CH-7-10 The Early Career Stage: Establishment and Achievement – Career Management : Book Guide

This Document Contains Chapters 7 to 10 Chapter 7 The Early Career Stage: Establishment and Achievement Chapter 7 - Assignment If you are employed presently, take a few minutes and consider the programs your company offers to help employees become established during the early part of their careers. What programs, if any, are being used? How would you rate the effectiveness of these efforts in assisting employees with the tasks of establishment? If you are not employed currently, you may want to interview a close associate or relative about the programs at his or her organization. Or do some exploration on the Internet to see what different companies offer. Then answer the assignment questions as given above. Purpose/Perspective: This assignment allows the students to investigate and discuss “real life” programs that may be available in their current employment, or with future employers. The students can review the different types of programs (for example, formal mentoring, training efforts, performance appraisal) and assess the efficacy of the programs in terms helping employees become established. The assignment will give the students a good sense of the programs that are possible and they can use this information in evaluating current and future employers. Chapter 7 Case 1: Natalie the Retail Manager (Part B) Purpose Part B of Natalie the Retail Manager is designed to highlight the issues that often appear in the transition between the establishment and achievement phases of the early career. As Natalie progressed in her career, Enigma’s management team looks to her to fill a position as manager in another store that is located in Seattle. Although this is the opportunity that Natalie has been working hard to achieve, it is complicated by the fact that the Seattle location is thousands of miles from where she lives. Also, Natalie’s decision is more difficult in light of the situations that surround her personal life: she is engaged to be married, and she and her fiancé would like to start a family and have their parents act as caregivers while Natalie continues her career. This will be impossible to do in Seattle. Finally, she needs to confront the inconsistency between Enigma’s “survival of the fittest” culture and her own personality and values. Perspective Students should take the perspective of Natalie five years into her career. She has been an outstanding employee and wants to achieve more responsibility in her career. Now the ultimate situation has been offered her; she can become a store manager with responsibility for many employees and an extensive inventory. Natalie will receive a large increase in salary and potential bonus associated with this new job. Natalie will move up in the company, will receive much independence, and will have the level of authority she desires. Yet she is still confronted with the underlying lack of fit between Enigma’s organizational culture and her personality. Students should discuss the opportunities that she will encounter should she take the job and what might happen to her and her career if she does not take the job. Also, the potential impact to her personal life and her fiancé and his career should be considered. Case Analysis Questions 1. Is Natalie in the establishment or the achievement phase of her early career? What factors did you take into account in answering this question? Natalie is in the process of moving into the achievement phase of her early career. She had already completed many of the tasks of the establishment phase including testing her competence, learning about her job and the company, and seeking approval. She is now more concerned with moving up, contributing as a manager within the company, and seeking new levels of authority. Becoming a store manager will allow her to be more independent and will engage her with new tasks that will increase her competence. Natalie is also in the process of developing long- and short-range career goals that are consistent with her aspirations, and she will need to implement a strategy about what makes the most sense for her to do to achieve her career goals. Natalie will need to look closely at her values as she makes this career decision and determine whether her values can be achieved at Enigma, with its emphasis on competition and oppressive treatment of its employees. She will also need to determine how she defines career success. 2. Identify all of the issues that Natalie needs to take into account in making this major career decision. How is Natalie’s nonwork life influencing the decision that needs to be made? As an upwardly mobile manager in her early career, should Natalie even be concerned with these nonwork issues? Why or why not? Natalie should decide if this career opportunity is consistent with her values, talents, and aspirations, and her definition of career success. She needs to understand how the new job responsibilities will impact her need for achievement as well as her personal life. Natalie also should pay particular attention to Enigma’s culture, whether she can adapt to the culture, or even change the culture in her role as store manager to be more consistent with her personality. She also needs to consider what will happen to her career if she decides not to take the Seattle job. Natalie is faced with several, competing nonwork issues that may affect her decision. The decision to move to the west coast, to leave her extended family, to possibly delay her marriage, to find work for her fiancé in Seattle, and to find childcare for her future children will all influence her decision-making process. Having family values and an interest in having her family help in raising children may complicate her ability to move to the west coast. Also, her fiancé will have a say in the decision as to whether he wants to, or can even find employment, in a new location. These are all important nonwork related criteria that Natalie should concern herself with as an up and coming executive woman. Careers should not be considered as an “all or nothing” proposition. In the 21st century, men and women need to take their nonwork lives into consideration when making career decisions because individuals cannot separate one domain from the other. 3. If you were in Natalie’s shoes after five years with Enigma, what career choices and life choices would you be prepared to make? What are the most important factors that you would consider in making your choices? Students should discuss and prioritize the many issues Natalie is facing. Emphasis should be given to what will be her chosen career track and how that will affect her professional and personal lives. Natalie should have intimate conversations with her fiancé surrounding this decision, what it will do to both of their careers, their finances, and their family and personal lives. Construction of realistic and flexible career paths for both Natalie and her fiancé should occur. In making her decision, Natalie may also want to consider what her next career step may be with Enigma after she takes the Seattle job, and she should discuss these alternatives with the Enigma management prior to agreeing to the job. 4. If you were to write a continuation to this case, what would you predict for Natalie for the future, say 10 or 15 years after her college graduation? Would it be a happy or an unhappy future? Student can predict that Natalie will take the Seattle job, and then postulate how that will affect Natalie and her family. Or they might suggest that Natalie will not choose the Seattle job and that she either stayed with Enigma or left Enigma. Either of the above scenarios may have occurred and students can suggest what might be the happiest situation for Natalie given her experience with Enigma for an extended period of time. Consideration of her professional and personal life and health should be involved in these discussions. Chapter 7 Case 2: Claudia the Star Performer Purpose This case focuses on a young woman who is in the establishment phase of the early career and now has to choose between her current employment and potential employers who are valuing her investment in an MBA. Claudia has done an extensive review of her current work and nonwork goals after graduating from an MBA program and has chosen to look for new employment opportunities. Claudia decides she wants to go to an investment bank in New York City so that she can pursue her dream of living in the big city and taking advantage of all it has to offer. Two new jobs are offered to Claudia. She presents her options to her current commercial bank employer, who she thinks may match the offer. Perspective While Claudia is still in the early career phase, she has accomplished much with her current employer. She has taken advantage of the graduate school tuition reimbursement benefit she was offered. With her MBA in hand, it now suits Claudia to explore her options for increases in responsibility. Claudia finds that she is worth double what her current job offers, and she has the opportunity to work in New York City. Claudia’s