Institute of management studies

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT
STUDIES
HUMAN RESOURC MANAGEMENT
Project Report on
Career management practices and programmers
Submitted to Submitted by
DR. RINKU SANJEEV Sumit giri-Bm013092
Shivnk palval-Bm013103

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many lives & destinies are destroyed due to the lack of proper guidance,
directions & opportunities. It is in this respect we feel that we are in
much better condition today due to continuous process of motivation &
focus provided by our parents & teachers in general. The process of
completion of this project was a tedious job & requires care & support at
all stages. We would like to highlight the role played by individuals
towards this. We are eternally grateful to our project guide DR. RINKU
SANJEEV for her keen interests in our project. We are also thankful to
all visible & invisible hands which helped us to complete this project
with a feeling of success.

DECLARATION
We hereby declare that the project work entitled, “Career
management practices and programmers ” submitted to
the INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, GHAZIABAD, is
a record of an original work done by us under the guidance of Mis
Rinku sanjeev, and this project work is submitted in the partial
fulfilment of the requirements of as an assignment in Post-Graduation
diploma in Management. We here by affirm that the work has been done
by us in all its aspects and results reported in this study are genuine and
true to best of our knowledge.
NAME OF STUDENT ROLL NO.
Sumit Giri BM-013092
Shivank paleval BM-013103

CERTIFICATION
This is to certify that the report of the project submitted is an outcome of the project work
entitled “Career management practices and programmers
” carried out by SUMIT GIRI BM013092, SHIVANK PALEVAL BM013103carried out
under my guidance and supervision. To the best of my knowledge the report:
 Embodies the work of the candidates themselves,
 Has duly been completed,
 Fulfills the requirement of the Ordinance relating to the PGDM.
 Is upto the desired standard for the purpose of which is submitted
Under Guidance:-
Dr. Rinku Sanjeev

CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION
2 Highlights
3 Diligence process
4 TIER ONE – PLANNING
5 TIER TWO –DEVELOPMENT
6 TIER THREE – ENGAGEMENT
7 References

INTRODUCTION
Many companies today are struggling with how to meet
employee expectations regarding career development and advancement
opportunities at a time when organizations are delayering and growth in
the U.S. has slowed. In order to address this concern, E. L. Goldberg &
Associates has collected career
management benchmark information and best practices from 34
organizations, representing a wide variety of industries. A supplemental
study collected data from 75 professionals regarding how they define
career success. Results indicate a significant shift in defining success in
terms of intrinsic satisfiers versus the traditional more objective
measures of success.
The benchmarking results reveal a major call to action for employers.
Employees’ perceptions of career development and opportunities is
frequently one of the lowest rated items on employee surveys, and
research shows this is one of the top predictors of employee
engagement. Despite this fact most companies subscribe to a philosophy
of career self-reliance, essentially abdicating their responsibility for
career management, leaving it up to the employee to figure out.
E. L. Goldberg & Associates believes that organizations can be more
proactive in career management holding managers more accountable for
understanding their employees’ career aspirations and educating
employees on their career options. In addition, managers need to devote
time to creating challenging opportunities that will contribute to
individual career growth and development. This report outlines several
best practices that participating companies utilize to facilitate career
management with both high-potential employees and the broader
employee population.

These practices can have an impact on changing employees perceptions
as two of the more innovative companies in this study reported that they
created greater retention and career development satisfaction by
providing people with development experiences versus simply a
promotion. It is time for organizations to change their career
management philosophies and become a more proactive partner in
helping employees build their career.
The global marketplace and ever-changing workforce have created the
need for organizations to engage human resources practices that
recognize their human capital as their major competitive advantage. In
fact, the current trends emphasize the growing demand for effective,
creative recruitment and retention initiatives. Most human resources
executives will cite the need to stay competitive with these initiatives as
one of their biggest challenges. One of the basic principles to assist with
this challenge is to embrace proactive and strategic career management
practices that can provide you with a strong foundation for gaining a
competitive edge.

