BDO 329: M2 UNIT 1.1

Key characteristics of the changing meaning of work

1. self-regulated career self-management, career agility, personal growth and development, and an entrepreneurial mindset towards employment creation;

2. life-long learning, agency, upskilling, agility and flexibility in adapting to change and technology;

3. work-life balance and integration in high-tech living and work community systems;

4. autonomy, control and flexibility in independent, self-directed forms of work;

5. being able to move beyond what one wants to ‘be’ to what one wants and is able to ‘do’ for society, so one can find meaningful ways to develop and grow personal strengths and capabilities that add value regardless of access to particular jobs.

Two fears employees may face in the digital era

Fear 1: Digitisation will lead to the disappearance of work, as a result of automation and the use of cognitive technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Fear 2: Technological progress will lead to mass unemployment, dehumanised work and an increase in job loss.

Fear 1: Digitisation will lead to the disappearance of work, as a result of automation and the use of cognitive technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

1. Workers with higher educational levels and higher income may be less likely to be at risk, whereas low-skilled and low-income workers seem to be at risk

2. The automation of parts of jobs by means of machines implies that the work that remains for humans is generally more interpretive and service-oriented.

3. Higher-level human capacities, such as problem-solving, data interpretation, communications and listening, customer service, empathy, teamwork and collaboration, will rise in importance and be an integral requirement for people’s employability

Fear 2: Technological progress will lead to mass unemployment, dehumanised work and an increase in job loss.

1. There is potential for new jobs to emerge because of entrepreneurial and technological savvy in the creation of new occupations and industries may be underestimated.

2. Automation removes routine and transactional jobs that take up human energy and time. As a consequence, this means the jobs that people will do will be more ‘human’, which means that the role of people in a job will rise in importance and value eg. problem-solving, innovation and new knowledge creation

3. Socioeconomic challenges, and inadequate education and training pertaining to the development of the higher-level skills demanded by Industry 4.0, limit the digital transformation of workplaces, future employability and mobility of the workforce.

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA

1. Organisations are becoming self-driven, agile and data-driven.

2. The worker of the digital era prefers a flexible, collaborative, meaningful and unconstrained workspace that upholds a continuous, agile learning culture

3. Jobs for life are a thing of the past

4. Management of workforces – traditional and alternative workforces

5. Employee Autonomy and control of jobs-Job crafting

6. Need for fewer full time workers and higher skill demand

7. Increased use of Artificial Intelligence or AI in HRM-Training feedback etc

8. AI as a key recruitment tool

9. Use of AI to automate and augment work prompting the redesign of jobs in various domains.-

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Organisations are becoming self-driven, agile and data-driven.

The self-driven organisation recognises the importance of creating a culture that rewards self-empowerment and self-directedness through empowerment practices and enabling technologies. Agility and adaptability are core competencies regarded as being crucial for thriving in the digital-driven workplace.

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: The worker of the digital era prefers a flexible, collaborative, meaningful and unconstrained workspace that upholds a continuous, agile learning culture

Digital-era workers make meaningful contributions within virtual workspaces. They are not necessarily concerned with the place they work for, or the workforce they belong to; they are autonomous, self-determined workers who prefer remote and flexible interactions made possible by technology-driven communication and collaboration tools

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Jobs for life are a thing of the past.

Agile, boundaryless careers, protean career mindsets, life-long learning for sustained employability, and gig-economy-oriented, independent, multiple project-based assignments, roles and work opportunities are becoming the norm.  

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Management of workforces – traditional and alternative workforces

Growing skills shortages globally made the leveraging and management of the traditional pool of workers along with ‘alternative workforces’ essential to business growth and sustaining a competitive advantage in the Industry 4.0 business market. The alternative workforce includes outsourced teams, contractors, freelancers/independent workers (who are typically paid by the hour, day or other unit of time), gig workers (paid for tasks or specific pieces of work) and the crowd (outsourced networks of workers who compete to participate in a project and who are often paid only if they are among the top participants in the competition). 

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Employee Autonomy and control of jobs-Job crafting

Employees will increasingly play a significant role in the way in which they perform their jobs. Job crafting occurs when jobs are modified and augmented with technological tools, based on employees’ own specific high-level knowledge, skills, abilities and motivations

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Need for fewer full time workers and higher skill demand

Organisations upscale temporarily by hiring part-time and contingent workers (ie alternative workers) to meet critical skills demands and additional business needs that arise through strategic and operational projects

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Increased use of Artificial Intelligence or AI in HRM-Training feedback

Human Resources will increasingly utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI), ie machines that can imitate intelligent human behaviour, to create a personalised employee and customer experience that enables organisations to understand and deliver on the real needs of employees and customers.

