Boundaryless Career Orientations Research Articles

Examining Reciprocal Relationships Between Boundaryless Career Orientations and Perceived Employability

This study investigates the reciprocal relationship between boundaryless career orientations and perceived employability, aiming to expand beyond prevailing unidirectional models in the literature. Utilizing a time-lag structural model with longitudinal data collected three months apart from a cohort of white-collar Spanish workers, the initial sample at Time 1 comprised 261 individuals, primarily females (57%) with an average age of 41.8 years. At Time 2, 134 responses were collected, with 80 from women and an average age of 41.5 years. Findings support a reciprocal link between organizational mobility preference and perceived external employability. A boundaryless mindset appears to precede external employability, though reverse causation is not substantiated in the short term. Both sub-dimensions of a boundaryless orientation are associated with heightened perceptions of external employability but not internal employability. This suggests that managing boundaryless workers should vary based on their career orientation sub-dimensions, providing valuable insights for practitioners and career counselors.

Attitudes Towards New Career Approaches among Working Students: A Comparative Analysis with Non-Student Employees

This research sought to explore the new career approaches of employed students. A comparative analysis was conducted with nonstudent employees to comprehensively grasp the novel career attitudes of working students. The neoliberal era has profoundly reshaped various disciplines, including economics, human resource management, and employment structures. Among these changes, career management has undergone a significant transformation. Conventional organisational careers have been supplanted by new approaches such as boundaryless, protean, subjective career success and kaleidoscope careers. These emerging career paradigms align with the emergence of novel forms of employment. Moreover, in an increasingly liberalised world, the rising costs of education and the growing prevalence of paid education are prompting students to enter the workforce while continuing their studies. The proliferation of companies offering part-time employment, such as private employment agencies, corresponds to an increase in students seeking part-time work. In other words, supply and demand within the part-time labour market intersect more robustly. Furthermore, working students gain valuable experience while employed, shaping the future supply of the labour market. Our research aims to assess the suitability of new career approaches for future workers and contributes to unravelling their complexities. The study also investigates whether employees are students and whether this affects their career approaches. To analyse this research, boundaryless career attitude and professional career attitude scales were utilised as assessment tools. These new career approaches represent innovation in careers. The research dataset comprised responses from 521 working students and 374 nonstudent employees, all of whom were actively employed in Istanbul, the most populous city in Turkey and home to many universities. The data analysis employed a quantitative research methodology using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and independent t tests. The findings revealed that working students exhibited significantly greater boundaryless career orientation, organisational mobility, boundaryless mindset, and value-driven career attitudes than did their nonstudent counterparts. The outcomes of this study will make a valuable contribution to the existing body of literature concerning employed students. Furthermore, the findings are anticipated to provide valuable insights into formulating and implementing human resources policies within organisations that engage in student employment practices. By shedding light on the experiences, challenges, and potential areas for improvement in this context, this research aims to inform and enhance the effectiveness of human resource strategies tailored toward working students.

Boundaryless career orientation and Internet professionals' grievance strategies: evidence from China

PurposeThis article aims to examine the role of boundaryless career orientation in influencing Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace problems in China's Internet companies, which feature prominent problems including excessive overwork. It addresses one question: how do Chinese Internet professionals make grievance strategies?Design/methodology/approachThis article draws on qualitative data based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 134 employees from 6 representative Chinese Internet companies. The data were collected during 2018-2021 and analyzed with a grounded theory approach.FindingsThis article highlights the role of boundaryless career orientation in explaining Chinese Internet professionals' strategies toward workplace grievances. The author develops a comprehensive model to illustrate how boundaryless career orientation influences four grievance strategies namely, strategic compliance, exit, dissent expression and resistance that correspond to four different motives to advance the professionals' boundaryless career: learning, transferring, relieving and resolving. Internet professionals choose different grievance strategies based on how each option can benefit their boundaryless career goals.Originality/valueThis article is one of the first to bring in boundaryless career orientation as a key factor in explaining Chinese Internet professionals' grievance strategies. It provides a fuller picture than previous studies by showing wide varieties of professionals' grievance behaviors. The finding of high-level boundaryless career orientation among Internet professionals offers insights on how companies can improve employment relations by improving career management practices.

