Organizational Design, Diagnosis, and Development

Session 23

Human Resource Interventions, II

Developing & Assisting Members

Objectives

• To understand what is involved in career planning, the changing nature of careers, and stages of career progression

• To recognize issues faced by employees in managing their careers stages

• To describe issues faced by organizations in career management

• To understand the strategic implications of managing diversity

• Discuss sources of workplace stress, EAPs and wellness programs

The Importance of Careers

• For organizations: Helps align staffing with strategy

• For employees: A source of identification and a factor in quality of life

Career Planning

• Employee responsibility: – Self-assessment, – Identify and analyze career options; – Decide and develop career objectives

and needs; – Communicate career preferences to

your manager; – Map out a plan with your manager.

Career Planning

• Management responsibilities:– Encourage career planning process, – Assess realism of employee’s plans,– Provide information to employee about

career planning resources, and career development opportunities such as job openings, training programs, and rotation assignments.

Changing Nature of Careers

• The employment contract: Employees as free agents– Career competencies– Self-management

• New career paths: More webbed than straight

Importance of Career Planning to Organizations

• Effective utilization of human resources– Align staffing requirements to strategy– Develop promotable employees

• Affirmative action and EEO– Assists in meeting goals– Assists in diversity management

Exploration Stage

• Task Needs: – Experiencing varied

job tasks– Self assessment– Job choice

• Social-emotional needs– Occupational self-

image– Settling down

Establishment Stage

• Task needs– Learn the ropes– Get challenging jobs– Increase competence– Be innovative

• Emotional needs– Deal with competition,

failure, conflicts– Develop autonomy

Maintenance Stage

• Task needs– Technical updating– Coaching skills– Continue to rotate into

new areas– Develop broad view of

career

• Social-emotional needs– Express mid-life feelings– Rethink work, family

Late Career Stage

• Task needs– Remain productive– Plan for retirement– Shift role from power to

guidance– Identify successors– Develop outside interests

• Social emotional needs– Re-envision work– Develop outside identity

Career Planning for Men & Women

• Some research findings

• The glass ceiling

• The mommy track

• The dual career couple track

Some Research Findings

• Men benefit more than woman from training

• Men benefit more than women from being married and having children

• Women benefit more than men from coaching and encouragement

• Women have fewer developmental opportunities than do men

Glass Ceilings & Mommy Tracks

• Glass ceiling: A barrier ( usually not an obvious one) that prevents women from reaching top management.

• Mommy tracks: Career paths which give more time flexibility to allow women to fulfill family commitments

Dual Career Couples

• The Family Friendly Workplace

– flexible work arrangements

– child care arrangement

– support for transfers and relocations

– managers who understand dual career couples

Need to Manage Diversity

• Current work force is diverse– race & ethnicity– gender– age– disabilities

Diversity as an Asset

• Salesforce

• Problem solving and creativity

• From manufacturing to service economy

Challenges of Diversity

• Universal Vs relative management practices

• Resistance to change

• Group cohesiveness & conflict

• Competition

• Performance

• Backlash

Top Management Commitment

• Training programs

• Support groups

• Mentoring programs

• Accommodating family needs– Alternative career paths– On-site child care– Alternative work arrangements

Top Management Accountability

• Monitoring work place fairness

• Using reward systems

The Process of Stress

OrganizationalFactors

Individual Factors

ExperiencedStress

Physiologicalsymptoms

PsychologicalSymptoms

BehavioralSymptoms

Stress Factors

• Organizational• Demanding Jobs• Competing

demands• Role ambiguity• Job responsibility• Isolation• Unpleasant

• Individual• Stressful life

events• Daily stress• Personality • Perception

Consequences of Stress

• Physiological Symptoms– Headaches, High blood pressure, Heart

disease

• Psychological Symptoms– Anxiety, Depression, Burnout,

Callousness

• Behavioral Symptoms– Productivity loss, Withdrawal

Managing Stress

• Personal approaches– Lifestyle, Physiological, Cognitive

• Organizational approaches– Job redesign– Social support– Family friendly policies

EAPs

• EAPs: Programs which provide counseling and service to troubled employees– Managers need to identify behavior

which signals trouble– Company needs to communicate

program & policy

• Evaluation: Seem to be cost effective

Wellness Programs

• Focus is on prevention

• Educate employees about health risks

• Introduce programs to reduce health risks and modify risky behavior

• Help employees maintain new behaviors

• Evaluate

Backwards & Forwards

• Summing up: Today’s session explored careers and special issues in career planning for affirmative action and family friendly policies along with diversity issues and employee wellness

• Looking ahead: Next time we being an examination of strategic interventions with organizations and environments