current employer does not match the offers, so she sees no option but to resign and take one of the offers. Her current employer is burned in the process after having invested $45,000 in a graduate degree and having lost a star employee. The bank has had this situation happen before and is now considering dropping the tuition reimbursement benefit. Case Analysis Questions 1. As a star performer and one who wanted to continue achieving in her profession, was Claudia wrong in seeking additional responsibilities from another employer? What would you do given her track record and MBA? Claudia rationalized that she was not wrong in seeking additional responsibilities from another employer and in a new city in which she wanted to live. She had been a star performer with her first employer and had worked hard to complete an MBA within her first three years of working for the bank. Students can debate the point that Claudia seems to have done a thorough self-evaluation of what she wants at this point in her career with her MBA in hand. She is now more interested in investment banking opportunities, which do not appear to be available at her current employer. In addition, she found through investigating new career opportunities that she is worth 50 percent more than the bank is paying her. These new jobs are in New York City, a metropolitan area in which she is interested for personal reasons. Students can discuss whether Claudia was correct or not in the choices she made and whether they would have made the same decisions that she made. 2. Do you think that Claudia acted ethically in quickly accepting the job from the investment bank? As an employee in the establishment phase of her early career, what alternatives should Claudia have considered in her pursuit of upward advancement? Should Claudia have given the bank a better opportunity to advance her in her career? Why or why not? Students should debate Claudia’s actions and whether or not they believe she acted ethically in taking the new investment banking job. Discussion should involve whether or not Claudia did a sufficient career exploration and whether or not she considered enough alternatives before she made her decision to leverage her position with the commercial bank. Did Claudia investigate opportunities for advancement with her current employer? The case does not reveal much on this point, but for conversation’s sake, the students could explore a variety of potential scenarios. Claudia may have given the bank more time to come up with various new opportunities, but had she done that, she may have lost the two offers. Students may argue that the bank had opportunities every day to advance her given that she was a star performer, and because it was a fairly rigid organization, chose not to. The bank appears to be slow to react, with others having left shortly after earning their MBAs. 3. What are the economic implications for the bank? If you were a member of the executive management committee, what path would you have recommended at the meeting? How could the bank have better managed this important human resource? The bank needs to decide whether it wants to retain its costly tuition reimbursement benefit, particularly if employees leave soon after receiving a graduate degree. Students should debate the positives (e.g., attracting and retaining star performers) and negatives (e.g., costs, growing a highly educated workforce that may want to move up in the firm in the midst of few advancement opportunities) associated with offering tuition reimbursement. Many firms require those who receive an MBA to maintain their employment for a 2-3 year period following graduation or pay back the firm for its investment in their MBA. This assures the company that they receive some benefit or payback from the employee and his/her new skills upon acquiring an MBA. The bank could also manage its human resources more efficiently by understanding the career aspirations of its employees who are pursuing graduate degrees. If the bank had known that Claudia had desired investment banking experience, it may have found opportunities in a related area for her, thereby keeping her as a star performer. Chapter 7 – Discussion Questions 1. Why do organizations attempt to break in employees when they first join? Describe the major socialization practices used by organizations and relate them to experiences you have had as a newcomer. Identify the signs of a successful and an unsuccessful socialization experience. Socialization experiences allow an organization to test the new employee and to assess their abilities and personality. It is vital that the company ensure that the new employee understands all aspects of the organization, including culture, structure, strategies, leadership, and corporate values so that he or she quickly becomes a competent and contributing employee. Students will want to recount their formal and informal socializations experiences during the initial phases of their tenures within organizations. Formal socialization can include orientation, initial training, and other activities as described in the chapter. Informal socialization will include debasement, and possibly mentoring, experiences. Successful socialization produces a contributing organizational member, while unsuccessful socialization often results in employees leaving or rebelling against the organization. 2. Reexamine the example of Reginald, the 30 year old MBA student, as provided in this chapter. How effectively has he managed his early career? What, if anything, could he have done differently to shorten his period of floundering? Reginald is an example of a young man experiencing a “Quarterlife Crisis.” Once students graduate with a bachelors’ degree, most will want to become gainfully employed upon graduation. This is Reginald’s situation. He took a job as a claims adjuster immediately after graduation with little investigation as to what that type of work entailed. He realized that there was limited autonomy and financial reward with this work, and became quickly unhappy. His career proceeds along, with Reginald taking many jobs with little upfront inquiry into what type of work he would be doing, the financial remuneration, the management style, opportunities for future mobility, and company/market growth. Reginald could have shortened his period of floundering by doing more homework into what he would experience in each of these jobs and would have made a more informed decision prior to agreeing to each job. Given the uncertainty over his career direction, he might have moved into a MBA program much sooner than he did. 3. What are the advantages (and disadvantages) of providing a new employee with a challenging initial job assignment that provides considerable responsibility and autonomy? Why do many organizations have reservations about providing this type of assignment? What can organizations do to provide challenging, meaningful work to newcomers and, at the same time, address the reservations they hold? There are several advantages to providing a new employee with a challenging initial job assignment. Employees who experience this early job challenge are often more committed, satisfied, motivated, creative, and harder working than individuals who do not receive early job challenge. New employees who receive challenging job opportunities might increase their work ethic, assume that these high standards are representative of the organization, and experience a sense of psychological success. However, new employees can also become overwhelmed and discouraged because the challenges they have been given may be beyond their knowledge or experience level. This situation becomes more tenuous when little feedback and support is offered. Managers may be reticent to offer challenging jobs to new employees because they may fear that the new employee is not competent to assume a certain level of responsibility and autonomy, or that they fear their own position may be threatened by the newcomers’ performance (either good or bad performance). Organizations can address these issues by providing adequate support for the newcomer and his/her manager, while still providing challenging opportunities. The example of PepsiCo within the chapter on page 209 provides some ideas. 