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Strategic determinants of managerial labor markets: A career systems view
Author(s) -
Sonnenfeld Jeffrey A.,
Peiperl Maury A.,
Kotter John P.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.3930270402
Subject(s) - typology , context (archaeology) , business , sort , tracking (education) , career management , marketing , management , public relations , economics , psychology , sociology , computer science , political science , anthropology , paleontology , pedagogy , information retrieval , biology
This paper proposes a four‐cell typology of career systems, which describes the way different corporate strategies reflect the nature of executive labor markets. The two critical dimensions of the model, “supply flow” and “assignment flow,” reflect the external and internal movement of executives. We use recent examples from industry to demonstrate the way in which business and career system strategies align. We then examine individual background and personality variables, drawn from a ten‐year study tracking 125 MBA graduates, to show how executives sort themselves into the career system best suited to their needs. The broader purpose of this research is to begin to tie together a general theory of career systems that focuses on the level of the firm in its changing strategic and industry context.