Edgar Schein's Career Anchors Test: Discover Your Career Motivators

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Questions and Answers

What motivates individuals with a 'creator' career anchor?

Predictable work and steady income

Close supervision and guidance

Recognition for loyalty and steady performance

Building new organizations and reshaping existing ones (correct)

What is a characteristic of individuals with a 'security/stability' career anchor?

Desire for constant new challenges

Need for autonomy and independence

Preference for stable and predictable work (correct)

Focus on integrating personal and family needs

What type of promotion system is preferred by individuals with a 'security/stability' career anchor?

Seniority-based promotion systems (correct)

Pay for performance, bonuses

Recognition-based promotion systems

Autonomy-oriented promotion systems

What is a key aspect of the 'lifestyle' career anchor?

Flexibility and work-life balance Signup and view all the answers

What type of benefits are preferred by individuals with a 'lifestyle' career anchor?

Company benefits that allow for flexible work arrangements Signup and view all the answers

What motivates individuals with a 'service/dedication' career anchor?

Work towards improving the world in some manner Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor that distinguishes a dual-earner couple from other family patterns?

Both partners involved in the paid labour force Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following family patterns is characterized by shared parenting roles and equal household responsibilities?

Role-Sharing Pattern Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of work-family conflict?

When work and family roles are mutually incompatible in some respects Signup and view all the answers

Which type of work-family conflict arises when a person has numerous social roles to carry out, exceeding their capacity?

Role overload Signup and view all the answers

What is the consequence of time-based conflict in dual-earner couples?

Need to cope with role overload and role quality Signup and view all the answers

According to Gilbert (1994), how many general marital patterns of dual-career families are identified?

Three Signup and view all the answers

What is a common consequence of restructuring and downsizing that affects employees' careers?

Limited chances for advancement and career plateau Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of a 'productively plateaued' employee?

High organisational actions and high employee actions Signup and view all the answers

Why do some employees choose to be plateaued?

Personal, health, or family reasons Signup and view all the answers

What is a result of flatter organisational structures?

Limited chances for advancement and career plateau Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a factor that contributes to career plateau?

High need for career mobility Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for a point in a person's career where there is no longer opportunity to progress in the organisational hierarchy?

Career plateau Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential positive outcome of plateauing?

More time for non-work related activities Signup and view all the answers

What is one organisational action to address plateauing?

Create an equitable personnel policy Signup and view all the answers

What is obsolescence?

Lack of up-to-date knowledge or skills Signup and view all the answers

Why is it important to reassess the selection system?

To prevent obsolescence Signup and view all the answers

What is a benefit of job enrichment?

Creating more flexibility in job roles Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of candid feedback for plateaued employees?

To understand what motivates them Signup and view all the answers

What are the three personal characteristics associated with low levels of obsolescence?

High intellectual abilities, Self-motivation, and Personal adaptability Signup and view all the answers

What can performance appraisals help identify?

Work obsolescence Signup and view all the answers

What can be done to reduce obsolescence according to the WORK OBSOLESCENCE MODEL?

Retrain for technology and modify the organisation Signup and view all the answers

What can be done to encourage continuous learning and updating of skills?

Encourage growth and development via performance management Signup and view all the answers

What is the likely reason for Tom's feeling of being stuck in his current position?

He has not been promoted in 8 years Signup and view all the answers

What is the importance of organisational climate in reducing obsolescence?

It encourages communication and participative leadership Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Career Anchors (Edgar Schein)

Entrepreneurial Creativity: Enjoy creating new products or services, building new organizations, or taking over an existing business and reshaping it.
- Rewards: Individual wealth, ownership, freedom, and power.
Security / Stability: Prefer stable, predictable work with clearly defined goals and autonomy.
- Rewards: Pay for performance, bonuses, autonomy-oriented promotion systems.
Autonomy / Independence: Desire independence, freedom, and autonomy in work.
- Rewards: Autonomy-oriented promotion systems, stable, predictable work.
Service / Dedication to a Cause: Work towards improving the world in some manner, prefer helping professions.
- Rewards: Sense of fulfillment, making a positive impact.

Dual-Earner Couple

Three General Marital Patterns:
1. Conventional Pattern: Both partners are career-oriented, but the woman bears most responsibility for children and household.
2. Modern Pattern: Parenting role is shared equally, but the woman still takes responsibility for the household.
3. Role-Sharing Pattern: Both spouses are actively involved in the household, roles as parents, and careers.

Work-Family Conflict

Definition: Inter-role conflict where pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible in some respects.
Types of Work-Family Conflict:
1. Time-Based Conflict: Time demands make it physically impossible to be in two places simultaneously.
2. Strain-Based Conflict: Pressure from work affects family life, causing strain.
3. Behaviour-Based Conflict: Behaviour required at work is incompatible with family expectations.

Career Plateau

Definition: A point in a person's career where there is no longer opportunity to progress in the organizational hierarchy, and chances for advancement are limited.
Factors that Play a Role: Inappropriate abilities, low need for career mobility, people working for longer, lay-offs, high competition, organizational needs, and flatter organizational structures.
Four Kinds of Plateaued Performers:
1. Productively Pleasantly Plateaued: High employee actions, high organizational actions.
2. Passively Plateaued: Low employee actions, high organizational actions.
3. Partially Plateaued: High employee actions, low organizational actions.
4. Negatively Plateaued: Low employee actions, low organizational actions.

Obsolescence

Definition: The degree to which an organization's professionals lack up-to-date knowledge or skills necessary to maintain effective performance in either their current or future work roles.
Three Personal Characteristics Associated with Low Levels of Obsolescence: High intellectual abilities, self-motivation, and personal adaptability.
Work Obsolescence Model: Balance between worker and job, retrain for technology, modify organization, and treat workers' behavior.
Organisational Actions to Reduce Obsolescence: Ensure proper training, educate the workforce, encourage growth, provide 360-degree feedback, implement periodic job changes, and encourage continuous learning.

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Description

Explore the different career anchors that drive individual motivations, including rewards, autonomy, security, and lifestyle. Understand what drives your career choices and goals. Take this quiz to discover your career anchor and unlock your professional potential.

Need-Based Career Anchors by Edgar Schein

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