Career Management Styles
Aim
This is a peer-to-peer training session suitable for a staff development morning or afternoon. It is designed to help colleagues develop a wider and deeper knowledge of relevant research in our evolving field. The focus is on career management in the practice of career education (whether in physical groups, online and/or in one-to-one discussion).By the end of the session, participants will have a reasonable working knowledge and be able to identify, analyse and apply career management styles in the design of career education.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1/ Engage in a workshop on career management styles.
2/ Identify at least five career management styles.
3/ Compare and contrast these styles.
4/ Design career education activities in response to the above.
Constraints and resources
Time: 120 minutes.
Venue: classroom for up to 15 participants.
IT: PC and projector.
Hand-outs: Career Management Styles Table, copies of chapters/articles.
Presentation materials: white board, flipcharts and pens, hand-outs.
Limitations: facilitator not a specialist researcher in this field but has reasonable working knowledge suitable for a career development professional.
Methods, activities and timings
1/ Sign up
Participants will be asked to sign up in advance at least two weeks prior to the session. They will be divided into pairs/trios and each allocated a particular career management style (depending on actual numbers).
2/ Pre-course reading
Each pair/trio will be sent some pre-course reading on career management. Typically, this will consist of a copy of relevant sections from a paper by one of the authors listed in the table. As an example, a group of 15 would be divided into 5 trios and allocated respectively:
Trio 1/ DOTS (Law & Watts 1977)
Trio 2/ Planned Happenstance (Mitchell, Levin & Krumboltz 1999)
Trio 3/ Working Identity (Ibarra 2002)
Trio 4/ Career Self-Management Behaviours(King 2004)
Trio 5/ Career Adaptability (Savickas 2013: 157-161)
3/ Pre-course brief
Each pair/trio will be asked to familiarise themselves with the key claims made and briefed to come ready to make a 10 minute presentation on their allocated career management style. This presentation will consist of a brief description of the style followed by a discussion of its strengths and weaknesses.
4/ Introduction
10 minutes: At the start of the session itself, aims, learning outcomes and activities will be introduced and agreed. Allow space for additions to the contract from participants.
5.1/ Debate (part one)
60 minutes: Each trio will present on their allocated career management style allowing time for brief clarification questions. Brief each member of the audience to make notes on the details of each style and strengths and weaknesses. Issue copies to each participant of all the papers originally given to each trio and the summary Career Management Styles Table.
5.2/ Debate (part two)
30 minutes: Facilitate an informal debate on career management in the context of career education. Make space for alternative styles to be discussed. Consider the value of allowing styles any participant may disagree with to be discussed by students. Seed a discussion on use of videos or scenarios with students to bring the topic to life (in classroom and/or online). Concentrate on the design of career education sessions (whether inside or outside the curriculum).
6/ Round robin
15 minutes: Bring the debate to a close. Ask each participant to work briefly on their own to develop at least one idea that s/he would be prepared to share in relation to career education design and career management. Ask each to share until all participants have done so.
9/ Ending
5 minutes: Debrief by returning to the learning outcomes and contract. Request any final questions. Offer thanks for participation and close.
Assessment of the learning outcomes (LOs)
LO1/ Engagement with all activities (e.g. both listening and speaking).
LO2/ Participation in the debate (as presenters and audience).
LO3/ Participation in the debate (as presenters and audience).
LO4/ Participation in the round robin.
Evaluation
Participants will be asked to complete a short feedback form.
Tutor notes
Career management claims can generate quite heated discussion and debate. This is to be encouraged and educational value of this discussed. Ask participants to monitor their own and others’ reactions to the claims (as well as monitoring one’s own). The focus of this session is on helping participants develop a more nuanced understanding of career management. This includes the role of career management in one’s own identity and behaviour, in one’s organisation, team or department as well as in the career management literature. The consequences for others of encountering particular career management styles should also be discussed.