Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times

There is evidence that organisational career role holders are changing roles more frequently. Despite this, career theories such as the career capital lens have so far neglected this role transition context. By adopting the lens of career capital theory specifically, this paper explores what aspects...

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Main Authors: Cathy Brown, Tracey Wond
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Jagiellonian University in Kraków 2020-01-01
Series:Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojs.tnkul.pl/index.php/jpepsi/article/view/9622
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author Cathy Brown
Tracey Wond
author_facet Cathy Brown
Tracey Wond
author_sort Cathy Brown
collection DOAJ
description There is evidence that organisational career role holders are changing roles more frequently. Despite this, career theories such as the career capital lens have so far neglected this role transition context. By adopting the lens of career capital theory specifically, this paper explores what aspects of career capital role holders need to facilitate their own voluntary, sideward or upward role transitions. Drawing upon an interpretivist approach and using event-based narrative interviews, this study explores the experiences of 36 business leaders who have undertaken a recent role transition within a large UK construction business. By applying this novel career capital lens, the paper empirically characterises those aspects of career capital important to internal role transitions and compares it to existing mainstream career capital theory. The study is original in that career capital has not been applied before in this increasingly important transition context. Surprisingly, whilst the study demonstrates that career capital eases transitions, it also recognises a ‘dark side’ – career capital aspects that hinder internal movement.
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spelling doaj.art-11a3299290e342338cffa7002a9d14282022-12-22T03:26:29ZengJagiellonian University in KrakówJournal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration2300-09451733-39112020-01-0125172510.18290/pepsi-2019-00019622Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain TimesCathy Brown0Tracey Wond1University of Derby, College of Business, Law and Social SciencesUniversity of Derby, College of Business, Law and Social SciencesThere is evidence that organisational career role holders are changing roles more frequently. Despite this, career theories such as the career capital lens have so far neglected this role transition context. By adopting the lens of career capital theory specifically, this paper explores what aspects of career capital role holders need to facilitate their own voluntary, sideward or upward role transitions. Drawing upon an interpretivist approach and using event-based narrative interviews, this study explores the experiences of 36 business leaders who have undertaken a recent role transition within a large UK construction business. By applying this novel career capital lens, the paper empirically characterises those aspects of career capital important to internal role transitions and compares it to existing mainstream career capital theory. The study is original in that career capital has not been applied before in this increasingly important transition context. Surprisingly, whilst the study demonstrates that career capital eases transitions, it also recognises a ‘dark side’ – career capital aspects that hinder internal movement.https://ojs.tnkul.pl/index.php/jpepsi/article/view/9622career capital, role transitions, career mobility
spellingShingle Cathy Brown
Tracey Wond
Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times
Journal for Perspectives of Economic Political and Social Integration
career capital, role transitions, career mobility
title Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times
title_full Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times
title_fullStr Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times
title_full_unstemmed Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times
title_short Building Career Capital: Helping Workers to Enhance Career Mobility in Uncertain Times
title_sort building career capital helping workers to enhance career mobility in uncertain times
topic career capital, role transitions, career mobility
url https://ojs.tnkul.pl/index.php/jpepsi/article/view/9622
work_keys_str_mv AT cathybrown buildingcareercapitalhelpingworkerstoenhancecareermobilityinuncertaintimes
AT traceywond buildingcareercapitalhelpingworkerstoenhancecareermobilityinuncertaintimes