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: AI as a key recruitment tool

AI will automatically and scientifically test, track and match employment (person-job fit) based on job-incumbent requirements (ie competencies, personal characteristics, capabilities, experience, learning and skills) and the ideal future profile for the ideal potential future career paths

THE FEATURES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE WORKPLACE OF THE DIGITAL ERA: Use of AI to automate and augment work prompting the redesign of jobs in various domains.-

The Industry 4.0 human capabilities comprise (1) intrapersonal, (2) interpersonal, (3) interdigital and (4) intradigital competencies

The Industry 4.0 human capabilities: Intrapersonal competencies

ability to build cognitive categorisations of objects, events, observations or ideas that are logically linked; critical thinking skills; general knowledge of the finance, business and economic industry, concepts and terms; cognitive agility; analytical emotional resilience; emotional regulation; complex problem-solving ability

The Industry 4.0 human capabilities: Interpersonal comptencies

ability to build and sustain good, constructive inter-personal relationships; ability to appropriately display emotions (emotional labour); effective communication skills in the exchange of information

The Industry 4.0 human capabilities: Interdigital competencies

ability to effectively manage interactions with digital solutions (interdigital relationship capability); ability to engage with a digital culture (ie incorporate the digital world in all aspects of day-to-day life); digital affinity (ie tendency to use a digital solution or device as a preferred tool to perform a task); digital familiarity (ie ability to effectively use the latest digital solutions and devices)

The Industry 4.0 human capabilities: Intradigital competencies

tendency to comply with the rules of engagement, policies, procedures, practices and ethics required by legislative frameworks; administrative capabilities (ie efficiently organise and structure tasks; digitally assimilate and disseminate information; plan, file and arrange work digitally while adhering to deadlines)

How to develop competencies?

Flatter organisational structures create a greater need for internal talent mobility

DEFINE THE CONCEPT OF PROTEAN CAREER

The protean career is one that emphasises a self-directed approach to the career and a career that is driven by one’s own values. The protean career is therefore a process which the person, not the organisation, is managing. It consists of all the person’s varied experiences in education, training, work in several organisations, changes in occupational field and so forth. In short, the protean career is shaped more by the individual than by the organisation and may be redirected from time to time to meet the needs of the person

The protean career is characterised by a mindset about the career

1. psychological success;

2. self-direction;

3. freedom and autonomy;

4. choices based on personal values;

5. a high level of self-awareness;

6. a series of identity changes;

7. an emphasis on internal career thinking.

8. continuous learning;

9. employability rather than job security;

The protean career offers five forms of flexibility:

1. It provides new ways of career thinking. The protean concept suggests a flexible career course characterised by moves between different lines of work.

2. It provides flexibility in terms of career space. The career space is enlarged, allowing workers to integrate work and family issues, as the two are not treated as separate domains.

3. It allows workers to work from home, virtually or by mobile means, either informally or as part of a formal home and mobile work programme.

4. It exchanges the traditional long-term employment contract for loyalty and upward progress with an employability-based, psychological contract.

5. It shifts the mindset of working for a salary, upward career advancement and occupational status to a mindset about personal growth and learning experiences that enhance one’s employability and satisfy one’s inner life, work and career values

The protean nature of lifelong learning is characterised by psychological empowerment, which involves four cognitions:

1. The meaning and value of a work goal or purpose;

2. The belief in one’s ability and competence to perform activities;

3. Self-determination or the sense of having a choice in regulating one’s action;

4. The impact or degree to which one can influence outcomes at work.

DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN AND EXPLAIN THE CONCEPTS OF CAREER ADAPTATION

Career adaptation moves beyond survival to the proactive adjustment by individuals to ensure they remain future-fit and sustain their employability, career satisfaction and well-being.

The protean mindset, of psychological empowerment fuelled by personal growth initiative and self-regulation throughout life, is a key hallmark of effective career adaptation.

The concept of career adaptation has psychological and behavioural aspects.

Individuals must first develop adaptive readiness (ie embrace an adaptive orientation towards change- psychological), which activates the use of adaptability resources (psychological).

