Protean Career Research Articles

Human Resource Management Reimagined: A New Perspective on HR Courses for Contemporary Careers

In the constantly evolving career landscape, knowledge about human resource management practices could prove very beneficial for undergraduate college students who want to construct protean careers. With its broad content coverage, the introductory HR course is best suited to teach students about key HR functions and practices instrumental to their career outcomes. The current introductory HR course at the undergraduate level may fall short of this promise as it primarily caters to aspiring HR professionals. We propose to re-imagine the undergraduate introductory HR course from the perspective of students as future employees instead and illustrate the role of HR functions in career progression and how students could use HR knowledge to advance their careers that align with their values. We offer a detailed framework with updated learning goals and sample experiential activities for each major HR topic. We believe that the new approach will make the course more relevant to all students, which could improve learning outcomes and help students construct and manage their protean careers.

Comparison of New Career Approach Attitudes and Subjective Career Success Perceptions in terms of Demographic Variables

This study examines the impact of shifts in the structure of employment and traditional career models on perceptions of boundaryless, protean, and subjective career success among employees of private employment agencies. As private employment agencies represent a relatively new phenomenon in the modern labor market, this research aims to examine these concepts quantitatively. This research investigates the relationship between demographic characteristics and perceptions of boundaryless, protean and subjective career success among employees of private employment agencies. 
 The sample for this study consisted of 895 employees affiliated with private employment agencies in Istanbul. Research hypotheses were examined using exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, t-tests, and ANOVA. The results of this study revealed statistically significant differences in perceptions of boundaryless career attitude and subjective career success as a function of gender, age, education, marital status, and income level. However, no statistically significant differences were observed in perceptions of protean career attitudes across any demographic variable. Furthermore, the findings of this study have the potential to inform human resources, recruitment, and career planning practices.

The impact of trust in AI on career sustainability: The role of employee–AI collaboration and protean career orientation

Drawing upon person–environment fit theory and the importance of employees' career sustainability in Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration within organizations, we propose a moderated mediation model to test how and when AI trust is linked to employees' career sustainability. This mechanism posits employee–AI collaboration as a mediator and employees' protean career orientation as a moderator. Two studies were conducted to test the hypothesized model. In Study 1, a 5-item measure was developed to evaluate employee–AI collaboration and tested with a sample of employees working with AI technology. In Study 2, multisource and two-wave data were collected to analyze 447 employee–supervisor dyads. The results indicated that AI trust was positively related to employee-rated well-being and supervisor-rated employee productivity via employee–AI collaboration. In addition, the relationship between AI trust and employee–AI collaboration was stronger for employees with high protean career orientation. We concluded with a discussion of the theoretical contributions and practical implications.

The Mediating Effect of Career Planning on the Relationship between Protean Career Attitude and Subjective Career Success of Employed Women

The Mediating Effect of Career Planning on the Relationship between Protean Career Attitude and Subjective Career Success of Employed Women

직장인의 성장마인드셋이 회복탄력성에 미치는 영향

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of office workers' growth mindset on resilience and to verify the dual mediating effect of grit and protean career attitude in the relationship between growth mindset and resilience.
 Methods For this study, 769 office workers were surveyed to measure the variables of growth mindset, resilience, grit, and protean career attitude, and data were collected. For the collected data, descriptive statistical analysis and reliability analysis were performed using SPSS 25.0, and Process Macro Model 6 was used for the analysis of the adjusted mediating effect.
 Results First, office workers’ growth mindset were found to have a significant direct effect on resilience. Second, Second, both grit and protean career attitude were significant single mediator on the relationship between office workers’ growth mindset and resilience. Third, office workers’ growth mindset and resilience through grit and protean career attitude was significant, and the sequential mediational model was supported.
 Conclusions Through the analysis results, it was suggested that resilience could be improved if workers had a growth mindset, grit to achieve their goals, and steadily developed a proactive, value-oriented protean career attitude. Also, the limitations and suggestions of this study were discussed.

Career and Family Plans of Higher Education Students as Risk Factors for their future employers’ HR Management

This paper deals with higher education students’ career and family plans based on a quantitative pilot research conducted among students studying social sciences at a research university in Eastern Hungary. According to one type of career models, namely the self-directed, protean career concept, organisations should adapt to employees’ own career interpretation, values, and attitudes, furthermore, according to the Kaleidoscope Career Model, individuals nowadays adapt their careers to their life stages. Due to this, this paper deals with students’ family plans besides their career plans. The novelty of the research is that it examines the plans of Hungarian students studying in a specific field (social sciences) and analyzes their career and family plans in parallel. The research inestigates what family and career mean to students, what influences these, whether family or career is more important to students, how students time these, and to what extent they consider these to be compatible. Research methods include descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and exploratory factor analysis. The results show that career goals often preceded family goals and, in accordance with traditional gender roles, career was slightly more important for male students than for female students. According to the factor analysis, students found it the most important to meet their own expectations. Furthermore, many students, especially females, interpreted career as a form of self-fulfilment. These results are in line with modern career models (the self-directed, protean career concept and the Kaleidoscope Career Model). An important implication of the research for prospective employers is the need to adapt their HR strategies to young people’s family and career plans. The research also highlights that students’ career goals are already emphasised during the studies, so employers should strengthen cooperation with universities to support students in acquiring professional experience during their studies to help them achieve their career goals.