4. Describe the significance of the mentor protégé relationship. What functions does the mentor provide and how can they contribute to the development and growth of the protégé’s early career? Do you agree with the proposition that mentoring functions can be provided by a number of individuals? Why or why not? What can individuals do who may not have access to a mentor? The mentor-protégé relationship is an important supportive mechanism for employees early in their career. By offering both psychosocial and career development functions to the protégé, the mentor assists in the personal and professional growth of the individual. Table 7.2 discusses the functions mentors offer. The development of mentoring networks, or a constellation of mentors, is a new area of research. Most researchers agree that being mentored by not just one, but multiple mentors, increases the early careerist’s range of ideas and experiences. Some mentors will offer insight into career issues, while others may be more comfortable offering social support. Different mentors will have different insights on a particular situation, so by gathering data from multiple mentors, the protégé has the opportunity to view issues from various lenses. By learning from these mentors, the protégé’s knowledge will increase. Individuals can access mentors through various channels. Students should be encouraged to consider family, friends, associates at schools, places of worship, and work out facilities. All contacts may be able to provide an avenue to a potential mentor, either directly or indirectly. It is important that the students know that it takes conversation and sharing of knowledge to build a mentor network, both on their part and on part of the mentor. Organizations can encourage mentor network building by providing newcomers opportunity to interact with various management departments and levels. Organizations could also offer the “formal” assignment of a mentor to ensure that all employees have access to a mentor. 5. Look at the eight career anchors proposed by Schein that are shown in Chapter 4. How would you characterize yourself in terms of these career orientations? How can employees gain greater insight into their career orientation? How would such insight contribute to more effective career management? Employees in their early career should understand the eight career orientations and their predispositions toward them: Technical/Functional Competence, General Managerial Competence, Autonomy/Independence, Security Stability, Entrepreneurial Creativity, Service/Dedication, Pure Challenge and Life Style Integration. Given that career anchors are clusters of self perceived talents, motives, and values that form the nucleus of a person’s occupational self concept, a mentor may enable the newcomer to reflect on their talents, motives, and values. Knowledge of one’s anchor can provide the basis for career choices, since a person is likely to make job and organizational selections that are consistent with his or her own self image. Chapter 7 – Essay Questions 1. Identify and briefly describe the important themes associated with individuals in the early career stage. The student should explain the establishment and advancement themes as noted in Table 7.1. Students should be able to describe employees in the establishment stage as first: 1) needing to fit into the organization, 2) feeling highly dependent on others, 3) focusing their energies on learning, 4) testing their competence through challenging job responsibilities, 5) feeling insecure in their abilities, and 6) seeking approval from peers and superiors. As employees progress to the achievement stage, they are characterized by 1) desiring the ability to move up in the organization, 2) desiring independence in the work they do, 3) wanting to contributing value to the firm, 4) increasing their competence by learning new tasks, 5) feeling high levels of self-confidence, and 6) seeking authority. 2. Describe the effect socialization has on mutual acceptance, and on the psychological contract between employee and employer. The student should explain how socialization creates mutual acceptance on the part of both the employee and employer. Through socialization, the new employee feels welcomed into the organization since the firm has offered attention, direction, and training. The organization also accepts the new employee as a trusted and valued member of its community. The employee has survived the initial trials and obstacles, and has proven his/her “worth.” This mutual acceptance allows the newcomer to become fully involved and committed to the organization. This process of assimilation by all parties allows employees to move onto the important goals and tasks at hand. The initial approval felt through mutual acceptance allows for a psychological contract to emerge between the newcomer and the company. The psychological contract is an implied relationship between employer and employee and serves to specify the contributions of each to the other, including the inducements employees are owed in return for their contributions. Students may elucidate on the positive and negative issues associated with the psychological contract. 3. Discuss the importance of feedback to the early careerist. Newcomers require performance appraisal feedback from their managers so that they understand whether they are meeting organizational goals and identify how close or far away their performance is to expected behavior. Feedback must be frequent enough so that employees can make changes to their performance and can maximize their learning. Feedback must be offered in a constructive, supportive, and honest manner and focus on specific behaviors. Examples should be given so that change can occur, and this objectivity allows newcomers to maintain their self-esteem. Using the 360-degree feedback technique allows the individual to receive information from a variety of constituents, and may result in the development of an employee development plan. Chater 8 The Middle and Late Career Stages: Career Challenges for Seasoned Employees Chapter 8 – Assignment If you are 40 years of age or older, take a few introspective minutes and consider your career and life history. Do you believe that you have gone through (or are going through) a midlife transition? If the answer is yes, what kinds of issues did you deal with (or are you dealing with) during the transition period? Describe the changes that you have undergone (in work, family, or personal life) as a result of the midlife transition. Did you (or do you) view this period of time as a “crisis”? Why or why not? If you do not believe that you have experienced a midlife transition, why not? How would you reconcile that with Levinson’s theory as discussed in Chapter 2 and this chapter? If you are younger than 40 years old, interview a friend, relative, or colleague who is in his/her mid to late 40s, or early 50s. Determine whether the person has gone through a midlife transition. If the answer is yes, what kinds of issues did the person deal with during the transition period? Describe the changes that the person has undergone (in work, family, or personal life) as a result of the midlife transition. Did the person view this period of time as a “crisis”? Why or why not? If the person does not seem to have experienced the midlife transition, why not? How would you reconcile that with Levinson’s theory as discussed in Chapter 2 and this chapter? Purpose/Perspective: Regardless of the student’s age, this assignment is designed to help the student understand the issues surrounding the mid-life transition. For those 40 or older, it can foster self-reflection and introspection. Individuals can examine the status of their work and family related interests and any changes that may have occurred in these areas. For students under 40, these individuals should interview an older family member or friend regarding these same issues. Discussions may ensue regarding the topic of the mid-life “crisis” and the universality of its experience. Were any of those mid-life individuals in a crisis situation? How did they deal with this transition? Discussions may also involve Levinson’s theory and whether or not it is applicable today. Is Levinson’s chronological age stamp for this mid-life transition appropriate given today’s life expectancy? Could Levinson’s model be considered timeless? Chapter 8 Case: George the Banker Purpose This case focuses on a seasoned employee who has spent the majority of his career with his current employer. George is blindsided when the firm decided to cut some senior employees in an effort to reduce costs and minimize its attractiveness for takeover suitors. George sits contemplating his next move after being given notice. George never pursued an MBA and he now believes the lack of an MBA has negatively affected his career. His career options, in this day and age, may be limited without a MBA. George needs to decide what severance package he will take, what he will do to look for another job, and how his family will respond to his dismissal. George is the primary financial supporter of his daughters’ educations, his family’s lifestyle, and the future retirement he and his wife are considering. George has had other job offers in the past, but always chose security over adventure. Now he wonders why he considered the bank so secure. Perspective Students are encouraged to view the situation from George’s perspective. Few individuals work for the same employer for more than two decades, as George has. George is nearing the end of his career, but with many outstanding financial obligations, he needs to find employment. While George has considered career changes in the past, this sudden job loss (a trigger event) is propelling him to make decisions about his career. Students should consider George’s options and discuss what makes the most sense for him at this point in his career. They might also debate whether or not George should seek an MBA at this stage in his career. Case Analysis Questions 1. How would you assess Obelisk’s approach to the dismissal of George? Is there anything that the bank could/should have done differently? Students should discuss Obelisk’s approach to dismissing George. The bank had been forthcoming to employees sending a letter stating its position that the bank did not want to be acquired. The Senior VP of Human Resources had called George in, had stated clearly and honestly the situation the company was faced, and dismissed George. In doing so, he offered George two options as to how he could leave the company. Obelisk was considerate of George’s tenure with the firm and gave him an option to receive his pension upon turning 59 1/2. Obelisk had even communicated to all employees when takeovers became apparent and had notified the employees that the bank was a takeover target. By today’s standards, Obelisk was fair with George, although they might have given him more time to make such an important decision about his future. 