4: Business school alumni 220
6.3. Total sample and response rates 221
6.4. Measures 222
6.4.1. Indicators of personal factors 223
6.4.1.1. Demographic information 223
6.4.1.2. Educational level and managerial experience 223
6.4.1.3. Readiness for change 223
6.4.1.4. Personality traits 224
6.4.2. Indicators of situational factors 233
6.4.2.1. Characteristics of the career transition 233
6.4.2.2. Sources of support 237
6.4.3. Objective and subjective success of the transition 238
7. Analysis and results 241
7.1. Introduction 242
7.2. Descriptive statistics 242
7.2.1. Main characteristics of the sample 242
7.2.2. Statistical reliability of the constructs 248
7.3. Correlation matrix 249
7.4. Results from the hierarchical regression analysis 251
7.4.1. Introduction 251
7.4.2. Hypotheses 253
7.4.2.1. Relationship between objective and subjective success 253
7.4.2.2. Socio-demographics 253
7.4.2.3. Human capital 254
7.4.2.4. Personality traits 256
7.4.2.5. Characteristics of the transition 257
7.4.2.6. Sources of support 259
8. Conclusions and discussion 265
8.1. Introduction 266
8.2. Overview of the results 268
8.3. Theoretical implications 270
8.3.1. Age 270
8.3.2. Gender 271
8.3.3. Marital status 272
8.3.4. Level of education 272
8.3.5. Readiness for change and personality traits 273 8.3.6. Characteristics critical career transitions 276 8.3.7. Work-based and non-work-based sources of support 277
8.4. Organizational implications 279
8.5. Implications for individuals 283
8.6. Limitations of the study 284
8.7. Suggestions for further research 286
References 289
Nederlandse samenvatting (Dutch summary) 337
Dankwoord 363
Appendices 369
A. Definitions of management 370
B. Definitions of competency and competence 372
C. Definitions of career 373
D. Definitions of career development 375
E. Definitions of management development 376
F. Questionnaire pilot studies 1 and 2 380
G. Questionnaire pilot study 3 382
H. Questionnaire pilot study 4 384
I. Questionnaire quantitative study 386
J. Descriptive statistics 396
K. SPSS output used constructs 397
L. Results factor analysis 400
M. Correlation matrix 1: Pearson’s correlation coefficients 401 N. Correlation matrix 2: p-values (1-tailed significance) 402
O. Coefficients objective success (1-tailed) 403
P. Coefficients subjective success (1-tailed) 404
List of tables
1.1. Overview of theoretical contributions 19
2.1. Taxonomies of managerial activities 30
2.2. Example of the assessment center as a grid of dimensions and
situations 32
2.3. The assessment center as a grid 34
2.4. Jansen’s terminology summarized 37
2.5. The 12 types of job change: frequencies for last move 42 2.6. Evaluating role demands for the 12 types of job change 43
2.7. Varieties of career transitions 46
2.8. Types of career transitions 50
2.9. Personal change and role development: four models of work
adjustment 54
2.10. Essential transition tasks 56
2.11. Objective magnitude of (intraorganizational) career transitions
scale 58
2.12. Four types of subjective career success criteria 67 2.13. Four dimensions or types of career effectiveness 68 2.14. Theoretical distinction between the objective and the subjective
elements of careers used in this thesis 74
2.15. Four career concepts 76
2.16. The two components of management development 80
2.17. The management development matrix 83
2.18. Examples and characteristics of developmental components from
studies of on-the-job learning 87
2.19. Availability and helpfulness of socialization practices 93 2.20. ‘Single-task-role set’ versus ‘multiple-task-role set’ 106
2.21. Time span, strata of role and domains 107
2.22. Time span and task complexity 110
2.23. The relationship between the leadership strataplex and previous
conceptualizations of leadership skill requirement 114
3.1. Passage one: first time management 133
3.2. Critical career transitions and development activities 139 4.1. Overview of pilot studies and groups of respondents 144 4.2. Overview of research questions per group of respondents 144 4.3. Criteria for measuring the success of critical transitions in
managerial careers 163
4.4. Number of respondents (managers in Dutch central government) 165 4.5. Results of pilot study 4: intradepartmental transitions 167 4.6. Results of pilot study 4: interdepartmental transitions 169 4.7. Criteria for measuring the success the success of critical transitions
4.8. Criteria of success combined with the four quadrants 173 5.1. Main differences between careers and critical career transitions 177
5.2. Summary of the hypotheses 208
6.1. The focus of the four samples regarding managerial level and
intra- and interorganizational transitions 215
6.2. Total sample, sub samples and response rates 221
6.3. Overview of respondents in relation to the period since they
started in their current managerial job 222
6.4. The coded effect on income (including bonuses) of the last critical
career transition 233
6.5. Managerial levels and managerial positions 235
6.6. The coded time spans 236
7.1. Characteristics of the sample 243
7.2. Average ages of the four samples 243
7.3. Number of respondents per managerial level in each sample 244 7.4. Objective and subjective success per type of job change 244 7.5. Objective and subjective success of intra- and interorganizational
transitions 245
7.6. Extent of support and effectiveness of developmental activities 245 7.7. Extent of support and effectiveness of developmental activities per
management level 246
7.8. Extent of support and effectiveness of developmental activities per
type of status change 247
7.9. Change of target completion time, success of the transition and the
subjective magnitude 247
7.10. The statistical reliability of the constructs, including Cronbach’s
Alpha 248
7.11. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis 252
List of figures
1.1. Central relations in this study 22
1.2. Structure of this dissertation 23
2.1. The transition cycle 52
2.2. The difficulty and valence related to the magnitude of career
transtions 59
2.3. Framework of career transitions 62
2.4. Conceptual model of career success 66
2.5. The positive transition cycle 71
2.6. The negative transition cycle 72
2.7. The hybrid transition cycle 73
2.8. The four career concepts 77
2.9. Management development on the basis of individual and
structural-organizational aspects 81
2.10. The leadership skill requirements strataplex 116 2.11. Leadership skill requirements across organizational levels 117
2.12. The CCT-model 120
3.1. The breakeven point of career transitions 125
3.2. As a management career develops, the principal job challenge
changes… 127
3.3. The Shell competence matrix 128
3.4. Critical career passages in a large business organization 131 4.1. Criteria for success of critical career transitions: four quadrants 171 5.1. Conceptual model of objective and subjective success of critical
career transitions 179
List of text boxes
5.1. Three perspectives on the direction of influence between objective
and subjective career success 180
6.1. ‘Readiness for change’ scale 225
6.2. ‘Adaptability scale’ developed by Seegers (2008) 227
6.3. ‘Adaptability’ scale 227
6.4. ‘Interpersonal sensitivity’ scale 229
6.5. ‘Ambition’ scale 231
6.6. ‘Conceptual skills’ scale developed by Enright & Powers (1991) 232
6.7. ‘Conceptual skills’ scale 232
6.8. ‘Subjective magnitude of the transition’ scale 237
6.9. ‘Sources of support’ scale 238