중장년 여성의 프로티언 경력 개발 과정 탐색

Purpose: This study aims to explore the process of protean career development for the middle-aged woman, working as part-time career professional instructors at elementary or secondary schools. Method: A qualitative case study using the ground theory was adopted. The 11 middle aged women working as career professional instructors at schools by the commission of the I Office of Education were selected and in-depth interviews were conducted. The interview results were analysed according to the paradigm model of ground theory. Results: The focal phenomenon was the incessant and self-regulated activities for growth resulting the recognition and establishment of self-identity. A sense of crisis led to the development of job skills necessary for their jobs through various types of action/interaction strategies depending on their points of values. Supportive relationships contributed to overcome job conflicts from unstable job conditions. Conclusion: Institutional supports and policies must be considered to facilitate the development of protean careers for the middle-aged women career professional instructors.

Determinants of Principal Job Satisfaction in West Java Province

In the world of education, the issue of job satisfaction and performance has become the main concern for academics. This study aims to investigate the impact of transformational leadership, education and training, and protean careers on job satisfaction. This research is a quantitative research to obtain and collect data and information that refers to the research problem. Data collection techniques based on field research were carried out in kindergarten private schools spread across regencies/cities in West Java Province. The population in this study were all Private Kindergarten (TK) Principals of 1,503 people. Sampling using random sampling and proportional sampling as many as 316 people. The analysis technique uses multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that transformational leadership, and education and training variables had no significant effect on job satisfaction. The protean career variable has a significant effect on job satisfaction for school principals.

Se préparer pour l’avenir professionnel : relation entre l’orientation de carrière, les comportements proactifs de carrière et la satisfaction de carrière

To better understand how career preparation during college affects the university-work transition, the current study developed and evaluated a model exploring how protean career orientation is related to proactive career behaviors (i.e., planning, networking) during university studies, and also to career satisfaction once in employment. Based on a structural equation modeling analysis involving a mediation, this two-wave panel study composed of 109 individuals reveals that protean career orientation is indeed associated with proactive career behaviors, which in turn positively impacts career satisfaction once employed. This study highlights the importance of agentivity in career development and therefore the importance of agentivity support by universities.

Protean career orientation, supervisor perceptions and organizational career growth: a moderated mediation model

Protean career orientation, supervisor perceptions and organizational career growth: a moderated mediation model

여대생의 프로티언 경력태도가 전공만족도에 미치는 영향

This study is aimed to analyze the effect of protean career attitude on major satisfaction for students going to college. Accordingly, the regulation effect of career resilience in the relation between protean career attitude and major satisfaction were identified. For this purpose, the investigators utilized tools from previous empirical studies conducted by Baruch(2014), and Cho A mi etc(2019), respectively, to conduct a regression analysis on the relationship between perception of lifelong learning and protean career attitude among four-year college students. To identify the regulation effect, an analysis using PROCESS Macro for SPSS program was carried out. The following presents the results. First, the college students’ protean career attitude was significantly related to major satisfaction. Second, when the career resilience were moderator variables, the higher the career resilience, the more strengthened the effect of protean career attitude on major satisfaction.

Protean Career Attitudes and Boundaryless Career Attitudes Can Predict Subjective Career Success in Teachers

Teachers are foundational, and have great influence in the world of education. In their careers as teachers, these people must no longer care only about their own interests, but must also focus on the progress of the children they teach. The presence of this new concept in their careers can, it is thought, become an indicator for teachers in identifying and evaluating their careers, so that they may achieve career success, using subjective criteria. This study was aimed at understanding the roles of protean career attitudes (PCA) and boundaryless career attitudes (BCA) regarding the subjective career success of teachers. The approach in the study was a quantitative one, with the number of participants being 320 teachers, living in Java and Kalimantan. The instruments utilized were the Protean Career Attitudes Scale (PCAS), the Boundaryless Career Attitudes Scale (BCAS), and the Subjective Career Success Inventory (SCSI). Multiple regressive linear testing overall, and per dimension, produced scores in which p < .01, and indicated the existence of the roles of protean career attitudes (PCA) and boundaryless career attitudes (BCA) regarding the subjective career success of teachers, as well as the existence of the roles of each dimension of the study variables.
 