2. Why do you think George was blindsided by his dismissal? Do you think there was any way he could have seen the dismissal coming? George was blindsided by his dismissal because he did not appear to interact with management or understand what might happen to him and his career in light of the threatening takeover. Although Obelisk did communicate the takeover threat to all employees, George seemed to have his head in the “sand” and did not see the dismissal coming. Perhaps he believed that Obelisk still had a long-term, relational psychological contract with its employees. George seems as if he almost did not want to know what might happen, because he did not have, and did not seek, any alternatives. Students should discuss the potential vulnerability of seasoned employees to termination in this type of economic situation because of their relatively high salaries. 3. Why do you think George “opted for security over opportunity every time?” George chose security over opportunity because that is the “path of least resistance.” It appears that George held a “security or stability” career anchor that affected many of his career decisions. Change is difficult for many, but is especially difficult when individuals do not believe they have attractive alternatives. George’s self-concept as a banker and his belief in relational psychological contract blinded him to other options that may have been offered in years past. He may not have felt confident in pursuing jobs in other related fields. 4. Do you think George has a right to be bitter at Obelisk? Students can debate both sides of this question. George does have the right to be angry at Obelisk because his termination by the bank has left him financially insecure. Moreover, Obelisk’s action lowered his self-confidence and left him questioning the meaning of his life. At the same time, George doesn’t really have the right to be upset with the bank because even with notice that the bank was in turmoil, George did nothing to prepare himself for a potential career change. There is no evidence in the case that George takes a proactive stance in dealing with a possible management change or restructuring at the bank. George does not appear to communicate with his manager and ask questions about the impending situation. Students should ask themselves whether it is reasonable to expect that the bank would not change given what was happening in its environment. 5. Should George take the early retirement option or the severance package? What do you see as the key issues for George as he decides what to do with his career in the short-run and over the longer-term? Students should engage in conversation about the benefits of the early retirement option versus the severance package. The severance package gives George a year’s salary upfront, six months of medical coverage, and three months of outplacement services. While this is a short-term fix, it does enable George to get professional assistance in looking for a job and it covers George and his family with medical coverage. This option does not give George the long-term pension for which he had worked so hard for so many years. The early retirement option does give George the full pension, but the income does not become available for over five years. This option would give George and his family long-term income, but unless George has some options to turn to quickly for employment, this option is more risky in the short-term. He would not receive medical coverage or outplacement assistance with this option. Students should discuss how long it might take George in the current economy (with his skill set) to land a job. This would inform George in his decision on which option to pursue. 6. If you were to make a prediction, what do you think George’s career and life will look like five years into the future? Again, students can develop answers to this question in one of two ways. They may believe that George will develop a variety of emotional and physical health problems over the next five years because of the stress he currently experiences. Alternatively, they may believe that while this will be a difficult transition for George and his family to deal with, George will be resilient and find a job within the first 6-8 months of his unemployment. The case tells us that George has many contacts he will be able to call upon to help with his job search. Also, because George was a faithful and loyal employee, many of his previous managers might be happy to write him referral letters. Students can discuss whether or not George will remain employed in 5 years, as he nears age 60, based on their answers to the prior questions and what may be happening in George’s life at that time. Chapter 8 – Discussion Questions 1. Defend or refute the following statement: “Reaching a plateau in the organization drastically reduces the productivity and satisfaction of employees.” Describe the reasoning behind your position. This is a great discussion question for a point-counterpoint debate. Student teams can take both perspectives “reaching a plateau drastically reduces” or “does not reduce productivity and satisfaction of employees” and debate their rationale. From the perspective “reaching a plateau drastically reduces productivity and satisfaction of employees,” students should identify the negative outcomes associated with plateauing that are noted within the chapter on page 235. However, plateauing is not necessarily a negative stigma anymore, given its prevalence. Plateauing can positively affect individual development, and may be welcome as stress may be decreased during this time. Page 236 within the chapter notes several positive outcomes associated with plateauing. 2. What characteristics distinguish a solid citizen from a deadwood plateaued employee in an organization? What can organizations do to prevent solid citizens from becoming deadwood? What forces may prevent organizations from taking these actions? Solid citizens are considered effective plateauees, while deadwood employees are considered ineffective with respect to their work attitudes and performance. Solid citizens continue to perform well in their jobs, even though opportunities for future promotions may be low, while deadwood employees continue to absorb management’s attention due to their negative work attitudes and performance. Organizations can offer autonomy and challenging job responsibilities to solid citizens so that they remain engaged with the firm. Clear job duties and agreed-upon performance expectations will encourage an honest dialogue between manager and the solid citizen employee. Organizations may also ask their solid citizens to become involved in mentoring and providing guidance for newcomers. Solid citizens may also be encouraged to learn new skills and to take professional development courses. By broadening the reward system to recognize such effort on part of the solid citizen, these individuals will realize their value to the organization and could be discouraged from reverting to deadwood status. 3. What triggers a desire to make a midcareer change, and what factors inhibit people from actually making such a change? When is a midcareer change an adaptive behavior and when is it used to shield workers from their real problems? The following are triggers to make a career change: reaching a career plateau, feeling obsolete, mis-utilized or underutilized, recognizing that one’s original career choice was inappropriate, realizing that one’s skill set might be better served by another occupation, appreciating that being satisfied is not always determined by financial wealth, and the threat of and/or losing one’s job. Individuals also need an attractive alternative to current employment before they will leave their jobs. People often do not make a career change because of fear of the unknown. Midcareer change is adaptive and healthy when the individual is confident the change can be made, when one believes one can control his/her own fate, and when there is support from one’s social network. When people in mid-career move from one job/career to another, based on an inaccurate view of their needs, values, and abilities, then the job/career change might shield employees from their real problems or inadequacies. 