Highlights
 A majority of survey respondents indicated that they define career
success as being engaged in challenging work, continuous
learning, having an impact (on people and the business), utilizing
one’s skills, doing work they are passionate about, work-life
balance, and the alignment of personal and company goals
 Forty-one percent of companies had an explicit career management
philosophy that was communicated to employees. In general this
philosophy stated “The employee owns his/her own career, the
manager facilitates it, and the organization provides resources to
support it.
 Half of the benchmarking companies indicated that their career
discussions between an employee and manager were not
formalized and the quality was highly dependent on the manager.
 Seventy-four percent of companies who had employee opinion
surveys said that satisfaction with career development and
advancement opportunities was a significant area of concern, if not
the biggest concern raised in the survey.
 Sixty-eight percent of benchmarking study participants reported
there are significantly fewer opportunities to advance in their
organization compared to the past.
 As a result of delayering and changes in business strategies, senior
leadership roles are requiring greater breadth than depth. This
requires a different strategy for career development.
 There is a shift in organizational terminology from “career ladder”
to “career lattice” or “career web.
 Many companies reported that when managers have strong talent,
they do everything they can to hold onto that talent, even if it is at
the detriment of the individual’s career growth opportunities. In

many organizations employees report it is easier to find a job
externally than it is to find a job internally.
 More than half of the companies surveyed indicate that their
Generation Y employees have higher, often unrealistic,
expectations about career advancement.
 Less than half of the participating organizations said they make an
effort to provide realistic expectations about advancement
opportunities.
 Companies offer a wealth of training opportunities for employees.
However, finding the time to take advantage of these offerings was
a significant issue.
 Based on this research it is recommended that organizations take a
more proactive approach to supporting, enabling, and developing
individuals across the organization and hold managers accountable
for developing their staff.
 Organizations should shift their language, and talk about “career
growth and development” in place of “career advancement.

Diligence process
A) Mission and Values: Does your organization have well-defined
mission and values? What are they?
B) Competitive Posture:Define your competitive posture – where
does your organization fit in the competitive landscape of your
industry – is it a leader, a stabilizer or a follower? Where would it
like to be within the marketplace?
C) Culture:Identify the culture of your organization as a whole. Does
it strive to embrace its people practices as one of the key factors
that will determine success and contribute to the creation of a best
practices, leading edgeand/or world-class organization?
D) Goals and Strategy:Review the short and long term business
goals of your organization and the strategies you have in place to
accomplish those goals?
E) Talent Assessment:Assess your talent - What are the existing
competencies, skills, knowledge and abilities needed to achieve
those goals and do they currently exist within your organization.If
they do not exist, where are the gaps and how will you address
those gaps?
F) Career Management Initiatives - Investigate and assess the
appropriate career management initiatives that will begin to
address the gaps as well as extend the level of competency you
strive to achieve and build for the future. Once you have identified
the appropriate models for your organization, begin your Efforts –
Educate, Engage, Enthuse, Emulate and Elevate. There are several
career management initiatives to explore. The ones that are most
appropriate will be determined by your due diligence process. An
organization that strives to be a fast-paced, fastgrowing leader in
their industry, create a brand name and be sought after as an
employer of choice will adopt different programs than an
organization which strives to be a solid, well-established and sound
player within their industry with a reputation for stability,
longevity and steady growth. They both want to recruit, develop

and retain the top talent in their field but may engage different
approaches in achieving that end result. What is the array of
possible career management practices that a company can develop
to ensure competitive advantage? Let’s look at it through a three-tier
approach.

TIER ONE – PLANNING
 Competency Models and Performance Criteria: Establish
competency models for each role within your organization with
specific, well-define performance criteria for success that can be
assessed, measured and evaluated regularly. This creates a solid
basis for accountability as well as assists you with the process of
identifying the necessary skill-sets required to meet company goals
and objectives and departmental deliverables. It then allows you to
begin to realize what gaps may exist in your current skill-sets and
the need to develop career paths, development programs and/or
training initiatives.
 Career Development and Career Planning: In-house focus
on the planning and development of employee growth and
progression is vital to the investment in your organization’s talent.
Companies that proactively engage employees in continuous
learning initiatives in a manner that embraces their involvement
and input increase their loyalty and commitment. Cross-functional
options, divisional mobility, short-term and long-term plans for
identifying and recognizing potential are key for retention.
Planning for the future and creating a development plan that
recognizes employee’s interests, potential and growth is essential
and can set you apart from your competition.
 Career Pathing: Creating clearly established career paths and
families of jobs within a given area allows employees a vision of
progression as well as setting goals and expectations to strive
toward. When you have a clear progression of growth with specific
criteria to be met to achieve each level, employees will be aware of
what needs to be accomplished to reach the next phase.They will
also see a continuous road of opportunity and challenge as they
develop their skills, competencies and knowledge within their
field. Support from management, with a high level of commitment

