'My Brilliant Career'? New Organizational Forms and Changing Managerial Careers in Japan, the UK, and USA

Abstract

The end of the traditional management career has been heralded with supporting, albeit largely anecdotal, data. The 'old' career was set within internal labour markets in large organizations and characterized by long-term stability. The 'new' arrangements have apparently shifted responsibility from employer to employee, with careers being developed across organizations. Such change is premised on new organizational forms and is often associated with a growing sense of employee insecurity. We explore the reality of this 'new' scenario through interpretation of in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with middle and senior human resources managers in large firms in Japan, the UK, and USA. The data indicate that most of our case study organizations had downsized and delayered, with hybrid structural forms emerging. Career prospects were diminished, with fewer vertical promotions and a greater emphasis on lateral 'development'; middle managers were generally resentful of such factors and forces. Although not directly reflective of 'Anglo-American' business practice, similar changes to career trajectories were witnessed in Japan as in the UK and USA. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Management Studies © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and Society for the Advancement of Management Studies.