A conceptual framework of the perceived marketability of independent professionals

AbstractIndependent professionals represent a highly skilled contractual based workforce. In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework that explains the career construction mechanism of independent professionals. Specifically, we theorize that their boundaryless career orientation favorably influences the perception of their marketability via their involvement in career construction activities. Additionally, we elucidate the intervening role of their career competencies, physical and psychological mobility in augmenting or dampening perceived marketability as a career outcome. Differing to traditionally employed professionals, we argue that independent professional careers can be better explained conjointly, rather than separately, by boundaryless career theory and career construction theory. This paper has practical relevance in highlighting the significance of career construction activities by independent professionals for achieving positive career outcomes while pursuing a boundaryless career.

Linking Boundaryless Career Orientation and Career Optimism: The Moderating Role of Career Decision Self-Efficacy and Career Adaptability

This study examines the relationship between boundaryless career orientation and career optimism. Researchers tested and explored the possible moderating roles of both variables, namely career decision self-efficacy and career adaptability to the boundaryless career orientation and career optimism relationship. The survey was conducted on 192 accounting students in Indonesia to collect data. This research uses Smart-PLS to process and analyze data. The results showed that boundaryless career orientation is positively associated with career optimism. In this study, it was also shown that career decision self-efficacy and career adaptability successfully moderated the relationship between boundaryless career orientation and career optimism.

Boundaryless Careers’ Dark Side: Orientation, Plateauing, Exhaustion, Exit Intentions and Personality

Substantial research has been conducted to understand the dynamics of contemporary careers, yet relatively little is known about the complexities of these theoretical models or about their potential dark side. Applying the theories of boundaryless career and conservation of resources, we examine the relationships between the two dimensions of the boundaryless career orientation (BCO), namely the boundaryless mindset (BM) and mobility preferences (MP), with what are generally considered negative career variables. A moderated serial mediation model was tested using data from 196 Indian public sector employees who completed surveys at two points in time (6 months apart). The predicted direct relationships of BM and MP with turnover (TI) and early retirement (ERI) intentions were significant. Career plateau and emotional exhaustion mediated the relationships between the BM-TI and MP-TI when moderated by the dark triad of personality. This study’s findings offer a more nuanced understanding of boundaryless career theory.

Choose to be Optimistic, it Feels Better! The Role of Career Decision-making Self-efficacy on the Relationship between Boundaryless Career Orientation and Career Optimism

Drawing on the conservation of resources (CoR) theory, this study examined whether career decision-making self-efficacy (CDSE) intervenes in the association of employees’ boundaryless career orientation and career optimism. The study further sets out to assess the interactional contribution of employees’ consideration of distant future consequences—future (CFC-F) on the fore connection of employees’ CDSE and optimism. In this vein, data were collected from 211 electronic media employees through cluster sampling via an electronically administered questionnaire. SPSS 21 and SmartPLS 3.0 were used for preliminary data analyses and hypothesis testing, respectively. The results showed that CDSE significantly and positively intervened in the relationship between boundaryless career orientation and career optimism. Furthermore, the interactional effect of CFC-F was also found significant in a way that employees demonstrated a higher degree of career optimism at the higher levels of CFC-F. Hence, the premise of CoR theory that constructive resources (e.g., boundaryless career orientation) help individuals to gain other key resources (e.g., CDSE, optimism) was substantiated. Theoretical and practical implications of the study were also discussed.

The multiple mediating effects of Korean workers’ perception of the fourth industrial revolution, career attitudes and future learning intent

