Constructing a career counselling framework to guide adaptive behaviour

Abstract

This research focused on constructing a career counselling framework that could be applied for career development support in the context of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) in South Africa. The constructs of relevance to the research are adaptivity or adaptive readiness (operationalised by individuals’ career agility and psychological capital), adaptability resources (operationalised by individuals’ career adaptability) and mode of adaptedness (operationalised by individuals’ career resilience and overall career satisfaction) as an outcome. Individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics of age, gender, job level and tenure were treated as control variables to assess whether the relationship between the construct variables was conditional upon their sociodemographic characteristics and whether any significant group differences could be detected. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted on a random sample of (n = 412) DMRE employees. Correlation statistics revealed significant positive associations between the construct variables. The mediation analysis showed that career adaptability partially acted as an explanatory mechanism in understanding the link between both career agility and psychological capital and participants’ career resilience. Career agility and psychological capital also directly increased the likelihood of greater levels of career resilience and career satisfaction. The moderating results revealed that participants’ level of career resilience was conditional upon their tenure and mean scores on career agility. Their level of career satisfaction was conditional upon their job level and mean scores on psychological capital. The tests for significant mean differences showed that the age groups differed significantly regarding their mean scores on facets of career agility and career adaptability, including career resilience and personal resilience. The job level groups differed significantly regarding their mean scores on self-efficacy (psychological capital) and personal resilience (career resilience). The tenure groups differed significantly regarding facets of their career agility and career adaptability. Theoretically, the study extended the understanding of the relationship dynamics among constructs of career-adaptive behaviour. At an empirical level, the study delivered an empirically tested career counselling framework to guide organisational support interventions for adaptive behaviour. At a practical level, individual and organisational interventions regarding the career-adaptive counselling framework for enhancing career resilience and career satisfaction were recommended.

Lolu cwaningo lugxile ekwakhiweni kohlaka lokwelulekwa ngokwemisebenzi olungase lusetshenziselwe ukwesekwa kokuthuthukiswa kwemisebenzi ngokwesimo soMnyango Wezimbiwa Namandla (MWN) eNingizimu Afrika. Izakhiwo zokuhambisana nocwaningo ukuzivumelanisa nezimo noma ukulungela ukuzivumelanisa nezimo (okusetshenziswa ukushesha komuntu ngamunye kwezemisebenzi kanye nemali engokwengqondo), izinsiza zokuzivumelanisa nezimo (ezisetshenziswa ngokuguquguquka kwemisebenzi yomuntu ngamunye) kanye nendlela yokuzivumelanisa nezimo (okusetshenziswa ukuqina komuntu ngamunye emsebenzini kanye nokwaneliseka kwawo wonke umsebenzi) njengomphumela. Izici zomuntu ngamunye zokuhlalisana kwabantu yobudala, ubulili, izinga lomsebenzi kanye nesikhathi sokuhlala zithathwe njengezinto eziguquguqukayo zokulawula ukuze kuhlolwe ukuthi ubudlelwano phakathi kwezinto eziguquguqukayo zokwakha babunemibandela ezicini zabo zokuhlalisana komphakathi nokuthi noma yimuphi umehluko obalulekile weqembu ongatholwa. Inhlolovo yesimoi sezingxenye ezihlukene yenziwa ngesampula engahleliwe (n = 412) yabasebenzi be-DMRE. Izibalo zokuhlobana zembula ukuhlobana okubalulekile okuhle phakathi kokuguquguqukayo kokwakha. Ukuhlaziywa kokuxoxisana kubonise ukuthi ukuguquguquka kwemisebenzi kusebenze ngokwengxenye njengendlela echazayo ekuqondeni ukuxhumana phakathi kwakho kokubili ukushesha komsebenzi kanye nemali engokwengqondo kanye nokuqina komsebenzi wabahlanganyeli. Ukushesha emsebenzini kanye nemali engokwengqondo nakho kukhulise ngokuqondile amathuba okuba khona kwamazinga amakhulu okuqina emsebenzini kanye nokwaneliseka emsebenzini. Imiphumela yokumodareyitha iveze ukuthi izinga lokuqina labahlanganyeli lalincike esikhathini sabo sokuphatha kanye namaphuzu asho ukushesha emsebenzini. Izinga labo lokwaneliseka emsebenzini lalincike ezingeni labo lomsebenzi futhi lisho amaphuzu emalini yengqondo. Ukuhlolwa komehluko obalulekile wabonisa ukuthi amaqembu obudala ahluka kakhulu mayelana nenani lamaphuzu awo ezicini zokushesha emsebenzini nokuzivumelanisa nezimo emsebenzini, okuhlanganisa ukukhuthazela emsebenzini nokukhuthazela komuntu siqu. Amaqembu ezinga lomsebenzi ahluke kakhulu mayelana nenani lamaphuzu awo okusebenza kahle (imali engokwengqondo) kanye nokuqina komuntu siqu (ukuqina emsebenzini). Isikhathi sokuhlala samaqembu ahluke kakhulu mayelana nezici zekhono labo lomsebenzi kanye nokuzivumelanisa nezimo emsebenzini. Ezingeni lethiyori, ucwaningo lwandisa ukuqonda kokuguquguquka kobudlelwane phakathi kwezakhiwo zokuziphatha okuzivumelanisa nezimo emsebenzini. Ezingeni lobufakazi, ucwaningo lwethule uhlaka lokwelulekwa ngokwemisebenzi oluvivinywe ngokunamandla ukuze luqondise ukungenelela kokwesekwa kwenhlangano yokuziphatha okuguquguqukayo. Ezingeni elingokoqobo, ukungenelela komuntu ngamunye kanye nenhlangano ngokohlaka lokwelulekwa oluvumelana neokugculiseka emsebenzini ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukuqina emsebenzini kanye nokwaneliseka emsebenzini.

