Browsing by Subject "kehityssuunnitelma"

It has been necessary to broaden the traditional definition of careers to better reflect the diversity of contemporary careers. Careers are no longer seen as a ladder, but they move in several directions. The conceptual change in careers have put pressure on organizations to react, which is reflected in the effort to support their employees’ career paths. Different career planning tools, such as an individual development plan, have thus become an important way for organizations to value their expertise and ensure keeping competence in the company. The aim of this research is to form understanding of the views the employees of Unilever have on career planning and how an individual development plan works as a tool for their career planning. The study also seeks to identify career anchors in the interviewees' speeches and to relate them to their perceptions of career planning. In addition, the goal is that the results will help Unilever to support better their employees' career development and to develop career planning processes and tools. The framework of the thesis is based on two types of theoretical background. The subject is examined through a conceptual change of careers and a career anchor theory based on Edgar Schein's research. Approaching career anchor theory based on Schein's studies and complementary conceptualization. The research material was collected by interviewing nine Unilever employees in spring 2019. The research method is qualitative and empirical data was analyzed by content analysis. The results of this study show that the participants' views on careers were in line with previous studies. Opportunities to develop oneself, learning new and challenging tasks were seen as vital elements of the work career. In addition, four different career anchors were identified from the interviewees so that each of them had two simultaneously dominant anchors.