to the continuous development necessary to earn each level is
paramount for success.
 Employee Development: Invest in developing programs and
initiatives organizations, this is a role that the Human Resources
organizations take on in a generalist capacity, in a Learning &
Development capacity and/or choose to outsource to a career
management professional. In any case, today’s marketplace
demands a focus to these initiatives.that are designed to further.
 Cross-Functional Development Programs: Establishing
cross-functional development programs for mobility throughout
various lines of your business has many benefits. First, it allows
for company-wide education so that all employees gain a better
appreciation for the effects of their roles on the whole business and
each of its components. Second, it creates highly effective teams
that are more collaborative and cooperative. Third, it builds
additional internal resources and competencies. Last but not least,
once again, this is an outstanding way to invest in enhance all of
the existing skill-sets as well as those that are necessary for your
organization to be successful. Investigate the trends, patterns and
practices within your industry and create programs that allow
employees to gain the competencies needed to be at the top of their
game within these areas. Prepare employees with the required
skills and knowledge to do their part in gaining the leverage
necessary to keep ahead of their colleagues within the industry.
The key with development is to be equally committed during the
difficult and trying times as you are during the prospering days.
This requires ongoing commitment to formal development plans.
 Learning & Development Initiatives: A proactive Learning
and Development organization dedicated to the on-going efforts of
identifying and assessing organizational needs, designing and
delivering required programs, and continuous evaluation and
enhancement is one of most important factors for staying of the

competition as well as for retaining your top talent. Senior
management beginning with your CEO and cascading throughout
the is essential. It is a way of life for every employee, supervisor,
manager and executive - they embrace and engage in all of your
learning and development initiatives as a critical part of doing their
jobs
 Succession Planning: Formal succession plans are an
important part of preparing and planning for the future of your
organization. Identify the high potentials in your organization as
well as those key performers that you could not afford to lose.
Look at your current management team and target those who
would be appropriate successors to your current leaders. What are
the future plans of your executives? Who will succeed them? Are
they being groomed, trained and mentored to do so? Avoid losing
your high potentials and key performers. Tapping into your talent
and planning a future for them is a tried and true way of retaining
your talent.

TIER TWO –DEVELOPMENT
 Management Coaching: Providing individual coaching for
executives and management is an important part of their
development and succession within your organization. It ensures
the support they need to grow and enhance their skills. Coaching is
one way of preparing them to better lead, manage and develop
their staff. It allows them an opportunity to work onthe areas that
need improvement as well as for better self-awareness, goalsetting
and problem-solving. Be sure to pay especially close attention to
newer managers who have yet to develop their management habits
and patterns. Invest wisely and proactively to ensure you are
building the right mix of skills and competencies within your
management team so as to create strong and effective leaders
throughout your organization.
 Mentors/Advisors: Build a team of mentors and advisors
throughout your organization and pair them with your key
performers. Look internally and externally to provide the kind of
mentoring that is critical to achieve ultimate success and depth of
knowledge. A strong mentor program wins employee collaboration
and partnership in a unique way. It’s an exceptional process for
building relationships, trust and loyalty throughout your company.
It engages a level of commitment and dedication that is very deep
and strong. As a professional’s career matures, sound advice and
counsel are crucial for making decisions and gaining perspective.
Organizations that provide this type of access are leaders and reap
immediate rewards.
 Performance Management/Performance Feedback:
Organizations that have effective performance management
programs are developed, implemented and executed in a way that
is endorsed by senior management. Consistent and regular
feedback must be included in the plan. Managers are also

measured by their ability to give feedback and assess staff
performance with clear objectives and attainable goals
Accountability is the focus. Input and involvement from the
individual is critical.A well-educated workforce within their
industry and profession as well as recognition for outstanding
performanceis a priority.
.
 Competitive Reward Systems: What is your organization’s
philosophy and culture regarding how you compensate and reward
employees? Is it to stay ahead of the competition, stay on par or to
lag behind? Taking a position on your rewards systems and
policies can set the stage for all of your career management
initiatives and compliment the programs you have in place.
Typically, if you have competitive reward and pay programs, you
are likely to have strong career management practices. It is
appropriate to see the two going hand in hand and selecting
strategies that allow you to link and balance the two.The key is to
view your overall strategy as the foundation and create a vision
that takes a big picture perspective and approach.
 Career Centers: Many organizations have begun to invest in on-site
career professionals and/or career centers that are dedicated to
the creation, development implementation maintenance and
evaluation of their career management initiatives. In smaller
organizations, this is a role that the Human Resources
organizations take on in a generalist capacity, in a Learning &
Development capacity and/or choose to outsource to a career
management professional. In any case, today’s marketplace
demands a focus to these initiatives.
 Cross-Functional Development Programs: Establishing
cross-functional development programs for mobility throughout
various lines of your business has many benefits. First, it allows
for company-wide education so that all employees gain a better
appreciation for the effects of their roles on the whole business and

each of its components. Second, it creates highly effective teams
that are more collaborative and cooperative. Third, it builds
additional internal resources and competencies.Last but not least,
once again, this is an outstanding way to invest in developing and
retaining staff on a longterm basis by enriching their skills and
knowledge.