An individual’s career adaptability resources are important career-related strengths that, when optimally employed, facilitate appropriate adapting responses (Behavioural) in the form of career self-management and career development behaviours (behavioural) that help address changing work and career conditions

Adaptive readiness (psychological) (ADAPTIVITY): Career motivation

Career motivation is ‘a multi-dimensional construct internal to the individual, influenced by the situation and reflected in the individual’s decisions and behaviours. Career motivation has three major domains, namely career identity, career insight and career resilience.

Adaptive readiness (psychological) (ADAPTIVITY): Career motivation (Career identity)

1. Career identity is the degree to which people define themselves by their work and by their organisation

2. An individual’s career identity informs acceptable career goals and the means of achieving these goals, and influences the individual’s perceptions of subjective career success and employability

3. Careers are embedded in social contexts and a person’s identity takes shape as the individual (the psychological self) encounters society’s expectations (about the roles the self has to fulfil).

4. Identity develops through occupying certain roles (eg student, worker, professional, spouse, parent, caregiver, friend or family member), performing developmental tasks and accepting the expectations that come with these roles

Adaptive readiness (psychological) (ADAPTIVITY): Career motivation (Career insight)

Career insight relates to the crystallisation of the career self-concept; it is defined as the extent to which the person has realistic perceptions of him-or herself and the organisation, and the extent to which the person relates these perceptions to career goals

Career insight includes self-knowledge — ie being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses — and it can be tied to individuals’ work commitment, organisational commitment and the feeling of being citizens in the organisation

Adaptive readiness (psychological) (ADAPTIVITY): Career motivation (Career resilience)

Career resilience is the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

 It encompasses welcoming job and organisational changes, looking forward to working with new and different people, having self-confidence and being willing to take risks

 Career resilience derives from the concepts of hardiness, self-efficacy and achievement motivation

Adaptive readiness (psychological) (ADAPTIVITY): Career agility

career agility signals an individual’s adaptive readiness or willingness to adapt and proactively respond to technological change. An individual’s adaptive readiness for the exponential changes of Industry 4.0 and beyond is determined by three facets of career agility:

1) Technological adaptivity;

2) Capability for agile learning;

3) Career navigation orientation.

facets of career agility: Technological adaptivity 

employees who are generally positive about technological innovation and evolution. They deem it important to update their knowledge and skills in order to capitalise on the new job opportunities created by technological developments.

facets of career agility: Capability for agile learning

employees who are generally eager to search for opportunities to learn new skills that will improve their career and job success. They eagerly consider projects and opportunities that build, leverage and maximise their knowledge, skills and style preferences

facets of career agility: Career navigation orientation

shows that individuals are willing to scan the environment for new career opportunities and to take advantage of changes in the job and career environment. Such individuals are highly flexible in their capacity to adapt to change and they are able to apply changes with confidence to their own careers and jobs

ADAPTABILITY RESOURCES (Behaviour): Career adaptability

Career adaptability implies individuals’ psychosocial readiness to proactively and confidently engage in the use of resources for coping with current and imminent developmental vocational tasks, changing work and working conditions, occupational transitions and work trauma

Career adaptability assumes a measure of career maturity, that is, a psychological readiness for making educational and occupational choices

Individual career adaptability grows in four domains(career concern, career control, career curiosity and career confidence). These behaviours build the foundation for career success, sustainable employability, future adaptability and growth. 

Individual career adaptability: Career concern

Do I have a future?’ The individual shows concern for his or her future, and is engaged in planning for it by being aware, involved and prepared. Typical characteristics include being planful, forward-thinking, optimistic/hopeful and prepared/ ready, and connecting present and future.

Individual career adaptability: Career control

Who owns my future?’ The individual engages and exerts control over his or her future through decision-making, determination and agency. Typical characteristics include being independent/autonomous, contemplative/pre-emptive, accountable/trustworthy, persistent/patient and self-principled

Individual career adaptability: Career curiosity

‘What do I want to do with my future?’ The individual gathers occupational information and self-knowledge in an attempt to fit into the world of work. Adapting to changing contexts or situations, individuals must display an inquisitive attitude and engage in exploration by experimenting, taking risks and inquiring. Typical characteristics include being investigative, self-reflective, future-focused/oriented, explorative and observant

Individual career adaptability: Career confidence 

‘Can I do it?’ The individual develops a sense of self-efficacy in overcoming obstacles to implement career goals. Typical characteristics include being efficient/productive, self-perceptive, reliable, proud and self-confident. Career confidence is demonstrated in how individuals deal with the myriad of stressors they may encounter throughout their life along the career journey, eg sudden unemployment, lack of available jobs, health problems, family struggles, unexpected workplace challenges or pressure to learn new skills.

