The Managerial Plateau: What Helps in Developing Careers?

Abstract

Plateauing is generally assumed to be problematic for organizations, with plateaued managers less satisfied with their careers than non‐plateaued managers. Reports on the findings of a survey conducted to find out whether there were any significant differences in levels of career satisfaction between plateaued and non‐plateaued managers. The sample was 248 managers from the UK Postal Delivery Organization – Royal Mail. Further analysis was undertaken comparing managers at different grades and between the sexes, and at differences in levels of satisfaction in the groups in their ability to manage their own career.