TIER THREE – ENGAGEMENT
 Diversity Initiatives: Engaging in diversity initiatives that
embrace the value of having differences in your organization’s
workforce are expectations of today’s marketplace. People are
enticed to companies that are leaders in diversity efforts. What is
your corporate culture? Do senior executives truly embrace
diversity as a company philosophy and do they embody that
message in their actions? How committed is your organization to
providing opportunities for all employees and to what lengths do
they go to make that happen? What is communicated in all of your
company literature? Is diversity incorporated into your
management goals as well as your training and development
initiatives for management? Creating best practices around your
diversity initiatives is a key driver for talentretention and career
management
 Best Practices: Do you know what is considered to be “best
practices” within your industry? Keep ahead of your competition
and build a sustainable talent management process by building best
practices that adopt the notion that human capital is your best asset
and strong people practices are one of the main ingredients for
success. Leaders in any industry typically have that common
theme—they have a culture that recognizes their people practices
among the key elements that enable them to retain leadership
positions within their industries. Have a welldefined mission,
values and culture and educate yourselves to know the other best
practices necessary in your industry for building a world-class
organization
 On-Going Talent Assessment: Continuously maintain efforts
to assess your talent. Know your in-house skills,
abilities,knowledge and competencies. Identify your strengths,
weaknesses and opportunities. Understand the needed skill sets to

achieve your company’s goals and objectives and realize where the
gaps are. This needs to be an on-going effort of evaluation and
assessment. Develop managers to be good leaders—empower them
with the knowledge, ability and authority to address areas for
improvement with proactive, progressive and immediate solutions.
 Rotational Programs: Highly effective rotational programs
bring in new/young talent and rotate them throughout various
functions of an organization giving them six to nine months
training in many roles culminating in a three- to five-year program
that has produced a well-trained, well-developed with a unique
depth of knowledge. This can prepare them to master all the
functions of an area that would not be gained in a more traditional
entre to the company.
 Flexible Work Arrangements- Work/Life Balance:
Organizations that advocate flexible work arrangements and a
priority to work/life balance as a business strategy for attracting
and retaining talent are on the forefront of today’s workforce
demands. Many studies indicate flexibility is one of the top three
factors employees want in their jobs. This is no longer an issue for
one population of the workforce but runs across all demographics.
It ranges from the younger population consisting of the generation
X and Y groups to the baby boomers in their pre-retirement years.
The needs vary as well from child care to elder care, extensive
commutes to extensive travel, pursuing degrees to pursuing a better
quality of life. This is the reality of the 21st century and the
organizations that recognize it as a competitive business strategy
and an effective career management practice will be the ones
attracting and retaining the talent.
 Knowledge Management: Knowledge management practices
can have a big impact on organizational development and
organizational effectiveness. It can be defined as a formal and
directed process of determining what information contained within

an organization could benefit other people within the company, the
industry, as well as the general business community...and then
creating ways to make this information easily accessible. Reaching
out to experts in this arena can be useful and beneficial to leverage
the knowledge that you have within your organization.
 Networking Opportunities: Last but not least, extremely savvy
networking skills are a requirement of all professionals to be
successful and effective in their careers. Organizations that train
their staff on networking and allow opportunities for networking
will stand ahead of their competition across all venues – business
development, talent management, customer service, employee
relations, organizational development, organizational
effectiveness, return on investment, market share, etc. etc. etc.
Support your employees in developing, enhancing and managing
their networking efforts. Gain momentum and never stop.

References
www.ddiworld.com/DDIWorld/media/white-papers/
ninebestpracticetalentmanagement_wp_ddi.pdf?ext=.pdf
www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/159199/whistling-july09-
full-report.pdf
www.oracle.com/us/media1/talent-retention-6-best-practices-
1676595.pdf
www.unitedwaytoronto.com/downloads/whatwedo/reports/youthbest
practices-finalpublicreport.pdf
www.k12.wa.us/research/pubdocs/PromisingProgramsandPractices.PDF

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