BDO 329M2 SU1
Unit 1.1 – Changes in the world of work and careers
Discuss and apply the key characteristics of the changing meaning of work:
▪ The means of making a living, being occupied, fulfilling a vocation, developing and utilising
skills, fulfilling needs, contributing to an all-embracing lifestyle or fulfilling a life purpose.
Key fears employees may face in the digital era:
Fear: Digitisation will lead to the disappearance of work, as a result of automation and the use
of cognitive technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI):
o Large no of jobs in sales, services can be automated in 1/ more decades
o Workers with high education/ income have lower risk than low-skilled
o Work left= more interpretive & service- orientated
o Higher-level human capacities, like problem-solving, data interpretation, customer
service, will rise in importance and be an integral requirement for people’s employability
Fear: Technological progress will lead to mass unemployment, dehumanised work and an
increase in job loss:
o Although AI will take over jobs, there will be new jobs due to entrepreneurial and
technological savvy in creation of new occupations & industries may be underestimated
o AI removes routine and transactional jobs, which gives human more “human work”,
therefore, the role of people will have importance & value (problem-solving)
o Socioeconomic challenges, & inadequate education and training relating to development
of higher-level skills demanded by Industry 4.0, limits digital transformation of
workplaces, future employability and mobility of the workforce
Critically debate the features that characterize the workplace of the digital era
▪ Organisations are becoming self-driven (creating a culture), agile and data driven.
▪ Jobs for life are a thing of the past > work is seen as a sequence of evolving multiple job roles
▪ Management of workforces – traditional and alternative workforces
▪ Employee Autonomy and control of jobs-Job crafting
▪ Need for fewer full-time workers and higher skill demand
▪ Increased use of Artificial Intelligence or AI in HRM-Training feedback etc
▪ AI as a key recruitment tool > AI keeps all data for recruitment
▪ Use of AI to automate and augment work- Intrapersonal competencies (critical thinking skills);
interpersonal comp (emotional labour) ; interdigital comp (digital familiarity) and intradigital
competencies (engagement in policies & procedures)
▪ Flatter organisational structures create a greater need for internal talent mobility
©Megan Meiring
,Define the concept of protean career (pc)
Pc- one that emphasises a self-directed approach to the career and a career that is driven by
one’s own values
Pc- process which the person, not the organisation, is managing. It consists of all the person’s
varied experiences in education, training, work in several organisations, changes in
occupational field and so forth
Characterised by a mindset about a career, that is:
psychological success
self-direction
freedom and autonomy
choices based on personal values
continuous learning
personal responsibility
Offers five forms of flexibility:
1. It provides new ways of career thinking> Flexible moves btwn diff lines of work
2. It provides flexibility in terms of career space > work & family issues
3. It allows workers to work from home> formal/ informal
4. Employability-based, psychological contract
5. Mindset about personal growth and learning experiences rather than salary or
promotions that enhance one’s employability
Protean nature of lifelong learning is characterised by psychological empowerment, which
involves four cognitions:
➢ The meaning and value of a work goal or purpose
➢ The belief in one’s ability and competence to perform activities
➢ Self-determination or the sense of having a choice in regulating one’s action
➢ The impact or degree to which one can influence outcomes at work
Differentiate between and explain the concepts of career adaptation(ca) :
→ Ca- moves beyond survival to the proactive adjustment by individuals to ensure they remain
future-fit and sustain their employability, career satisfaction and well-being
→ psychological and behavioural aspects
→ Individuals must first develop adaptive readiness, which activates the use of adaptability
resources
→ Individual’s ca resources are important career-related strengths that, when optimally employed,
facilitate appropriate adapting responses in the form of career self-management and career
development behaviours that help address changing work and career conditions
©Megan Meiring
, Adaptive readiness (adaptivity)
1. Career motivation- three major domains: career identity, career insight & career resilience- they
describe an individual’s psychological readiness to grow as a person and adapt to change.
Career identity- degree to which people define themselves by their work and org. Identity develops
through occupying certain roles. 3 levels: individual, relational self & collective levels of self
Career insight- extent to which the person has realistic perceptions of him-or herself and the
organisation, and the extent to which the person relates these perceptions to career goals.
Includes self-knowledge> aware of one’s strengths & weaknesses.
Career resilience- ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Derives from the concepts of
hardiness, self-efficacy and achievement motivation.
2. Career agility- signals an individual’s adaptive readiness or willingness to adapt and proactively
respond to technological change. (increases career motivation& confidence) Determined by:
▪ Technological adaptivity- ees who are generally positive about technological innovation and
evolution
▪ Capability for agile learning- ees who are generally eager to search for opportunities to learn
new skills that will improve their career and job success
▪ Career navigation orientation-shows that individuals are willing to scan the environment for
new career opportunities and to take advantage of changes in the job and career environment
Adaptability resources
Career adaptability
implies individuals’ psychosocial readiness to engage in the use of resources proactively and
confidently for coping with:
o current and imminent developmental vocational tasks
o changing work and working conditions
o occupational transitions
o work traumas
Individual career adaptability grows in four resources: (build foundation for career success,
sustainable employability, future adaptability and growth)
1. Career concern: ‘Do I have a future?’ The individual shows concern for his or her future
career agility and career maturity
Supported by career motivation,
and is engaged in planning for it by being aware, involved and prepared.