Hierdie navorsing het op die konstruksie van ’n loopbaanvoorligtingsraamwerk gefokus wat op loopbaanontwikkelingsteun in die konteks van die Departement van Minerale Hulpbronne en Energie (DMRE) in Suid-Afrika toegepas kan word. Die tersaaklike konstrukte vir die navorsing is aanpasbaarheid of aanpassingsgereedheid (geoperasionaliseer deur individue se loopbaanbeweeglikheid en sielkundige kapitaal), aanpasbaarheidhulpbronne (geoperasionaliseer deur individue se loopbaanaanpasbaarheid) en modus van aangepastheid (geoperasionaliseer deur individue se loopbaanveerkragtigheid en algehele loopbaantevredenheid) as uitkoms. Individue se sosiodemografiese eienskappe van ouderdom, geslag, posvlak en dienstyd is as beheerveranderlikes gehanteer om te assesseer of die verhouding tussen die konstrukveranderlikes aan hul sosiodemografiese eienskappe onderhewig is en of enige belangrike groepsverskille bespeur kan word. ’n Kwantitatiewe deursnee-opname is op ’n ewekansige steekproef van (n = 412) DMRE werknemers uitgevoer. Korrelasiestatistieke het beduidende positiewe assosiasies tussen die konstrukveranderlikes blootgelê. Die mediasieontleding het aangedui dat loopbaanaanpasbaarheid deels as verklarende meganisme opgetree het om die skakel tussen loopbaanbeweeglikheid en sielkundige kapitaal asook deelnemers se loopbaanveerkragtigheid te verstaan. Loopbaanbeweeglikheid en sielkundige kapitaal verhoog ook regstreeks die waarskynlikheid van groter vlakke van loopbaanveerkragtigheid en loopbaantevredenheid. Die modereringsresultate het getoon dat deelnemers se vlak van loopbaanveerkragtigheid van hul dienstyd en gemiddelde tellings met betrekking tot loopbaanbeweeglikheid afgehang het. Hul vlak van loopbaantevredenheid was aan hul posvlak en gemiddelde tellings met betrekking tot sielkundige kapitaal onderhewig. Die toetse vir beduidende gemiddelde verskille het aangedui dat die ouderdomsgroepe beduidend verskil met betrekking tot hul gemiddelde tellings vir fasette van loopbaanbeweeglikheid en loopbaanaanpasbaarheid, insluitend loopbaanveerkragtigheid en persoonlike veerkragtigheid. Die posvlakgroepe het beduidend verskil met betrekking tot hul gemiddelde tellings vir selfdoeltreffendheid (sielkundige kapitaal) en persoonlike veerkragtigheid (loopbaanveerkragtigheid). Die dienstydgroepe het beduidend verskil met betrekking tot fasette van hul loopbaanbeweeglikheid en loopbaanaanpasbaarheid. Op ’n teoretiese vlak het die studie die begrip van die verhoudingsdinamiek onder konstrukte van loopbaanaanpasbaarheidsgedrag uitgebrei. Op ʼn empiriese vlak het die studie ʼn empiries getoetste loopbaanvoorligtingsraamwerk daargestel om organisatoriese ondersteuningsingrypings vir aanpasbaarheidsgedrag te rig. Op ’n praktiese vlak is individuele en organisatoriese ingrypings aan die hand van loopbaanaanpasbaarheid voorligtingsraamwerk vir die versterking van loopbaanveerkragtigheid en loopbaantevredenheid aanbeveel.