4. What are some common stereotypes of the older employee? Do you think these stereotypes are generally accurate or inaccurate? How do stereotypes of aging affect the ways in which organizations manage their older employees? Seasoned employees are often stereotyped as obsolete when it comes to many aspects of work, especially technology and ability to perform multiple tasks. Page 248 of the text outlines many of these misperceptions. Current research suggests that these misperceptions are without merit and that seasoned workers are capable of performing well into their advanced years. Also, given medical advances, employees will able to be healthy and effective into older age. Stereotypes of seasoned workers affect organizations in that they may pass over experience for youth because of the lower cost associated with younger employees. However, seasoned employees are found to be highly reliable and more loyal and therefore should be seriously considered for a range of jobs where these attributes are valued. 5. Why do some older workers relish the thought of retirement while others dread the prospect of leaving their work life behind? What kind of planning should be conducted to prepare oneself for retirement? Why should retirement planning begin considerably before the anticipated retirement date? Individuals who dread the prospect of leaving behind employment are usually those who have made their work role an important part of their self-identity. Since work provides a feeling of usefulness and purpose, not being employed can negate one’s feeling of self-worth. Work also fulfills needs for affiliation, achievement, power and prestige, and those who retire may fear their loss of these fulfillments. Seasoned employees who relish the thought of retirement may do so because their self-identity was not so closely linked to work, or they may have recreated and accepted a self-concept consistent with retirement. Seasoned employees may want to consider phased retirement or bridge employment prior to full retirement. Several steps to consider while preparing for retirement are noted on page 249 of the text. Planning for financial retirement should occur early in the career so that individuals can put away enough savings to be able to afford to retire. Other issues to consider involve various social and lifestyle considerations, and support from family and friends. Chapter 8 – Essay Questions 1. What are the psychological and work-related issues that confront adults during the mid-life transition? The mid-life transition often triggers a number of experiences: fear of lost youth and missed opportunities, awareness of aging and mortality, failure to accomplish significant career and life goals, the inability to achieve an acceptable balance between work and family commitments, and the need to shed youthful illusions that propelled the earlier portion of one's career and life. The seasoned employee may be feeling frustrated due to technical or managerial obsolescence, and may also believe that he/she is career plateaued. Others, who have experienced great career success, may feel less successful with their personal lives. 2. Define the term “career plateau.” Discuss the differences between structural and content plateaued individuals, and whether or not individuals can be both structurally and content plateaued. The student should define a career plateau as the point where the likelihood of additional hierarchical promotion is very low. When an individual is unable to rise further within an organization, i.e. when the likelihood of additional hierarchical promotions is low, the person is viewed as “structurally” plateaued. When growth opportunities associated with increasing responsibility on one’s current job become unavailable, the person is “content” plateaued. Students may argue that employees may be plateaued in both ways, with no opportunities to move up the corporate ladder and with no opportunities for growth in the current job. 3. Why is job loss so trying during the middle career years? What actions can organizations take to assist employees with job loss? Because seasoned employees may be dealing with self-doubt and questioning their competence, job loss only exacerbates these issues during the middle career years. Since individuals in mid-life are also dealing with significant financial strains (e.g., mortgage, college payments, saving for retirement), job loss also aggravates financial stress individuals may experience. Job loss may put additional strain on a marriage that is already stressed due to the assorted pressures from the midlife transition. Organizations can assist terminated employees by offering programs such as advance notification, severance pay and extended benefits, retraining, outplacement assistance, and counseling. Job search assistance and social support provided by employers can enable seasoned job seekers to gain higher earnings with their new job, and usually acquire jobs more quickly than when that assistance is not provided. Chapter 9 Job Stress and Careers Chapter 9 – Assignment Think about the types of work and non-work stressors you may be experiencing. What symptoms have you encountered? How successfully have you coped with these stressors? Purpose/Perspective: This assignment is designed to get students discussing Exhibit 9.1. Students should be able to correctly identify stressors, coping mechanisms, strains, and potential consequences to the work and non-work environments. Classroom discussion should focus on prior experiences with stress and students can speak from these experiences regarding their perceived stressors and the affect they have on their work and home lives. It may be appropriate for undergraduate (or full time graduate) students to discuss how the stress and strain they experience within school influence how they function in the work environment, and vice versa. Chapter 9 Case: Sally the Stressed Saleswoman Purpose This case is designed to share insight with students about the effects of a stressful job. Sally is relatively happy with her career, but she is affected by the day-to-day activities more now than she had been in the past. Maria, her manager, seems to be poking her nose in Sally’s business more than before. Sally and Steve, her fiancé, appear to be getting in more arguments than ever, right before their wedding. Customers are grating on Sally’s nerves when they hadn’t in the past. In training sessions, Sally is having problems focusing on technical material. Students should discuss why these issues are negatively affecting Sally now when they did not early on in her career. Students should also be able to recommend to Sally what she should do next to deal with the stresses she is experiencing. Perspective Sally is in the achievement phase of her early career, and has been a success to date. She is financially rewarded for her hard work and is happy with her job. However, she has had both psychological and physical symptoms that would suggest that she is experiencing stress. Students should point out the stressors and the strain symptoms and offer stress management techniques that Sally and Steve should consider in their efforts toward a successful future together. Also, Maria’s role should be discussed as she and the organization want to maintain an exceptional colleague like Sally. Discussion may also include whether or not Sally is now experiencing burnout symptoms and what has driven Sally to experience this stress. Case Analysis Questions 1. What evidence is there that Sally is experiencing job stress? What are the symptoms? The evidence the case offers is as follows: •She cannot shake a month-long cold. •She is having trouble getting out of the apartment in the morning. •She has been short-tempered of late. •She is getting into arguments with her fiancé, Steve, over both major (when to get married/have children) and minor issues. •She is having problems focusing on new technical material at work. 2. What conditions are producing Sally’s stress? Sally now has a larger territory which is causing her more paperwork, with little time to attend to it. She also faces greater work demands since she has to learn about a new product line. While the case does not directly say it, Sally may exhibit Type A behaviors through her overachieving and putting in long hours. Also, Sally and Steve’s impending marriage, their inability to set a wedding date and determine where to live, and their inability to agree on when and if they will have children, has caused Sally to worry about these issues. Maria, Sally’s manager, is now also micro-managing her customers and sales, and causing Sally undue stress. Maria may be also creating tension through the encouragement of a competitive environment. Finally, Sally feels uneasy discussing these conditions with anyone and is bottling up her emotions. 