This purpose of this study is to understand and explain the relationships between managers’ participation in career-focused learning and development (CFLD) and a multiplicity of individual, dispositional, organisational, and environmental factors. The contemporary career highlights the role of managers as active agents of their own careers.
Managers are expected to be more career self-directed and to take ownership for investment in their career competencies. Managers are increasingly expected to have developed a complex set of personal and employability skills. CFLD is defined as formal voluntary programs of learning and development which contribute to the enhancement of generic competencies that have portability to different contexts. These competencies have value in facilitating the career progression of individuals. The study develops a model which suggests a three-level (micro-, meso- and macro-levels) framework to allow for a layered understanding of influences on participation in CFLD.
The study testing the CFLD model was conducted with 375 managers in Ireland in 2006 and 2007. The study findings reveal that participation of managers in CFLD is complex and multi-faceted. The research suggests that individual dispositions, knowledge, attitudes and beliefs are particularly important in explaining participation in CFLD. The findings propose that motivation to learn, understanding of development needs, career exploration and planning, and the climate for development are highly significant.
The study makes a significant contribution to both the literature on participation in learning and development and managerial careers by advancing our understanding of the concept of career-focused learning and development. In addition, the research has combined a detailed theoretical research design with rigorous statistical analysis with a view to highlighting practical implications for organisations and individuals.
The study findings have important implications for both individuals and organisations. For organisations the following questions arise: Should they provide CFLD opportunities to their managers? Should the manager bear the cost of CFLD? For individuals these questions arise: to what extent can the contemporary career be planned given the complexity of the environment and how do managers make decisions concerning the competencies that are valued in the labour market