Characteristics= forward-thinking
2. Career control: ‘Who owns my future?’ The individual engages and exerts control over
his or her future through decision-making, determination and agency. Characteristics=
accountable
©Megan Meiring
Unit 1.1 – Changes in the world of work and careers
Discuss and apply the key characteristics of the changing meaning of work:
▪ The means of making a living, being occupied, fulfilling a vocation, developing and utilising
skills, fulfilling needs, contributing to an all-embracing lifestyle or fulfilling a life purpose.
Key fears employees may face in the digital era:
Fear: Digitisation will lead to the disappearance of work, as a result of automation and the use
of cognitive technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI):
o Large no of jobs in sales, services can be automated in 1/ more decades
o Workers with high education/ income have lower risk than low-skilled
o Work left= more interpretive & service- orientated
o Higher-level human capacities, like problem-solving, data interpretation, customer
service, will rise in importance and be an integral requirement for people’s employability
Fear: Technological progress will lead to mass unemployment, dehumanised work and an
increase in job loss:
o Although AI will take over jobs, there will be new jobs due to entrepreneurial and
technological savvy in creation of new occupations & industries may be underestimated
o AI removes routine and transactional jobs, which gives human more “human work”,
therefore, the role of people will have importance & value (problem-solving)
o Socioeconomic challenges, & inadequate education and training relating to development
of higher-level skills demanded by Industry 4.0, limits digital transformation of
workplaces, future employability and mobility of the workforce
Critically debate the features that characterize the workplace of the digital era
▪ Organisations are becoming self-driven (creating a culture), agile and data driven.
▪ Jobs for life are a thing of the past > work is seen as a sequence of evolving multiple job roles
▪ Management of workforces – traditional and alternative workforces
▪ Employee Autonomy and control of jobs-Job crafting
▪ Need for fewer full-time workers and higher skill demand
▪ Increased use of Artificial Intelligence or AI in HRM-Training feedback etc
▪ AI as a key recruitment tool > AI keeps all data for recruitment
▪ Use of AI to automate and augment work- Intrapersonal competencies (critical thinking skills);
interpersonal comp (emotional labour) ; interdigital comp (digital familiarity) and intradigital
competencies (engagement in policies & procedures)
▪ Flatter organisational structures create a greater need for internal talent mobility
©Megan Meiring
,Define the concept of protean career (pc)
Pc- one that emphasises a self-directed approach to the career and a career that is driven by
one’s own values
Pc- process which the person, not the organisation, is managing. It consists of all the person’s
varied experiences in education, training, work in several organisations, changes in
occupational field and so forth
Characterised by a mindset about a career, that is:
psychological success
self-direction
freedom and autonomy
choices based on personal values
continuous learning
personal responsibility
Offers five forms of flexibility:
1. It provides new ways of career thinking> Flexible moves btwn diff lines of work
2. It provides flexibility in terms of career space > work & family issues
3. It allows workers to work from home> formal/ informal
4. Employability-based, psychological contract
5. Mindset about personal growth and learning experiences rather than salary or
promotions that enhance one’s employability
Protean nature of lifelong learning is characterised by psychological empowerment, which
involves four cognitions:
➢ The meaning and value of a work goal or purpose
➢ The belief in one’s ability and competence to perform activities
➢ Self-determination or the sense of having a choice in regulating one’s action
➢ The impact or degree to which one can influence outcomes at work
Differentiate between and explain the concepts of career adaptation(ca) :
→ Ca- moves beyond survival to the proactive adjustment by individuals to ensure they remain
future-fit and sustain their employability, career satisfaction and well-being
→ psychological and behavioural aspects
→ Individuals must first develop adaptive readiness, which activates the use of adaptability
resources
→ Individual’s ca resources are important career-related strengths that, when optimally employed,
facilitate appropriate adapting responses in the form of career self-management and career
development behaviours that help address changing work and career conditions
©Megan Meiring
, Adaptive readiness (adaptivity)
1. Career motivation- three major domains: career identity, career insight & career resilience- they
describe an individual’s psychological readiness to grow as a person and adapt to change.
Career identity- degree to which people define themselves by their work and org. Identity develops
through occupying certain roles. 3 levels: individual, relational self & collective levels of self
Career insight- extent to which the person has realistic perceptions of him-or herself and the
organisation, and the extent to which the person relates these perceptions to career goals.
Includes self-knowledge> aware of one’s strengths & weaknesses.
Career resilience- ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Derives from the concepts of
hardiness, self-efficacy and achievement motivation.
2. Career agility- signals an individual’s adaptive readiness or willingness to adapt and proactively
respond to technological change. (increases career motivation& confidence) Determined by:
▪ Technological adaptivity- ees who are generally positive about technological innovation and
evolution
▪ Capability for agile learning- ees who are generally eager to search for opportunities to learn
new skills that will improve their career and job success
▪ Career navigation orientation-shows that individuals are willing to scan the environment for
new career opportunities and to take advantage of changes in the job and career environment
Adaptability resources
Career adaptability
implies individuals’ psychosocial readiness to engage in the use of resources proactively and
confidently for coping with:
o current and imminent developmental vocational tasks
o changing work and working conditions
o occupational transitions
o work traumas
Individual career adaptability grows in four resources: (build foundation for career success,
sustainable employability, future adaptability and growth)
1. Career concern: ‘Do I have a future?’ The individual shows concern for his or her future
career agility and career maturity
Supported by career motivation,
and is engaged in planning for it by being aware, involved and prepared.
Characteristics= forward-thinking
2. Career control: ‘Who owns my future?’ The individual engages and exerts control over
his or her future through decision-making, determination and agency. Characteristics=
accountable
©Megan Meiring