 Guru merupakan fondasi yang sangat berpengaruh dalam dunia pendidikan. Dalam karier sebagai guru, seharusnya guru tidak lagi hanya mempedulikan kepentingan untuk dirinya sendiri, namun juga berfokus pada kemajuan anak didik. Keberadaaan konsep baru dalam karier diduga dapat menjadi indikator untuk guru dalam mengenali dan mengevaluasi kariernya, sehingga dapat mencapai kesuksesan karier menggunakan kriteria subjektif. Studi ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui peran dari protean career attitudes (PCA) dan boundaryless career attitudes (BCA) terhadap subjective career success pada guru. Pendekatan dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan kuantitatif dengan jumlah partisipan sebanyak 320 guru yang berdomisili di Jawa dan Kalimantan. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah Protean Career Attitudes Scale (PCAS), Boundaryless Career Attitudes Scale (BCAS), dan Subjective Career Success Inventory (SCSI). Uji regresi linier berganda secara menyeluruh dan per dimensi menghasilkan skor dengan p < 0,01, yang menunjukkan adanya peran protean career attitudes (PCA) dan boundaryless career attitudes (BCA) terhadap subjective career success pada guru, serta adanya peran tiap dimensi dari variabel studi.

UNIVERZITETSKO OBRAZOVANJE – KAKO PROKRUSTOVU POSTELJU TRANSFORMISATI U OBRAZOVANJE ZA PROTEANSKU KARIJERU / UNIVERSITY EDUCATION - HOW TO TRANSFORM PROCRUSTEAN BED INTO EDUCATION FOR A PROTEAN CAREER

What is the purpose of universities - education or job training? What should be our priority - competences for the 21st century or finding a job within a year after graduating? The future is unpredictable and today’s actions are not necessarily good, but the worst thing to happen would be doing nothing. The survival and development of university depends on our vision of who are the generations to come, what we will teach them, how we will develop the curricula and how far we will succeed in moving away from linear careers as a Procrustean bed, punishing and forcing us to believe that what we have is the only thing possible if deviations from the prescribed norm happen or if one attempts spurring development. On the other hand, the context in which education takes place is constantly changing, and today’s careers, defined as a collection of all experiences and changes in values and attitudes (not advancement in the workplace) are changing their forms just like Proteus. Therefore, the important question is how to reject the Procrustean bed and accept the concept of a protean career as a guide in the development of higher education? The development of new study programs and the revision of existing ones should be guided by the following postulates: internationalization, interdisciplinarity, equality in access and adaptation to the needs of people who need to build their careers in the next dozen years. Innovative study programs should offer: experiences that will be attractive to students from all over the world, a holistic approach to the learning experience and multiperspective, equality in access to all interested parties at every moment of their lives, and flexibility that will allow the student to have his own pace of learning. Some examples of such programs are dual studies, short cycles, combined studies and recognition of prior learning. The University of Sarajevo is a participant in two ERASMUS+ projects aimed at the development of dual studies and short-cycle programs with the aim of increasing access to education and adapting to the needs of students and employers, which directly support the principles of a protean career.

The role of work life balance in the effect of boundaryless career and protean career attitudes on subjective career success

In conjunction with the rise of new career approaches such as boundaryless career and protean career in today's working life, the subjective aspect of career success has begun to be emphasized in boundaryless career and protean career approaches, unlike the traditional career approach that emphasizes the objective aspect of career success. In this direction, the effect of boundaryless career and protean career attitudes on subjective career success was examined in this study. In addition, whether the work-life balance has a moderator role on this effect has been examined. Research data were collected from 400 white-collar employees who work in private sector enterprises in Istanbul and have at least five years of work experience. To test the hypotheses; hierarchical regression analysis was performed using the SPSS program. As a result of the study, the moderator role of work-life balance on the effect of boundaryless career attitude and protean career attitude on subjective career success has been determined.

The Influence of Protean Career Attitude and Career Commitment on Job Satisfaction of Lifelong Education Instructors: Moderated Mediatiion Effect of Growth Mindset

The Influence of Protean Career Attitude and Career Commitment on Job Satisfaction of Lifelong Education Instructors: Moderated Mediatiion Effect of Growth Mindset

Predictors of Protean Career for Millennial Workers: The Impact on Career Resilience and Career Satisfaction