3. How is Sally’s job stress affecting her family and personal life? And are her family and personal life affecting her work? Sally’s job stress is negatively affecting her family and personal life. Students should postulate on the effect of Sally’s behavior on the relationship with her fiancé. How long will Steve wait for a wedding date? Can they agree on where to live and whether or not to have children? Sally’s health has been negatively affected as well. She is unable to shake a month-long cold. What other physical issues might Sally be experiencing? Does Sally exhibit signs of burnout? Students should discuss whether Sally’s health, her relationship with Steve, and other personal concerns are affecting her work. Will Sally’s customers start to experience the stress that Sally is feeling? If Sally does not learn enough about the new product line, how efficient will she be in describing it to her customers? Will Sally become inattentive to her customers’ needs now that her territory is enlarged and she is spending a fair amount of time in training? 4. If you were Sally, what would you do? Identify as many alternative plans of action as possible and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each. Which plan(s) of action would you choose? Why? Students should describe what they would do if they were Sally by offering advantages and disadvantages of each approach. First, seeking assistance to discuss the job-related stress she is experiencing is paramount. Sally might be encouraged to get professional help in easing her stress and to develop coping mechanisms. Sally needs to diagnose the stressful situation and confront her problem. Maybe her problem is not work, but rather the stress associated with getting married. Then she needs to self-assess by being truthful to herself. She may need professional assistance, or at least objective assistance from a friend, with the self-assessment. Sally then needs to select and implement a coping response and then determine if that coping mechanism works for her. The advantages of seeking help and developing coping mechanisms is that Sally may become less stressed, but the downside is that she may have to put off her wedding, or take time off from work, so that she can lower her stressors at this time. 5. What types of social support (as shown in Table 9-4) would Sally find most helpful: appraisal, instrumental, emotional, or informational? From whom should she seek such support? Why? Students can discuss each type of social support and its usefulness: appraisal, emotional, informational, and instrumental. Sally will need emotional support to help her through the crisis she is experiencing. Steve, or a family member or friend, may offer emotional support by empathizing with her situation and by showing her they understand. Maria may offer instrumental support by offering Sally an assistant to do her excessive paperwork. A co-worker may offer informational support by sitting down with Sally and helping her to understand the new product line. Finally, a professional psychologist or clergy may offer her appraisal support in helping Sally to look at her situation objectively, to look at all she has accomplished, and to determine a path for her professional and personal life from this point forward. All of these individuals can offer guidance and support and may mentor Sally into navigating these stressful times. 6. If you were the president of GA Industries and just heard Sally’s story, what, if anything, would you do? Why? Students could give alternative story endings to this case from the perspective of the president of GA Industries. Sally is an exceptional performer, and as such, the president should not want her to leave the company. The president would want to offer Sally professional help and might also want to mentor Maria, so that her people are not stressed by day-to-day life at GA. Students might mention that the president would want to reduce stressors, change the meaning of stressful situations, or manage strain symptoms, so that GA employees would continue their high performance. Strong performance on the part of its employees will continue to make GA a profitable company. However, stress may cause burnout, turnover, and could lower profits. This is why it makes good business sense to keep organizationally-created stress to a minimum. Chapter 9 – Discussion Questions 1. Take a look at the descriptions of the four types of social support as shown in Table 9-4. Provide examples of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support that you have received from others and that you have offered to others. Students should discuss appropriate examples of emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. They should understand that you can receive emotional support from your boss (he praises your effective performance) just as you can receive emotional support from a parent or spouse (they console you when a family member dies). Similarly, a family member may give appraisal support and feedback, just as a supervisor can give you appraisal support (she tells you about the exceptional job you did on your last project). 2. What levels of stress can you tolerate? What levels of stress are harmful to you (distress) and what levels of stress are beneficial (eustress)? Students should be encouraged to discuss the various levels of stress they have experienced or are experiencing. Eustress, or beneficial stress, is what motivates us to get out of bed in the morning. Moderate levels of stress can improve performance and job focus. Challenges on the job should be considered eustress, whereas extremely high levels of stress can serve to overwhelm employees and is considered dangerous to health. Long term exposure to distress can lead to burnout and leads to lower physical and emotional well-being. Discussion should also include that stressors to one individual may not be considered stressors to others. 3. Investigate your company (or a company for which you are interested in working) and determine what types of stress management programs it offers. Are companies obliged to offer such programs? Would you work for one that did not; why or why not? Students should be encouraged to share their experiences with an employer or to share what they discover when they investigate stress management programs in various companies. Differences programs can be discussed in small groups or by the full class. The IBM example is offered on page 282, but other examples of corporate programs can be found easily. This should be part of the environmental scan that students conduct when investigating companies in which they might be interested. One activity that students could do is to present their findings on various companies’ stress management programs and then discuss the benefits of one versus another. Organizational actions may include reducing stressors and managing strain symptoms as noted on page 281. An ethics/social responsibility conversation can ensue regarding how obliged firms are to offer stress management to their employees. Chapter 9 Essay Questions 1. Define the term job stress. Why do some individuals experience stress and others do not? The student should explain that job stress involves an interaction between a person and his or her work environment that is perceived to be a threat to one’s well-being because it exceeds one’s coping resources. Stress is aroused when a person is confronted with an opportunity, a constraint, or a demand. An opportunity is a situation in which a person stands to gain additional gratification of his or her significant values or desires, as in a new work assignment or promotion. A constraint, on the other hand, threatens to block additional gratification; for example when a job promotion is denied. A demand threatens to remove a person from a currently gratifying situation, as when one is fired from a job. For stress to be aroused, the individual must care about the particular outcomes of a given situation but lack control over the circumstances or have a weak system of support. 2. What are the key sources of stress? While the student may discuss the many environmental stressors articulated in Table 9.1, they should also explain how Type A behavior, career transitions, employment bias, and workaholism due to technology can be significant sources of stress. Type A individuals are characterized by a hard driving competitiveness, a sense of extreme impatience and time urgency, a desire to live a fast paced life style, a preference for performing many activities simultaneously, and a constant striving for achievement and perfection. These personal attributes tend to cause Type A individuals to experience higher levels of job stress and health-related problems. Career transitions involve changes either in role characteristics (when a person takes a first job, gets promoted, or changes employers) or in the orientation to a role currently held changes (when job duties, colleagues, or one’s own behavior change). Employees can experience stress if they face bias and job discrimination in their organization. This bias may occur not only to women and minorities, but also to those of diverse ages, religions, or sexual orientations. Individuals who are highly work involved, experience low work enjoyment, and are compelled to work because of inner pressures are considered workaholics. Technology can impact the workaholic’s situation because it enables individuals to be in touch with work issues “24/7.” All of these examples are key sources of stress with which students should be familiar. 