PurposeThis study aims at analyzing the impact of perceptions of the fourth industrial revolution (crisis and opportunity) in the relationship between workers’ career attitudes and future learning intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzed the multiple mediating effect of the perception of the fourth industrial revolution in the relationship between career attitudes and future learning intention using data of 305 Korean workers. As career attitude variables, boundaryless and protean career orientation variables were used, and perception of the fourth industrial revolution was analyzed (opportunity and crisis perception).FindingsBoth workers’ boundaryless career orientation and protean career orientation influenced future learning intention through the perception of opportunity for the fourth industrial revolution. This result suggested that flexible career attitudes positively recognized the changes of the fourth industrial revolution and had an effect on promoting attitude toward future learning.Research limitations/implicationsThe study confirmed that workers’ flexible career attitudes could promote perception of opportunity rather than crisis in changing situation and strengthen their intention to prepare for the future by mediating this perception. These results suggest that lifelong learning and competency development can be reinforced by facilitating perception of an opportunities for external change for individual career development.Originality/valueInsights for personal career development were provided by analyzing the relationship between flexible career attitudes, which are increasing in importance in the modern society, and perceptions of changes in external environment.

High performance work system and intrapreneurial behavior: the role of relational psychological contract, self-efficacy and boundaryless career orientation

Purpose. The current study investigates the impact of high-performance work system (HPWS) on intrapreneurial behavior (IPB) with mediating effects of self-efficacy and relational psychological contract. In addition, boundaryless career orientation is expected to moderate the relationship between HPWS and IPB. Design. Employees were asked to indicate the extent to which they understood and experienced each HR practice within their firms. The final list of HPWS consists of 13 practices detailed in Appendix 1. The Employee Intrapreneurship Scale (EIS) consists of eight items, measuring two dimensions of IPB, namely strategic renewal behavior and venture behavior. Quantitative research design was applied with data collected from 283 employees using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings. The results confirmed the direct impact of HPWS on IPB as well as the indirect impacts of both relational psychological contract and self-efficacy. Mobility Preference moderated the above relationship while Boundaryless Mindset did not. Theoretical implications. This research confirms the relationship between HPWS and IPB and the mechanisms through which HPWS influences IPB. Practical implications. Building a long-term trust-based relationship between employees and the firm is vital in fostering IPB. Value of results. This study explores the role of general self-efficacy and relational psychological contract as mediators of the link between HPWS and IPB. In addition, it introduces boundaryless career orientation as a moderator of the HPWS-IPB linkage.

Proactive career orientation and physical mobility preference as predictors of important work attitudes: the moderating role of pay satisfaction

Although protean and boundaryless career orientation have been seen mainly as different yet related constructs, a recent meta-analysis suggests a reconsideration of this career concept structure into a distinction between two independent dimensions of ‘proactive career orientation’ (including sub-dimensions ‘self-directed’, ‘values driven’, and ‘boundaryless mindset’) and ‘physical mobility preferences’ (including sub-dimension ‘organizational mobility preference’). To examine whether or not this new proposed structure is sustained we analyze the dynamics between the boundaryless career orientation (using with subdimensions ‘boundaryless mindset’ and ‘organizational mobility preference’) and attitudinal outcomes of organizational commitment, job satisfaction, turnover intention and pay satisfaction. The results provide empirical validation for the propositions in the meta-analysis, not only regarding career concept structure but also its dynamics. They confirm areas of similarity of ‘boundaryless mindset’ and protean dynamics but also important differences between these dynamics for employees with a mobility preference. Boundaryless mindset employees are more intrinsically motivated and proactive in developing their career. Those having high organizational mobility preference are more extrinsically motivated and reactive when facing organizational and environmental determinants. The results show that a ‘traditional’ boundaryless career orientation is a two-sided coin and organizations need to differentially manage the diverse profiles of a boundaryless careers.

Protean and Boundaryless Career Attitude as Determinants of Well-being Among Indian IT Temporary Agency Workers

The growth of temporary and non-standard employment arrangements post liberalization drives temporary agency workers (TAWs), especially of the information technology (IT) sector, to be agents of their own career identities. As a result, TAWs embrace self-managed/adaptable career management approaches namely protean career (PCO) and boundaryless career (BCO) orientations for their long-term sustainability and well-being. This study investigated the direct effects of PCO and BCO on TAW’s well-being, also, their indirect effects thorough perceived employability (PE). Study participants were 246 TAWs employed by leading Indian IT recruitment agencies and deployed to work for various IT clients. Data were collected through validated questionnaire and analysed through structural equation modelling. Findings confirm direct effects of PCO and BCO on TAW well-being and partial mediation effects of PE. Thus, to boost TAWs’ well-being, organizations may consider developing their protean attitudes via employee engagement programmes, staff agencies through counselling to map workers values/interest with their assigned projects, TAWs workers themselves proactively participating in the challenging assignment at the client place.

