The New Career Studies: Metaphor in Theory and Teaching

Kerr InksonUniversity of Waikato

ICSS, University of Reading, 22 Sept 2009

News about the Study of Careers

• The bad news– vast gaps of non-communication currently separate

discipline-based approaches to theory, research and study in careers (Arthur, 2008; Collin & Patton, in press).

• The good news– new initiatives are being taken to begin to unite

different disciplinary approaches to careers under the single banner of “career studies” (Arthur, 2008; Gunz & Peiperl, 2007; University of Reading, 2009)

• Metaphor can assist this integration

Birkbeck 1964

• Fmj– Vg– Ps– Ot

• Fjm– Ws– Ed

– Wcr

Birkbeck

• Fitting the Man to the Job– Vocational guidance– Personnel selection

– Operator training

• Fitting the Job to the Man– Work study

– Equipment design– Working conditions and rewards

• THE “FIT” METAPHOR

Problems with the 1964 Birkbeck/FIT view of careers

• Atheoretical• Implicit sexism• Directive counselling• Over-rigid vocationalism• Context limited to “job”• Decision-making model of career

• Need to develop more sophisticated thinking

Aston

• From practice to theory: from “jobs” to wider contexts• The functioning of organizations in their contexts and of

groups and individuals within their organizations• Organizations as the context for careers• Mechanistic and organic organizations

• THE “ROLE” METAPHOR

Books from the Seventies and Eighties

• Gail Sheehy, Passages (1976)• Daniel Levinson et al., The Seasons of a Man’s Life (1978)• [THE CYCLE METAPHOR]

• Ed Schein, Career Dynamics (1978)• Peters and Waterman, In Search of Excellence (1982)• [THE RESOURCE METAPHOR]

• Tom Peters, Thriving on Chaos (1985)• [THE TURBULENCE METAPHOR]

• Gareth Morgan, Images of Organization (1986)• [MULTIPLE METAPHORS]

Areas of research 1990-2009Career focus Metaphors: Careers as….

Organizational or boundaryless careers

Journeys

International careers Adventures

Careers across cultures Personal projects expressions of collective

Gender in careers Agency or communion

Contingent work Portfolio

Career enactment Roles and dramas – scripted or improvisational

Other Areas and Metaphors

Focus Metaphors:

Careers as …

Career narratives Stories

Mentoring & developmental networks

Relationships

Organizational career management

Resources

Social class, gender, values etc

Inheritances

“Career Studies”

• Can we speak about a unified “career studies”?• Three separate traditions in career studies, implying

three client groups– Sociological (policy makers, activists)– Vocational psychological (career actors, counsellors)– Organizational (organizations, HR managers)

• Can we develop unified models?• Importance of career studies in education

– Career is a universal experience– Career is one of the most important elements in most lives– Why do we teach U/Gs “management”, but not “self-

management”?

Moves in the Right Direction

• Patton and McMahon, Career Development and Systems Theory: A New Relationship, 1999

• Collin & Young (eds), The Future of Career, 2000• Reardon, Lenz, Sampson & Peterson, Career Planning and

Development: A comprehensive approach, 2006.• Greenhaus & Callanan (eds), Encyclopaedia of Career

Development, 2006.• Gunz & Peiperl (eds), Handbook of Career Studies, 2007• Inkson, Understanding Careers, 2007.• Arthur, “Examining contemporary careers: A call for interdisciplinary

inquiry”, Human Relations, 2008.• Collin & Patton (eds), Vocational psychological and organisational

perspectives on career: Towards a multidisciplinary dialogue. In press.

A careers studies dream

• Undergraduate career studies course available to, and taken by, students from any discipline

• Postgraduate career studies courses available to graduates in psychology, education, counselling and business

Possible features of a career studies curriculum

• Comprehensive

• Interdisciplinary

• Case study supported

• Personal

• Self-analytical (?)

• Utilizing contemporary media

• etc

Elements in a Career Studies Syllabus

• The context of careers– Economic, labour market, technological, institutional, social etc– Career landscapes and boundaries, e.g. professional, organizational, industry,

geographical, psychological, gender, etc.– Work-nonwork interface and balance

• Adult development and life-cycle• Psychology of individual differences

– Abilities, aptitudes, personality, interests etc– Relationship to work roles and occupations

• Career decision making• Work-role transitions• Career structures and types

– Occupational, organizational, boundaryless etc• Career success – objective and subjective• Careers and organizations, including HRM• Careers and networks• Career practice – planning, improvisation and action

Chapters in “Understanding Careers”

• Chapter 1: Careers and metaphors• Chapter 2: Careers as inheritances• Chapter 3: Careers as cycles• Chapter 4: Careers as action• Chapter 5: Careers as fit• Chapter 6: Careers as journeys• Chapter 7: Careers as roles• Chapter 8: Careers as relationships• Chapter 9: Careers as resources• Chapter 10: Careers as stories• Chapter 11: Careers in practice• Chapter 12: Career counselling and metaphor