3. What is burnout, and what are its three psychological reactions? The student should explain that burnout is a psychological strain in response to chronic work stress. Burnout consists of three interrelated psychological reactions: 1) emotional exhaustion which refers to feelings of being overextended and depleted of one’s emotional and physical resources, 2) depersonalized relationships where burned out workers become cynical and callous toward others, treating them more like objects and less like people, and 3) low personal accomplishment where the burned out worker self-evaluates him/herself as incompetent, resulting in a lack of achievement and productivity at work. Chapter 10 The Intersection of Work and Family Roles: Implications for Career Management Chapter 10 – Assignment Complete the following questions and discuss them with someone significant in your life. (In the text, these questions get at the degree of involvement/satisfaction with different spheres of a person’s life). Purpose/Perspective: The purpose of this assignment is to encourage students to think about their involvement, effectiveness, and satisfaction with different parts of their lives. It is also designed to help them identify the types of actions they have taken or can take to achieve greater involvement, effectiveness, or satisfaction with a part of their life; the people who can help them in this regard; and the way in which they can monitor their progress. This assignment can be used as a stand-alone individual assignment or as an individual assignment followed by group discussion. It is important for students to understand the importance and the priority they place on different parts of their life and to appreciate that priorities can change as their circumstances change. It is also important for them to regularly consider how much they are “giving to” and “getting from” different roles in life. Individuals who effectively manage their careers and lives recognize when high-priority roles are not bringing a sense of success and satisfaction, develop and implement plans or experiments to reduce these discrepancies, and monitor their plans to help assure a successful outcome. Group or class discussions can revolve around such issues as the particular roles that require attention, the types of plans or actions that are thought to be most helpful, the supportive role that other individuals can play in the process, and the development of criteria or metrics to help individuals determine their progress toward achieving greater involvement, satisfaction, and effectiveness in key parts of their lives. Chapter 10 Case: The Prized Promotion Purpose This case is intended to illustrate a number of career management challenges faced by members of two-career families as seen through the eyes of the parents (Doug and Lisa Sanders) and their son (Steve). Many of the challenges involve the complexities of juggling two careers (Doug’s and Lisa’s) with the needs of each spouse and their son. Other challenges reflect the importance of ongoing and effective communication among family members regarding their work, family, and personal lives. Perspective This case should get the students thinking about the conflicts that individuals can experience between their work and family lives as well as the importance of effective communication. Students should notice that Doug seems to experience time-based work-family conflict (his 12-13 hour work days and extensive travel make him a stranger in his own home), strain-based conflict (he has been pretty tense and preoccupied at home because of his work), and behavior-based conflict (he’s been yelling at Steve just like he yells at his employees). The fact that Doug sprung this “prized promotion” on his family after giving his boss a “definite yes” that he would accept the new job suggests that he has focused on his career to the exclusion of his family’s needs and has made certain assumptions that he should not have made: that his career is more important than Lisa’s career; that Lisa could find a comparable job in Denver; and that Lisa and Steve would want to move to Denver. Perhaps Doug’s most flawed assumption was that his family would accept his plan for them to relocate to Denver without resentment and resistance at being left out of the loop until the very last minute. In effect, Doug wants the support of Lisa and Steve despite his unwillingness to provide much support to them. Case Analysis Questions 1. If you were Lisa or Steve, how would you have reacted to Doug’s announcement of his promotion? Why? As Lisa or Steve, students might react positively to Doug’s announcement if they believe that Doug’s career has priority and that if the move is good for Doug, it will probably be good for them as well. On the other hand, they might react negatively because they realize that Doug did not take Lisa’s career or Steve’s friendships into account, and did not discuss his potential career move with them until after he had virtually accepted the job offer. 2. If you were Doug, how would you have reacted to Lisa and Steve’s anger and resistance? Why? Doug might react with astonishment at Lisa and Steve’s anger and resistance because he has convinced himself that accepting the promotion would benefit the entire family. However, it is possible that Lisa and Steve’s strong reaction might make Doug step back and realize that he sprung the promotion on them without involving them in earlier discussions and without discussing with them the positive and negative effects of the promotion on their lives. 3. What could Doug have done differently in his conversations with his company and his family? Doug could have avoided making even a tentative commitment to Mr. Johnson about accepting the promotion until after he spoke with his family. Moreover, as soon as he discovered that he was being considered for the promotion, Doug could have asked his family how they would feel about making the move rather than trying to “sell” them on the move at the last minute. Doug also could have taken a more active interest in Lisa’s career and Steve’s life, which would have enabled him to be more supportive of them and to have a better understanding about their priorities in life. 4. What does the Sanders’ situation illustrate about the special challenges faced by two-career families? The Sanders’ situation illustrates challenges of juggling two careers and a family life. The situation also shows why it is important that family members (at the very least, the two adult partners) communicate on an ongoing basis about what is happening to them at work and in other parts of their lives. Beyond communicating, they must take an active interest in their partner’s life. In this situation, it seems like although Lisa understands and appreciates Doug’s career pressures and challenges, Doug is not nearly so aware of Lisa’s career, what it means to her and how it fulfills her. For two-career partners to be mutually supportive, they need to look at a situation from their partner’s perspective and understand their partner’s experiences and needs. The situation also illustrates that even though one’s career (in this case, Doug’s) may take priority over the partner’s career, the partner’s career should not be ignored when it comes to making career decisions. 5. What should the family do next? Perhaps the most appropriate thing for Doug to do is to tell Mr. Johnson that he needs a little more time before he can make a decision regarding whether to accept the promotion. This will provide the entire family with an opportunity to hear each other’s viewpoints and discuss an array of options. These options could include Doug’s accepting the promotion, declining the promotion, or having a “commuter marriage” for an agreed-upon period of time to determine if the promotion works out (and whether Lisa can obtain a good job) before the family accompanies him to Denver. Whatever option is selected should be based on extensive discussion and active listening on the part of all of the family members. Chapter 10 – Discussion Questions 1. Develop a profile of the type of person most likely to experience work-family conflict. Identify work pressures, family pressures, and personal characteristics most likely to produce work-family conflict. Work pressures are likely to produce work-to-family conflict. These pressures include extensive work time, inflexible work schedules, extensive travel, lack of support from work, and stressful jobs (due to conflicts, changes, and ambiguities at the work place). Family pressures are likely to produce family-to-work conflict. These pressures include having young children, a spouse with a demanding job, lack of support from family members, and a stressful family life. Several personal characteristics can also produce work-family conflict. Type A individuals can experience high levels of work-family conflict because they put a great deal of pressure on themselves to work long hours and be successful at work. The more highly involved individuals are at work and in the family the more likely they will experience extensive work-family conflict because of the pressure they put on themselves to participate fully and effectively in their work and/or family responsibilities. 