Consultancy Industry
13.4 Employability Development Framework
This model, on which the remainder of this article is based, has been adapted from a very similar model proposed by Andresen and Petersitzke (2004) which is in turn based on a framework proposed by Lombriser and Uepping (2001). The framework we use here has several advantages: Firstly, the model integrates em- ployee and organizational efforts contributing to employability. Individual activi- ties can largely be matched to corresponding organizational offers, which are also framed as activities. Secondly, this framework illustrates the principle of shared responsibility, which most authors in this field agree on: It is the organization’s re- sponsibility to provide opportunities and an environment that allows employees to craft their employability. It is the individual employee’s responsibility to then make use of the opportunities available. Thirdly, this framework is specific enough to derive fairly concrete management recommendations. However, this framework also has some disadvantages. Most importantly, it disregards that em- ployability efforts have to be embedded in an organizational culture, which en- courages employees to care for their employability in a proactive way.
The employability development framework we use here divides activities for individuals and organizations into four categories of tasks: Identity Growth, Self- Organization, Qualification and Self-Marketing. Table 13.1. provides an overview of the different categories and sub-categories. In the following two sections we will describe individual and organizational activities in more detail.
Table 13.1. Employee and Employer Activities (Andresen and Petersitzke 2004)
Employee Employer Assess status quo Provide assessment instruments
Identity Growth
Identify direction for development Provide Guidance Gather information on careers,
market, opportunities and require- ments
Provide information on careers, openings, market and require-
ments Develop strategy
Offer assistance with strategy, training plan and access to ca-
reer advice Self-Organization
Make time for learning
Engage in learning: Strategic level Offer training and development:
Strategic level Qualification
Engage in Learning: Operational level
Offer development: Operational level
Maintain visibility Provide platforms Develop networks Offer training on networking Self-Marketing
Share learning
13.4.1 Employability Activities
To enhance their employability, individuals engage in four sets of tasks or activi- ties, which can in turn be divided into subtasks with associated activities. Table 13.2. - 13.5. detail the specific individual activities required. The first set of tasks, labeled Identity Growth, includes all activities related to the individual taking stock of his or her current professional situation and identifying a direction in which to take his or her professional development based both on individual strengths and preferences as well as on market demands.
Table 13.2. Employee Tasks, Identity Growth Assess Status quo
Identify and Evaluate Direc- tion for Development on the
Basis of Own:
Asking for feedback on per-
formance Professional Goals
Get guidance from trusted third
parties Skills and Knowledge
Strengths and Weaknesses
The second set of tasks details activities related to Self-Organization which in- volves processes of information gathering, for example on present skill require- ments for positions of interest, skills in demand on the labor market now and in the future, career paths, and getting organized about when, how and what to learn.
Table 13.3. Employee Tasks, Self-Organization
Gather Information on Develop Qualification Strategy Make Time for Learning Career paths and labor market Set learning objectives On the job Opportunities for qualification
inside and outside the organiza- tion
Identify milestones Off the job Skill requirements for positions
of interest
The third set of tasks, labeled Qualification, describes the actual learning proc- ess where different learning strategies complement each other to ensure employ- ability in the short and in the long term, whereas reactive and preventive learning strategies are closely tied to current and impending business needs, proactive learning is geared at new knowledge that may influence the direction of the busi- ness through its availability.
Table 13.4. Employee Tasks, Qualification Engage in Learning: Strategic
Level
Engage in Learning: Opera- tional Level Reactive Learning: Update
knowledge and skills to maintain current levels of performance
Job Enlargement Preventive Learning: Extend ex-
isting knowledge and skills adapting to changes already
planned
Job Enrichment Proactive Learning: Acquire
knowledge and skills that may become relevant to the business
Job Rotation Independent of business needs:
Acquire completely new areas of expertise
Project Work
Training off-the-job
The fourth set of tasks refers to Self-Marketing aspects of individual employ- ability. In order to become an attractive candidate for a new position being well qualified does not suffice. Ensuring that others within or outside one’s organiza- tion know one’s profile of skills, knowledge and interests will increase the likeli- hood of becoming eligible for positions one would not have known about other- wise.
Table 13.5. Employee Tasks, Self-Marketing
Maintain Visibility Develop Networks Share Knowledge Demonstrate new knowledge
and skills to management and peers
Inside the organization With others in your organization Inform HR about recent quali-
fications Outside the organization With others in your professional network
Seize opportunities to make yourself known in the organiza-
tion
In order to foster their employability, individuals should initially work through these four categories engaging in the relevant activities. Once this process has been initiated and an individual qualification and marketing strategy has been de- veloped and put in practice, the strategy adopted should be evaluated and updated regularly.
13.4.2 Employability Offers
Table 13.6. – 13.9. provide an overview of employer activities geared at support- ing individual employability. The first set of tasks labeled Identity Growth in- volves all organizational offers that support employees with identifying the direc- tion in which they want to develop. These activities are integrated in a range of organizational processes and vary from HR tools to facilitate self-assessment to providing HR services such as counseling.
Table 13.6. Employer Tasks, Identity Growth Provide Assessment
Instruments
Provide Guidance and Counseling 360° Feedback Mentorship Programs
Online Tests Feedback on Self -Assessment Development Center Individual Guidance by Internal
or External Career Advisor
The second set of tasks labeled Self-Organization mainly consists in offering different kinds of updated information to employees and guidance on how to use this information.
Table 13.7. Employer Tasks, Self-Organization
Provide Information Offer Assistance Career paths Develop individual training
plans
Labor Market Trends Access and support for external career advice Skill requirements for positions
in the organization Updates of requirements after
innovations Learning/Training Opportunities within and outside the organiza-
tion
Job Openings within and outside the organization
The third set of tasks, Qualification, entails traditional personnel development activities such as providing training to cover needs derived from current and future job requirements as well as offering job rotation, job enrichment, job enlargement and project work serving development purposes. Furthermore, organizations can offer a range of additional qualification opportunities that combine the organiza- tion’s interests with labor market requirements.
Table 13.8. Employer Tasks, Qualification Offer Training and Develop-
ment: Strategic Level
Offer Development: Opera- tional Level Adapted to current business
needs Job Rotation
Adapted to future business needs Job Enrichment Adapted to potential business
needs Job Enlargement
Adapted to professional devel-
opment needs Project Work
Training off-the-job
Finally, the fourth set of tasks for employers involves supporting Self- Marketing. In the literature, there are few recommendations as to how to do that practically in the context of employability. However, it is central to provide oppor- tunities for networking within and outside the organization. This can be achieved by offering intranet communities for certain groups of employees, by encouraging those wanting to increase their visibility to participate in cross-departmental pro- jects or by organizing internal career fairs where business units as well as individ- ual employees present themselves.
Table 13.9. Employer Tasks, Self-Marketing
Provide Networking Platforms Offer Training focused on Net- working
Online In-house
Face-to-Face External provider
We have now presented the reader with a framework to analyze employability development from an individual and organizational point of view. For the remain- der of this article we will focus on an empirical pilot study we have carried out in 2005 in five of the top 25 IT and management consultancies located in Germany.
Five responsible HR professionals and 29 employees of these firms participated in this pilot study. Further we have run two more interviews with representatives from large consultancies also located in Germany. The outcome of these two in- terviews has been used to support interpretation of the main results of this study.