Work Engagement of Employees in Moonlighting: A Moderated Mediation Model From a Boundaryless Career Perspective.

Using a panel of 324 Chinese employees in public sectors, this paper examines the work engagement of employees in moonlighting with the proxy of boundaryless career orientations. We divided work engagement into job engagement and organizational engagement and test their relation to boundaryless career orientations. The results demonstrate that boundaryless career orientations are positively related to job engagement via the mediating effects of role conflicts, and negatively related to organizational engagement through the mediating effects of the relational psychological contracts. Moreover, organizational climate for openness moderates the negative correlation between boundaryless career orientations and role conflicts. There is no significant evidence provided for a moderating effect of organizational climate for openness between boundaryless career orientations and relational psychological contracts.

How Do Students Become Good Workers? Investigating the Impact of Gender and School on the Relationship between Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy and Career Exploration

In the field of vocational psychology, career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) and career exploration (CE) are considered the crucial factors for developing a sustainable career. This study investigated the relationship between CDMSE and CE among Chinese high-school students, as well as the moderating effects of gender and school. From 2019 to 2021, 24,273 students from 13 different high schools were recruited in the study (male = 15,050, female = 9223; urban schools = 12,327, rural schools = 11,946). The results showed that (i) male students scored significantly higher than female students in both CDMSE and CE, (ii) students from urban schools scored significantly higher than students from rural schools in both CDMSE and CE, (iii) CDMSE positively predicted CE, and (iv) school moderated the relationship between CDMSE and CE, with the effect of CDMSE on CE stronger among rural school students; a moderating effect of gender was not found. These findings indicate that promoting CDMSE can lead high-school students, especially rural school students, to engage more in CE to ensure sustainable career development under the protean and boundaryless career orientation.

The route to well-being at workplace: examining the role of job insecurity and its antecedents

PurposeThe current study focuses on the role of antecedents to prevent perceived job insecurity and mitigate its negative impacts on work-related well-being. The study examined variables of the resourceful environment (effective organizational communication and involvement), conserved resources (perceived employability and emotional exhaustion) and resource loss (job insecurity) by drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory for predicting the work-related well-being adding the moderating role of boundaryless career orientation.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 306 salespersons of pharmaceutical companies working in Pakistan was obtained. The hypothesized relationships were tested through structural equation modeling in SmartPLS.FindingsThe results confirmed showed that the organizational communication, employee involvement and perceived employability reduce the perceived job insecurity; however, the emotional exhaustion was positively related. It also confirmed the moderating effect of boundaryless career orientation on relationship of job insecurity and well-being.Practical implicationsTo make employees engaged, the organizations are required to involve employees by sharing knowledge, information and power to make decisions, value their opinion and ensuring the employability. Further, salespersons having a preference of a boundaryless career proved to mitigate negative impact of job insecurity on work-related well-being.Originality/valueMany empirical studies have identified that the perceived job insecurity is one of the major concerns affecting employee's well-being. However, few studies simultaneously have sought to prevent the perceived job insecurity among employees. The findings are important in developing the understanding that how salespersons perceive their capabilities and the work environment of the organization, this perception; resultantly, can influence their behaviors particularly the work engagement dimension of well-being.

Are participants in the ‘new career’ good organizational citizens?

Research on the ‘new career’ has explored some individual correlates of protean and boundaryless career orientations while largely neglecting their consequences for organizations. Our paper addresses this omission by exploring the link between ‘new career’ orientations and both positive and negative extra-role behaviours based on the argument that these dimensions of performance are potentially more variable given their volitional nature. In addition, it explores the role of organizational commitment and perceived organizational support in shaping this relationship. We present the results of a study with 641 employee-supervisor dyads in nineteen organizations showing that a protean career orientation results in more positive extra-role behaviours, whereas a boundaryless career orientation is associated with less citizenship behaviour and higher deviant behaviour due to its negative impact on commitment. In addition, our findings suggest that organizations can positively influence the behaviour of individuals with high boundaryless career orientations by offering high levels of support.

