An Empirical Model of Managerial Careers in Organizations

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
SUMMARY: A theoretical model of managerial careers in organizations was tested by questionnaire. Respondents were 200 managers attending management courses. The model incorporated traditional structural predictors of objective and subjective indices of managers' career progress. It also introduced perceptions of the career management practices of an organization as a predictor, together with career progress, of satisfaction with career management. Results indicated that an organization's structure was a powerful predictor of its perceived career management practices; these in turn were more powerful predictors of satisfaction with career management than was career progress; of particular power was the perceived fairness of career management practices. Regression analysis indicated that the model was generally supported. It was concluded that perceived equity is a powerful determinant of satisfaction, and that therefore an organizational model of career management as part of a psychological contract is likely to be more effective than one based on the prescriptions of human resource management ideology.