A contemporary career model, the protean career has offered an alternative for career development in the workplace, especially for the millennials. This study aims to analyze the core self-evaluation and emotional intelligence as the predictors of protean career and the impacts on career resilience and career satisfaction. Online survey from 260 millennials who work in various industries were analyzed to develop an integrative career model, by using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results of the study indicated core self-evaluation and emotional intelligence as predictors that have a significant effect on protean careers. In addition, the research found the significant effect of protean career on career resilience, also the significant effect of career resilience on career satisfaction. This study contributes to the development of career literature through a contemporary approach that emphasizes the individual role in career development. This study also provides managerial implications, where managers need to consider emotional intelligence in the recruitment process and encourage employees’ ability to evaluate themselves for career success. Keywords: Core self-evaluation, emotional intelligence, protean career, career resilience, career satisfaction

Nexus of knowledge management between industry and academia via third space hybridity and career attitudes

This paper aims to explore the relationship between Protean Career Attitude, Boundaryless Career Attitude and Task and Contextual Performance mediated by Knowledge Management (KM). In this paper, KM is taken as a boundary process view, namely, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Integration and Knowledge Transformation. KM is taken as a mediator and the perspective of Third Space Hybridity and Knowledge Brokers have been tested. The role of boundary spanners has been investigated by empirically examining 104 employees teaching as adjunct faculty along with working in their respective fields in Karachi, Pakistan. These visiting faculties are performing the role of Boundary Spanners or Artists-Academic (Lam, 2017) and work using the knowledge from academia and organizations. A measurement model and Structural Equation Model using Partial Least Squares (PLS) technique have been applied using SMART-PLS software to test the hypotheses. While the bootstrapping method has been applied to test the mediation. The results showed that Protean Career Attitudes play a significant role in effecting both Task Performance and Contextual Performance through KM. Specifically, self-driven values (sub-dimension of Protean Career Attitudes) effect the relationship. Task Performance has a stronger effect than Contextual performance. This study discusses how the model works across different boundaries and how sharing, integration and transformation of knowledge occurs. This study will help top management in different organizations to understand the role of these boundary spanners and utilize them in the development of new products and services. The management needs to identify such individuals as they are better suited to take up the role of entrepreneurs in their organizations.

Meaningful Work Linking High-Quality Relationships and Commitment: A Conditional Process Study with Career Orientation

This study aimed to examine the relations between high-quality relationships, meaningful work, and affective commitment, and evaluate whether protean career orientation moderates the relationship between meaningful work and affective commitment. We collected survey data from a sample of working adults to test the research hypotheses. The findings provide support for the proposed model. Consistent with the tenets of the work-as-meaning model, high-quality relationships were positively related to meaningful work, which, in turn, predicted affective commitment. Furthermore, the relationship between meaningful work and affective commitment was stronger for those high in protean career orientation. This study extends the literature on meaningful work and relational coordination. It offers practical insight for managers and others who can help foster high-quality relationships and meaningful work.

Role-play of employees' protean career and career success in affective organizational commitment

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the role-play of Protean Career Attitude (PCA) and Career Success (CS) in Affective Organizational Commitment (AOC).Design/methodology/approachA cross-sectional study on 376 employees from 55 hotels in Malaysia were conducted. The co-variance-based structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data to test the direct and indirect relationships of PCA and CS with AOC.FindingsThe findings reveal that self-directed career attitude (SDCA) has a positive direct influence on AOC as well as indirect influence through the mediation of OCS and SCS. However, the value-driven career attitude (VDCA) neither influences AOC nor the OCS.Originality/valueThis is a first paper to body of knowledge in Asian context which identify mediating role of career success (SCA and OCS) to PCA and AOC. The findings of this research are the workplace learning in hospitality management. The authors argue that hotels should not assume spontaneously PCA with diminishing AOC, but rather hotels' attention is required to identify the most important preferences of these butterfly career attitudes such as OCS and SCS. Most importantly the research negates many negative labels of PCA and adds new perception to the contemporary career literature. Higher education institutions, government, and primary, secondary, and post-secondary education departments can play a significant role in developing PCA dispositions like SDCA and VDCA toward career success. Therefore, further study should examine PCA and their relevance to career outcome like job searching and employability of students in Malaysia. The paper is the first, to one's knowledge, to assess organizational commitment with specific measures of PCA. While the results are simple, they refute many stereotypes of the new career and, in that sense, add an important perspective to the career literature.

Accidental vs Intentional Project Managers: A Case Study

Project management has increasingly become an important part of business globally. Once referred to as the “accidental profession”, project management has recently made strides to become more professionalized. What results are now available? This project uses the case study research methodology to take an in-depth look into project management at a small to medium-sized enterprise. The case employs an empirically proven framework to compare and contrast accidental and intentional project management attitudes and traditional versus protean career approaches. Based on semi-structured interviews, documented evidence, and direct observation, the project suggests that accidental project management is still prevalent in industry, as are protean career attitudes. Additionally, this study recommends that a greater focus on early project management education may result in increased intentional entry into the profession.