Understanding the career and job outcomes of contemporary career attitudes within the context of career environments: An integrative meta‐analysis

SummaryThe number of empirical studies on contemporary career attitudes (e.g., protean and boundaryless career orientation) has grown in volume, and yet our understanding of how these attitudes relate to career and job outcomes is rather limited. There are inconsistent findings on these career attitudes and their outcomes. The purpose of this review is to integrate the two core arguments that explain this inconsistency: (1) there is a need for greater construct clarity in the attitudes, and (2) the current career environment has not seen a complete dissolution of the conditions underlying traditional, employer‐centric careers. We begin to develop an integrative conceptual framework to explain the effects of contemporary career attitudes and conducted a comprehensive meta‐analysis of these attitude constructs with their outcomes and correlates. Results of the meta‐analysis generally provided support for the explanation that the current career environment is a blend of employer‐ and employee‐centric elements, and the greater conceptual distance a contemporary career attitude dimension has from this blended environment and is towards a more purely employee‐centric environment, the less beneficial it will be to outcomes. Drawing from our findings, we provide a systematic guide highlighting the areas where additional research is needed on the study of contemporary career attitudes.

Impact of job insecurity on general strain issues of employees through moderated meditation analysis

The current study proposes to understand the dynamic relationship between employees’ job insecurity and mental and health related issues, through the mediating role of perceived control. The relationship is based upon theoretical underpinning of Appraisal Theory. Results indicated that Perceived Control mediated the relationship between JIS and MHC while trust in management, did not buffer the strength of relationship between JIS and MHC. Similarly, Boundary less career orientation (BCO) also did not exercise moderating mediating effect. Future researcher may investigate the same model, with other strain related issues like burnout, emotional exhaustion and psychological distress, innovative work behavior and self rated performance, to understand the dynamic relationship between JIS and outcomes through moderated mediation analysis.

Protean and boundaryless career orientations: A critical review and meta-analysis.

The protean/boundaryless career concepts refer to people becoming more self-directed and flexible in managing their careers in response to societal shifts in work arrangements. A sizable literature has emerged on protean/boundaryless career orientations/preferences (PBCO). Questions remain, however, about the structure of PBCO and whether they predict important criteria. The PBCO literature is largely disconnected from broader individual-level career research, making it unclear how PBCO intersect with career models based on other characteristics. We address these questions by systematically reviewing/meta-analyzing PBCO research. On the basis of 135 demographically/occupationally diverse samples from 35 countries (45,288 individuals), we find no support for traditional distinctions between protean and boundaryless orientations-protean self-directed, protean values-driven, and boundaryless psychological mobility all load onto a single general factor, labeled proactive career orientation, and are only weakly related to boundaryless physical mobility preferences. We also find that PBCO predict career self-management behaviors and career satisfaction but are less related to non-career-focused attitudes, objective success, or physical mobility behavior. PBCO are strongly related to proactivity-related and self-efficacy personality traits. We use these findings to propose an integrative model for how PBCO and other dispositions mutually influence career behavior. We discuss when PBCO may have advantages over broad traits for understanding careers, implications for counseling practice, and directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for Protean and Boundaryless Career Orientations: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis

Supplemental Material for Protean and Boundaryless Career Orientations: A Critical Review and Meta-Analysis

Antecedents of protean and boundaryless career orientations: The role of core self-evaluations, perceived employability and social capital

Research on protean and boundaryless career orientations has explored their consequences for individuals and organizations while largely ignoring their key antecedents. Our paper address this omission by exploring three potential antecedents of contemporary careers - core self-evaluations (CSEs), social capital and perceived employability. Findings from a longitudinal study of university students transitioning into the labour market support the role of these constructs as antecedents of both career orientations. An exception is the negative direct effect of CSEs on boundaryless career orientations; but there are positive indirect effects via perceived employability. Our paper offers one of the first longitudinal studies identifying and empirically exploring the role of antecedents of protean and boundaryless career orientations. It also contributes to establishing the conceptual and empirical distinctions between the two orientations.