2. You are likely to become a partner in a two-career relationship at some point in your life. Perhaps you are already. What might be the major sources of stress in the relationship? Do the stresses outweigh the potential advantages of a two-career relationship? Why or why not? Potential sources of stress in two-career relationships include work-family conflict, limited attention to the partners’ emotional relationship, restricted career achievements of one or both partners, competition and jealousy between partners, and possible adjustment problems of the children. Of course, these stresses do not occur in all two-career families. Students should discuss the stresses and consider whether they outweigh the advantages of the financial well-being of the family and the growth and development of both partners. They may also discuss how they can reduce the stresses (through social support and coping) so that they do not outweigh the potential advantages of a two-career relationship. 3. The kaleidoscope perspective on careers introduced and discussed in Chapter 2 suggests that men and women may approach their careers in somewhat different ways: men focus on personal goal achievement and make career decisions designed to enhance their career growth, whereas women focus on relationships and make career decisions that take the needs of their family into account. From your personal observation and experience, are men and women similar or different in how they approach their work and family lives? Students should reflect on their personal experiences and their observations of men and women they have met in their professional, academic, family, and personal lives. Some students may confirm the assertions of differences in how men and women approach their careers, whereas others may report more similarities than differences between men and women. It is important to recognize that gender norms and expectations have relaxed in recent years, which might lead to diminished differences between men and women in how they navigate their career. Moreover, there are likely to be wide differences within each sex, with many men focusing on relationships and many women focusing on personal goal achievement. 4. Some people contend that children are the victims of a two-career relationship. Defend or attack that contention, giving the reasoning behind your position. The research does not support the contention that children are necessarily victims of two-career families. Students who defend this contention are likely to point to situations where the quality of the parent-child relationship was poor to begin with, the quality of child-care was questionable, and the parents were dissatisfied with their lives. Students who attack the contention are likely to point out that there are many well-adjusted children in two-career families who are independent and resourceful because of their additional responsibilities. Ultimately, as Ellen Galinsky observed, “It depends on the people and the circumstances of their lives. And what’s right for one person may not be right for another.” 5. Two-career couples cope most effectively when they adopt a collaborative orientation rather than a “me-first” orientation. Explain how partners in a two-career relationship can develop a more collaborative orientation toward work-family issues. A collaborative “we” orientation as described by Hall and Hall involves the development of mutual goals, a high level of support and encouragement, a healthy expression of differences, and the willingness to compromise. Although the specific path to achieving a more collaborative orientation is likely to vary from family to family, Hall and Hall emphasize the importance of talking about problems regularly, listening to your partner and expressing your own feelings, discussing goals and exploring expectations, and practicing problem solving and negotiating compromises. 6. Defend or refute the following statement: “Being successful in your career inevitably harms your family life.” Provide the reasoning behind your position. Students who defend the statement are likely to point to the long work hours, absorption in work, and stress that can be associated with achieving success in a career and that can interfere with family life. Students who refute the statement may argue that one can be successful in a career without being totally absorbed in work or consistently putting oneself in stressful situations at work. They may also point out that many individuals define career success not necessarily as rapid advancement in an organization but rather as having enjoyable and challenging work that does not dominate their life and that permits them to achieve more balance in their lives. Chapter 10 – Essay Questions 1. Explain and illustrate how work experiences can enrich family life and how family experiences can enrich work life. How do resources produce work-family enrichment, what resources from work are likely to enrich family life, and what resources from family are likely to enrich work life? The student should explain that work-family enrichment occurs when resources acquired in one role (work or family) are applied to the other role (family or work) to strengthen an individual’s performance and/or satisfaction in the latter role. Resources associated with one’s experiences in a role include the development of new skills and new perspectives or ways of looking at situations, the enhancement of self-confidence, the accumulation of social capital, and the acquisition of material or financial resources. The student should give examples of how these types of resources can be acquired from participation in work and in family life and how they can strengthen performance and/or satisfaction in the other role. 2. Receiving social support from others can be viewed as a coping resource that individuals can use to reduce work-family stresses. Distinguish structural role redefinition, personal role reorientation, and reactive role behavior as three types of coping strategies, and discuss which of these coping strategies are most likely to involve support from other people. Which coping strategies are likely to be most useful in reducing work-family stress and why? The student should explain that structural role redefinition involves changing a role sender’s expectations of an individual’s role requirements thereby lessening the degree of conflict the individual experiences between work and family roles, whereas personal role reorientation involves the individual changing his or her own perception of role requirements or priorities without negotiating or problem solving with a role sender, and reactive role behavior involves trying to meet everyone’s expectations by being more efficient and working harder to satisfy role senders’ expectations. Although each type of coping can be effective in some situations, it is likely that structural role redefinition is a more durable solution to work-family stress because the role demands that produce the conflict and stress in the first place have been reduced through negotiations with a role sender. Receiving social support is most closely connected to structural role redefinition. A boss who enables an individual to have a more flexible work schedule or who hires an additional staff member to reduce one’s work load is providing support that “redefines” an individual’s work role to lessen the degree of conflict and stress. So too is a spouse who provides more help around the home. 3. Discuss and provide examples of flexible work arrangements that organizations can provide to their employees and explain how flexible work arrangements can help employees balance their work and family responsibilities. Why are flexible work arrangements more effective in organizations that have a family-supportive culture than in organizations that have a less family-supportive culture? The student should describe a variety of flexible work arrangements (e.g., flexible work schedules, telecommuting, part-time employment, job sharing) and explain how these arrangements can help individuals reduce work-family conflict and achieve more balance in their lives. Because organizations with a family-supportive culture respect employees’ family and personal lives, it is likely that employees in such organizations will be more likely to use flexible work arrangements without fear that their careers will be jeopardized. Family-supportive organizations also train their supervisors to provide flexibility to employees and focus more on accomplishments at work and less on how many hours are spent at the work place, which should lead to the more effective use of flexible work arrangements. Solution Manual for Career Management Jeffrey H. Greenhaus, Gerard A. Callanan , Veronica M. Godshalk 9781412978262, 9780030753435, 9780030704468