Lisa A. Mainiero

Cross-Currents in the River of Time: Conceptualizing the Complexities of Women's Careers

Womenface a complex panorama of choices and constraints in their career and life development. This article presents an approach to the understanding of womens careers that (a) takes into account non-work as well as work issues; (b) incorporates subjective as well as objective measures of career and life success; (c) incorporates the influence of personal, organizational, and societalfactors on womens choices and outcomes; and (d) does not assume that womens careers go through a predictable sequence of stages over time. Such an approach is vastly differentfrom traditional models of mens careers. Implications of this approach for research, organizations, and mens careers are discussed.

Using the kaleidoscope career model to examine generational differences in work attitudes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine, utilising the Kaleidoscope Career Model, whether members of the Baby Boom generation and Generation X differ in their needs for authenticity, balance, and challenge.Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were obtained from 982 professionals located across the USA. Correlations, t‐tests, and multiple regressions were performed to test the hypotheses.Findings – Members of Generation X have higher needs for authenticity and balance than Baby Boomers. There was no difference in needs for challenge between Baby Boomers and members of Generation X.Research limitations/implications – A limitation in the study, as well as in most of the research on generational differences, is the use of cross‐sectional designs that fail to capture the influence of the aging process. A longitudinal, multi‐survey design over the lives of individuals would enable scholars to capture within‐ and between‐person differences and to permit a better understanding of whether difference...

Managerial Decision Making Regarding Alternative Work Arrangements

Alternative work arrangements that offer employees flexibility in the time and place of work have been found to be both popular with employees and beneficial for organizations. However, alternative work arrangement programmes that are implemented by organizations are likely to be ineffective unless they are supported by first-line managers. In this policy-capturing study, participants with managerial experience responded to vignettes in which they were asked to make decisions about whether to approve various subordinates’ requests for alternative work arrangements. As a group they tended to make decisions in accordance with their own short-term self-interest. Requests that were expected to be more disruptive to the conduct of work (e.g. requests from subordinates who were working on more critical tasks and possessed more special skills, requests for an unpaid leave of absence over requests for varying the work site) received less favourable decisions. However, cluster analysis revealed four distinct clusters of managers who employed fundamentally different decision policies. The results suggest that organizations need to take actions to ensure equity, consistency and a long-term orientation in managerial decisions about alternative work arrangements.

The changing nature of gender roles, alpha/beta careers and work-life issues: Theory-driven implications for human resource management

Purpose – The major purpose of this paper is to examine how gender differences impact the enactment of careers. An additional goal is to examine whether, as suggested by recent conceptualizations, careers are indeed becoming more boundaryless.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on the results of two in‐depth qualitative studies (n=52; n=27).Findings – Two major patterns were found that describe the careers of professionals in the contemporary workplace. One pattern is called the alpha career pattern: over the life span, people with this pattern first focus on challenge, then authenticity, and then balance. The second pattern is called the beta career pattern: over the life span, people with this pattern first focus on challenge, then balance, and then authenticity.Practical implications – This paper offers a framework that HR managers and other organizational leaders can use to increase the authenticity, balance and challenge experienced by their employees in order to enhance organizational ...

Using the Kaleidoscope Career Model to Understand the Changing Patterns of Women's Careers: Designing HRD Programs That Attract and Retain Women:

The problem and the solution. This article explores how a new model of careers can be used to suggest human resource development (HRD) programs that better match the unique career patterns of women. Traditional career stage models, which form the basis of many modern HRD practices, were created by studying mens careers and do not fit the complexities of womens careers. The purpose of this article is to discuss the Kaleidoscope Career Model as a means of understanding the needs of women workers and how organizations can systematically fulfill those needs to gain a competitive advantage. In addition to HRD implications, we also discuss directions for future research.

Strategies of upward influence: A cross-national comparison of Hong Kong and American managers

This study compares American and Hong Kong Chinese strategies for advancing in organisations. Evaluated are the likelihood of using a particular strategy, the perceived risk associated with each strategy, and the ethical appropriateness of the strategy. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine overall differences. Univariate analysis of variance identified the particular strategies that differentiated the American and Hong Kong respondents. For example, the Hong Kong Chinese were more likely to use informal information networks. The Americans were more likely to employ more individual strategies, such as image management, in order to differentiate themselves from the competition in their organisation.

Early Career Factors That Differentiate Technical Management Careers From Technical Professional Careers

This study investigated the early career factors that affect the decision to move from a technical professional job to a technical management position. Sixty scientists and engineers from two research and development (R & D) divisions in the chemical industry were interviewed about their early career decisions. The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis was used to analyze the data. Respondents were categorized into three groups: career technical professionals by choice, career technical professionals by default, and technical managers. Results indicated that favorable job structure, access to mentorslsponsors, and entrepreneurial initiative characterized technical managers and technical professionals by choice, whereas technical professionals by default were characterized by the absence of these factors. The implications of these findings for management research and practice are discussed.

Women's Kaleidoscope Careers: A New Framework for Examining Women's Stress Across the Lifespan

This chapter explores the linkage between the careers of women over the lifespan and their experience of stress. Traditional models of career stages were developed by studying mens careers and do not fit the complexities of womens careers. Several newer models of careers have appeared in the literature but none of these models adequately address the issues women face as they juggle work responsibilities and their family lives. We discuss the Kaleidoscope Career Model (KCM) as a means of understanding the parameters that may affect womens decision making about their careers and the relationship between these parameters and the experience of stress. Testable propositions based on this model using the Kaleidoscope Careers Self-assessment Inventory (KCSI) are included as ideas for future research. Recommendations for organizational programs and policies are also detailed.

No regrets? An investigation of the relationship between being laid off and experiencing career regrets

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the under‐examined topic of career regrets. Although much of the careers literature has examined factors that contribute to success, little research has been completed on the regrets individuals may experience as they enact their careers.Design/methodology/approach – A large internet sample of 1,480 professionals was used to examine whether individuals who had been laid off in their careers experienced greater career regrets.Findings – Individuals who had been laid off experienced greater regrets with regard to their political behavior (e.g. lack of networking, not being more politically savvy) and their career choices (e.g. not spending more time with their family, failing to pursue more meaningful work) than individuals who had not been laid off.Research limitations/implications – The findings may have limited generalizability because of the use of a cross‐sectional, internet‐based survey design.Practical implications – The regrets individuals have may i...

An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship between Perceived Position Power and Task and Career Sources of Dependency in Organizations

The basic concepts of Emersons theory of power-dependency relations were tested as they apply to managerial behavior in organizations. 53 managers were asked to complete a 7-point Likert-type questionnaire designed to determine perceptions of position power and their dependency on others for task and career reasons. Correlational and regression analyses on task and career dependency confirmed hypotheses that the more dependent one is on others, the less the perceived position power, and the greater the dependency of others for sources of career support, the greater the perceived position power. Implications of power-dependency theory for understanding managerial behavior in organizations are discussed.