Cultural dimension of career development

(the Lithuanian case)

Dr. Andrius ValickasProf. Dr. Vladimiras Gražulis

Career could be considered as historical and cultural phenomenon.

Culture has much influence on understanding and practical usage of career concept in the society.

Cultural influences on careers must be related to fundamental dimensions of cultures which express themselves though organizational culture.

In the majority of the Western societies individual career is conceived as the phenomenon having positive consequences for the organization and the individual.

While in Lithuania, as in one of the countries of the Eastern Europe, cultural and historical context of career development was much less benevolent, as bureaucratic-administrative career system, which prevailed in former Soviet Union, negatively influenced it.

Culture

Structures – institutional frameworks

Agency – Individuals’

capabilities and free will

Career behaviour

Some scholars in the above mentioned context investigate the problem of tension between structure and agency

(Peiperl M.A., Arthur M.B. 2000)

Our assumptionsThe developed Western societies progress from

structured industrial state to a relatively flexible new economy.

Therefore it could be supposed that individuals expressing their will build their careers crossing the boundaries of organizations, professions and countries.

However in the Eastern European countries, including Lithuania, institutional structures prevail.

Individuals much more depend on organizations or institutions and the positions suggested within the social systems.

Therefore on the grounds of the above mentioned scientific ideas and problems, the purpose of the report is following: to reveal and to consider cultural career development factors in the Lithuanian organizations.

Object of the study: relation of cultural and career development factors in Lithuania.

Subjects and procedure

The survey of the Lithuanian civil servants was carried out during the period from November 2010 till 2011 January.

523 randomly selected respondents participated in the survey. Age of the respondents was from 22 to 64, distribution of the respondents according to gender: males - 41,3 per cent and females - 58,5 per cent.

Measurescareer mobility of the public servants and the following constructs were measured:career aspirations, career and work identity construction

efforts, conceived career possibilities, internal and external career barriers.

Findings: Mobility of civil servants in career system of civil service (1)

Characteristics of mobility

Mean Median Mode

Promotions 1,19 1 0

Transfers to other posts

0,68 0 0

Findings: Posts‘ change statistics in the civil service (2)

Change of posts (times)

Promotion % Transfer to other similar level posts %

Down-grading to lower posts %

0 41,5 61,4 88,31 22,8 19,7 9,62 19,7 11,7 1,73 9,8 5,4 0,44 4,8 1,0 05 1,0 0,6 06 0,4 0,4 07 0 0 08 0,2 0 0

Source: Public Service Commission of Canada. Study on mobility of public servants. A report by the Public Service Commission of Canada, 2008.

Changes of mobility of civil servants in Canada

Findings: Career aspirations of civil servants in the career space of civil service (3)

Career aspirations Percentage of civil servants

Surely do not have 1,2 %

Do not have 8,0 %

Are not sure 12,4 %

Have 39,0 %

Surely have 39,4 %

Findings: Character of career aspirations of civil servants (4)

Career aspirations Percentage

Vertical career 46,6

Horizontal career 39,5

Unspecified career aspirations

16,7

Veiksnių įverčių vidurkiai

2,69

3,78

4,07

0 1 2 3 4 5

Suvokiamoskarjeros

galimybės

Karjeroskonstravimopastangos

Karjeros aspiracijųlygis

Karjeros veiksniai

Career aspirations

Career construction efforts

Conceived career possibilities

Estimates of factors, scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)

Findings: comparison of career aspirations, career construction efforts and conceived career possibilities (5)

Findings: Career barriers in career space of civil service (6)Career barriers Level of expression

Lack of career opportunities in the civil service 3,45

Unfavourable career policy towards civil servants 3,31

Belief that selection and promotion processes are unfair 3,07

Lack of support from the direct manager 2,67

Lack of self confidence 2,55

Lack of qualification 2, 40

Belief that involvement into politic is inevitable 2,35

Concern that having changed the post it would be impossible to properly harmonize work and leisure (family) duties

2,33

Lack of experience 2,27

Lack of wish to take new, additional responsibilities 2,14

Lack of wish to take other posts 2,1

Lack of wish to work more that it was before 2,06

Wish to keep the taken posts 2,03

Age 2

Lack of support from family members 1,9

Gender 1,74

Source: State Services Commission. Career progression and development survey 2005. Results for the New Zealand Public Service. New Zealand, April 2006.

Conclusions (1) • Cultures legitimize career development

practices performed by the institutions of society and influence individuals career behaviours through different attitudes, belief, perceptions, and expectations.

• Expression of G. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions has effects on the institutions managing individual careers and the individuals’ enactment of careers.

Conclusions (2)

• In command-type economies (or even transition economies) career choices, which imply individual autonomy, were not considered important. Having previously acquired patterns of career regulating behaviour that worked in the socialist system, institutions are unwilling to change in the face of new realities. Low levels of career mobility confirm these statements.

• Career behaviour of civil servants in the Lithuanian civil service is still more regulated by institutional frameworks than by their capabilities and free will, i.e. individual carers are more formed by inflexible and inert institutions than institutions are created by proactive individuals.

Culture

Structures – institutional frameworks

Individuals – capabilities and

free will

Career behaviourBalance

Balance

Construction

Regulation

Thank You for Your attention!