Career capital components and their accrual : a senior management and executive perspective

Abstract

The specialised knowledge and skills of an organisationÕs human capital, which enable organisations to compete within the largely knowledge-based, global economy, have become the main source of sustained competitive advantage for organisations. Senior Managers and Executives, in carrying out their mandate of providing strategic direction to and managing the aforementioned human capital, rely on a portfolio of skills and competencies, amassed throughout their careers, collectively termed career capital, to enable them to effectively fulfil their roles. The aim of this study was: (i) to identify the career capital components of Senior Managers and Executives: (ii) to identify the methods used in the accrual of these career capital components; and (iii) to identify the career capital components that have been instrumental in enabling the career advancement of Senior Managers and Executives. A qualitative, exploratory research study was carried out using semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with nine Executives and ten Senior Managers of a large South African manufacturing entity. These individuals were either based at the organisationÕs head office or at one of the organisationÕs operating hubs. Data was analysed using the content and frequency analysis technique which involved the gathering and compressing of large interview data into specific and identifiable content categories and drawing inferences from the analysis thereof. The final outcomes of the study were illustrated in an adapted model, the CCCP model, which relates career capital to generic organisational career pipeline levels; these include Senior Manager and Executive levels. Presented in this model are key career capital components required at the various organisational pipeline levels, the most effective methods used in the acquisition thereof per level and career capital components which serve as enablers for career advancement per pipeline level. The study adds to the findings of existing career capital and leadership development literature.