Towards a “truly subjective” measure of career success

1. Towards a “truly subjective” measure of career success Dr. Nicky Dries nicky.dries@econ.kuleuven.be Items 1. I am ambitious; I want to progress, horizontally as well as vertically. 2. I experience plenty of opportunities to build a career, to grow within the organization. 3. I am satisfied with my work-life balance. 4. I have accomplished my own goals. 5. I am happy with all that I have and with all the possibilities present. 6. I am recognized for my accomplishments; I can prove my worth. 7. I have the freedom to buy what I desire; I do not experience financial restrictions. 8. I have a good understanding with my employer – one that does not always require words. 9. I feel healthy and happy, at home as well as at work. 10. I go through personal growth and development as a result of work experiences. 11. I experience satisfaction and fulfillment brought about by my own personal achievements. 12. I am capable of letting my family play a significant role in my life alongside my career. 13. I successfully achieve envisioned goals. 14. I am seen as a valuable asset by my organization. 15. I contribute personally to the welfare of the organization - and as such, to that of society as a whole. 16. I am in a self-perpetuating cycle of motivation, action, results and growth. 17. I can steer a work team into a self-perpetuating cycle of motivation, action, results and growth. 18. I achieve personal development by on-the-job learning and through various experiences. 19. I continuously learn in various ways so that I can continue to develop as a person and get ahead. 20. I perform well, put in effort and get results; it shows that I do a good job. 21. I emphasize people, as they make the difference in an organization. 22. I am able to express myself through work and accomplishment. 23. I go to great lengths to achieve good things. 24. I feel good; I often experience a warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside. 25. I acquire many experiences, inside my job and out. 26. I stay motivated and driven, and continuously pursue new goals. 27. I believe to have achieved positive matters, in an ethical way. 28. I experience stability and (job) security. 29. I think that one person can make a world of difference in an organization. 30. I am a candidate for promotion; I can see myself climbing the ladder. 31. I am respected and appreciated by my co-workers. 32. I am often amongst other people and cooperate with them. 33. I receive a good, equitable compensation package; I get a fair package, in line with my performance. 34. I am able to exert power or influence, to make my mark. 35. I am an important link in the process that leads to organizational success 36. I am proud of myself and my achievements. 37. I stand out from the crowd; I am the best at what I do. 38. I work creatively; I can accomplish innovative, extraordinary ideas. 39. I am able to manage and shape my own career; achieve everything single-handedly. 40. I pursue independence as a major source of happiness. 41. I create opportunities in life. 42. I acquire knowledge on a continuous basis. Interpersonal 9. Recognition Success in terms of being adequately rewarded and appreciated for one’s efforts and talents. 10. Cooperation Success in terms of working well together with peers, superiors, subordinates, and clients . 11. Experienced contribution Success in terms of serving the collective (such as the organization of general society) through work, in an ethical way. 1. Performance Success in terms of attaining verifiable results and meeting set goals. 2. Advancement Success in terms of progressing and growing, both in terms of level and experience. 3. Factual contribution Success in terms of contributing something tangible to the collective (such as the organization or general society) as an individual. Affect Achievement 6. Financial security Success in terms of being able to meet one’s financial needs. 7. Job security Success in terms of being able to meet one’s employment needs. 8. Work-life dynamics Success in terms of achieving personal satisfaction and happiness, both in the work domain and in the family domain. 4. Creative outlet Success in terms of creating something innovative and extraordinary. 5. Personal development Success in terms of reaching one’s full potential through self-management of challenges and learning experiences. Intrapersonal Validation studies Study 1: Convergent and discriminant validity Study 2: Experimenting with “weighted scales” and open-ended questions Study 3: Exploring between-subjects differences (with weighted scales) Career anchors (Schein) Protean career attitudes (Hall & Briscoe) Boundaryless career attitudes (Hall & Briscoe) Perceived success score: The degree of success respondents perceive themselves to have in terms of each specific aspect of career. Importance score: The importance they attach to each specific aspect of career in light of their personal definition of success. Weighted score: Calculated in accordance with Cummins’ Algorithm (i.e., slightly more complex than perceived * importance). Open-ended question: In your opinion, do these 42 items cover all possible meanings of success? If not, add extra items here below in your own words. Men vs. women Younger vs. older generations Belgian vs. Dutch workers Blue-collar workers vs. white-collar workers vs. managers Employees identified as “high potentials” vs. average performers Big 5 personality traits XVth European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology Maastricht, The Netherlands May 2011