Abstract
The concept of career by its very nature has evoked a variety of responses and involves study across disciplines. Despite the various approaches, most discourse regarding career is often taken from an external or objective viewpoint. But what does career mean to individuals? How are individuals constructing and making sense of their career? These questions capture the essence of this thesis, which discusses findings from a study into the intertwined notion of a subjective and objective career.
I have taken a qualitative approach in three organisations that have undergone significant organisational change. The methods involved a mixture of interviews, survey and a small amount of participant observation. The data was analysed looking for commonalities and themes from what the participants were saying. The framework for this analysis predominantly utilised sensemaking techniques, but also reflects the ideas of Barley's (1989) application of structuration theory. The analysis resulted in the identification of six themes that reflect participants' meanings of career. These are advancement, 'area of work', enjoyment, change, learning and personal development.
The results indicate that participants are using both traditional and 'new career' discourse in the sense making process. It appears that there are two main aspects occurring when making sense of career. Firstly, it appears that the 'new career' is not fundamentally new and is more a change in discourse than everyday notions of career.
Secondly, there is an objectification of previous subjective factors that bring them into the external realm. This places the 'new career' on shaky ground. This thesis provides a perspective to assist in the process of filling the subjective gap, whilst discussing the implications of these findings for management practice.