Six Dimensions of Career Management Model

1. Six Dimensions of Career Management Model David North & Trudy Delamare

2. The model • Data from over 30 HR Leaders and 70 employees from key talent groups • Six themes or Dimensions emerged as being critical to success

3. Overview • Some Dimensions are strategic, others more tactical • Some Dimensions are specific, others more general  • Some overlap between the Dimensions, which points to their connectedness  • No recommended order to addressing them, except that the Business Imperative should be your starting point  • Over time it's important to focus upon each Dimension, and align what you do  • The Six Career Dimensions Diagnostic Tool to help you think through:  • How well you're currently performing against each Dimension • Where you should concentrate your attention to achieve more effective career management outcomes

4. Clear Business Imperative • A well thought through career management strategy makes a positive contribution to business success, particularly as the economy emerges from recession • Positive career development proposition brings benefits in each of these areas: • Attraction, engagement, customer satisfaction, retention, succession, brand reputation • You have choices about where you focus additional career management efforts: • Improving what you already provide to those in key talent pools, and/or • Offering more opportunities for personal growth to the ‘vital many’ • There’s an imperative to : • Take a long-term view of your career management purposes and the business case that supports them • Identify and address immediate pinch points • Who is responsible for scanning the environment and connecting the career management dots within your HR function?

5. A culture where career development flourishes • Employee surveys often score low on career-related questions • Senior Management Team attitudes are a key factor in promoting career management • Short-termism and the demand of a strong delivery focus reduces time spent on future-focused development • Risk taking is perceived as a barrier: • Internal job posting processes often don’t recognise transferable skills • A reluctance to let good people transfer to another part of the business • A reluctance to take a risk on rising but untested talent

6. A culture where career development flourishes

7. Partnership between the organisation and individual • Employees are very clear about their responsibilities for career development • But they are asking for support in specific areas to build their careers • Most organisations adopt a segmented approach to career management; • Employees accept this, but want to know what the 'career deal' is for them • Partnership is a personal, human process that requires: • Listening skills, and a recognition of individual differences • Openness • Flexibility • A willingness to accept long-term perspectives • We advocate a move to a more effective, partnership-based approach to career management

8. Partnership between the organisation and individual

9. Improving the quality of a career conversations • A great conversation is inspiring, thought-provoking and brings clarity to career goals • Danger of making an assumption about our key talent career motivator and drivers • Line managers often lack information, skills and appropriate attitude as well as time • Employee tell us that a good career conversation: • Offers constructive, challenging feedback and insightful questions • Challenges people to think in a different way • Explores different career paths and clarifies your thoughts to achieve your goal • Offers an honest view on whether ambition is realistic • Involves listening well and not dwelling on weaknesses • Training needs to cover both the process and how to engage with someone personally

10. A network of career supporters Employees value talking to a wide range of people about their careers: • Mentors: an opportunity to have a more open conversation, often a role model who can help the mentee learn the organisational politics • Line Manager: can leverage the PMP process to have a career conversation • Peers: strong relationships often built on leadership programmes • HR: support valued in advocating and brokering cross-functional moves

11. Practical tool and processes • It’s important to embed and support existing processes, before introducing new ones • Quality preparation and training of managers is needed to maximise the impact of processes such as talent reviews and development planning • “The potential value of web-based tools is undermined by a lack of in-depth, follow-up conversations with line leaders” • There are opportunities to co-deign new tools with employees, and across organisations...social networking media and a career pathways are good examples • Facilitating career broadening opportunities is not only about advertising jobs, but tackling organisational barriers like short listing and appointment processes.

12. Conclusions & recommendations • Career Management represents a strategic opportunity in the current economic climate:  • To support your attraction and retention practices • To build employee engagement and productivity  • Consider adopting a more employee-centric approach, based upon:  • More clearly communicating the career deal • More frequent, quality career conversations • More support for line leaders so they can deliver on the career partnership • More knowledge and awareness of job opportunities across the organisation • More feedback from your people on what's working, and what they value most

13. Conclusions & recommendations • Complete the Diagnostic Tool to establish where you're starting from, and where you need to focus your attention • Collaborate with other CRF Members in areas of common interest • Keep it simple

14. Breakout Session One Career Pathways Led by: Natalie Woodford (GSK), Chris Macrae (GSK) and Joanne Wotton (PA Consulting Group

15. Breakout Session Two What does career development do for business? Led by: Wendy Hirsh

16. Breakout Session Three Practical Tools & Processes Led by: Peter Hawkins and Helen Wakefield (Windmills)

17. Breakout Session Four Career Conversations – making it happen Led by: Anne Winter & Rosemary McLean (Career Innovation)