ADAPTING RESPONSES (Behaviour): Career management

Career self-management is the proactive, self-regulatory, behavioural adapting response to changing conditions in work and careers. It is a proactive attempt to attain congruence between career values, motives, interests and the changing requirements of the work environment.

Career self-management is the ability to keep pace with the speed at which change occurs within the organisation and the industry and the ability to sustain one’s employability through continuous learning and career planning and management efforts.

Career self-management behaviours

1. networking behaviour: getting to know influential people;

2. visibility behaviour: drawing attention to work achievements, getting credit for work done and maintaining a high profile within the organisation;

3. positioning behaviour: pursuing valuable job opportunities and making sure that roles and jobs enhance one’s career;

4. behaviour relating to building human capital: through training and education and informal on-the-job learning;

5. validating behaviour: proving oneself or one’s competence and capability to perform a job; and

6. behaviour relating to the management of the work/non-work boundary: preventing work activities from permeating the home environment, maximising control over one’s work– life balance and protecting one’s life or out-of-work interests.

ADAPTION OUTCOMES (behaviour): Career development

Career development can be defined as an ongoing process by which individuals progress through a series of life and career stages.

Career development consists of four phases, namely Developing appropriate work-related behaviours ,Developing a vocational (career) identity, Engaging in effective career decision-making and Developing the ability to effectively find a job)

A career consists of different stages (exploration, establishment, management and disengagement) and the individual is confronted with different issues during each of these stages

career development is viewed as an ongoing, formalised effort by the organisation that focuses on developing and enriching the organisation’s human resources in light of both the employees’ and the organisation’s needs

Career development phases: 1. Developing appropriate work-related behaviours

nown as a work personality — that allow individuals to meet the interpersonal demands of the work environment (eg appropriate social interactions with others, timeliness and appropriate on-task behaviour)

Career development phases: 2. Developing a vocational (career) identity

Developing a vocational (career) identity through which individuals become aware of their career interests, goals, skills and talents (ie self-concept crystallisation

Career development phases: 3. Engaging in effective career decision-makin

Engaging in effective career decision-making by identifying appropriate work environments that allow individuals to express their vocational identity

Career development phases: 4. Developing the ability to effectively find a job

Developing the ability to effectively find a job, resulting in employment as well as sustaining one’s employability.

ADAPTION OUTCOMES: Employability

Employability refers to an individual’s capacity and willingness to become and remain attractive in the labour market

Employability is about being capable of getting, or creating, and keeping fulfilling work and having the knowledge, understanding, skills, experience and personal attributes to move self-sufficiently within the labour market and to realise one’s potential through sustainable and fulfilling employment experiences throughout the course of one’s life.

Employability security comes from the accumulation of human, social, career and cultural capital that can be invested in new opportunities as they arise.

Employability security comes from the accumulation of human, social, career and cultural capital that can be invested in new opportunities as they arise.

Employability: Human capital 

Human capital refers to the cumulative educational, personal and professional experiences that might enhance an employee’s value to an employer.

• Employers evaluate individual human capital (and employability) by education level, qualifications (ie diplomas, degrees and professional certifications), work and life experience, work-related skills (occupation-related and company-specific) and generic, transferable skills regarded as being important for sustaining business success in competitive markets.

Employability: Social capital

Social capital refers to an individual’s ‘knowing whom’ assets (attachments, relationships, reputation and sources of information) which are manifested in networking and the creation of personal contacts which can be improved through graduate studies and professional networks.

Social capital reflects the interpersonal aspect of employability and relates to the goodwill inherent in social networks The capacity to network (networking skills) and maintain mutually beneficial social relationships is increasingly essential for long-term career success

Employability: Career capital

Three domains of career capital that influence the employability of individuals.

1.Knowing why: career motivation, personal meaning and personal identity, including understanding why one works, reflecting on one’s personal values, interests, motivation and work–family issues;

2. Knowing how: human capital and career-relevant skills and job-related knowledge, including how one works, and reflecting on the skills and expertise one has to offer; and

3. Knowing whom: career-relevant social networks, including the people with whom one works inside and outside the workplace, occupational and professional society attachments and further contacts with family, friends and social acquaintances as sources of information and building reputation.

Employability: Cultural capital 

Cultural capital refers to the effective fit between employers’ goals, customs, values and social behaviours and those of potential employees.

Individuals who exhibit the motivation to engage in the company’s expected work practices and who strive for company goals are able to enhance their employability.