Career Mobility and Branding in the Civil Service: An Empirical Study Jack K. Ito This paper investigates recruitment and mobility patterns, and builds and tests a model that predicts voluntary turnover. The findings include why current e m p l o y e e s joined, their motivations and problems in seeking posi­ tions o n c e in the public service, and issues in transition m a n a g e m e n t . T h e model found that promotion stress and c o m m i t m e n t w e r e primary c a u s e s for seeking new positions. However, this search favored remaining in the civil service. T h e model also suggested the importance of supervisory support in addressing a number of career issues. Implications are drawn for meeting challenges including recruiting and retaining the "new a g e " e m p l o y e e , and managing the more calculative relationship b e t w e e n employee and organization.

T

his article is concerned with recruiting, mobility patterns, exploring organiza­ tional conditions that influence career dimensions such as promotion stress, and predicting intended turnover. Human resource management is challenged

by demographic trends as "baby boomers" approach retirement to b e replaced by "new age" employees, and labor demand exceeds supply, exacerbating existing con­ 1

cerns about the age distribution within the civil service. These trends magnify the effects o f an increasingly calculative individual — organization relationship, and con­ cerns about career security and mobility, including voluntary turnover.

2

Understand­

ing career issues helps in developing and retaining employees and, by improving practices, contributes to organizational image and the ability to attract applicants. A brand evokes emotional and rational expectations o f a product or service, and provides information that distinguishes the brand from its competitors (e.g. the Nike logo in sports products) .3 T h e brand concept, extended to human resource practices, enables organizations to differentiate themselves from their competitors in the labour market. For example, 3 M supports its innovation strategy through such HR practices as allowing individuals to devote up to 15% o f their time on their own projects. These practices, publicized through the media, facilitate recruiting applicants attracted by such work environments. Moreover, organizations may seek to change public per­ ceptions about the reality o f their human resource practices and the nature o f the work environment. To b e effective, branding must reflect the reality o f the work enviPublic Personnel M a n a g e m e n t

Volume 3 2 No. 1 Spring 2 0 0 3

1

ronment and HR policies, otherwise, the contradictions may b e viewed as unethical and serve to discourage potential applicants. S o m e answers to the following questions may help organizations in the public sector to improve the career opportunities o f their staff and to help develop a "brand strategy" to enhance the effectiveness o f recruitment and retention policies. • What aspects o f civil service careers may help attract applicants and to retain existing staff? • "What are s o m e characteristics o f careers and mobility patterns in the civil service? • How can organizations improve the opportunities for meaningful careers?

The

Study

This paper is based on a sample drawn from technical, professional, and managerial staff, where recruitment and retention pose the most concern, from several Govern­ ment Departments in Western Canada. T h e sample size o f 3 1 0 respondents consists of 172 non-supervisory staff, 8 8 first-line supervisors or managers, and 4 9 second-line managers or above. O f the sample, 291 were permanent employees, and 19 were term employees. For other information s e e content note 1. A majority o f the questions have b e e n employed verbatim or slightly modified from other studies. The remaining items were written specifically for this study based upon the literature and on discussions with HR professionals. Most o f the items were measured on a 5-point scale, with only the end points described. These were 1 = strongly agree; 5 = strongly disagree and 1 = very great extent; 5 = very little extent. In the analysis, the mean o f the scores is presented, followed by the percentage scoring either (1) or ( 2 ) . T h e sample charac­ teristics are provided in the content footnote 1. they are quite similar to those found in a 1999 publication on career development in the Canadian federal public service. Many o f the questions regarding seeking positions and mobility in the public service were either taken or deduced from statements in this publication.

4

Seeking Positions in the Public Service In investigating why people are attracted to the public sector, s o m e studies use easi­ ly communicated factors such as income, job security and the desire to help others and b e useful to society.5 Other studies concern organizational conditions that are 6

hard to describe to the public (e.g., quality o f supervisor — employee relations). In this study the respondents were asked why they joined the public service. In descend­ ing order of importance, the reasons were: (1) timing o f the j o b offer was right (1.57; 89%);

(2) opportunity to apply academic background and related education (2.18;

69%);

(3) career opportunities within the public service (2.71; 4 8 % ) ; (4) extent to

which private or non profit jobs were seriously considered (2.79; 4 7 % ) ; (5) salary (2.85; 4 1 % ) ; (5) opportunity to serve the public (2.85; 4 1 % ) ; and (6) the good repu­ tation o f the Department making the offer (3.17; 29%). While this was not a study of

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Volume 3 2 N o . 1 Spring 2 0 0 3

recent recruits, there were n o age or experience effects, a finding consistent with a recent study.

7

The importance o f timing suggests the need for rapid decision-making, perhaps through greater decentralization o f the selection process; and the desire to use one's academic background implies the importance o f early job — person fit. That 47% o f respondents had been attracted by non-public service positions indicates the need for aggressive recruiting at post secondary institutions. However, 30% o f the respondents did not seriously consider the private or not for profit sector; and serving the public was as important as salary. This predisposition for public service positions may inform branding in recruitment strategy. Once recruited, this sample o f public employees sought career paths largely within the public service, implying that o n c e hired, con­ tinued investments in knowledge and skills helped to retain their services. About 5 1 % o f the respondents had been employed full time in the private or not for profit sectors: 19 entered as managers and 139 as professional or technical staff. Their experience in adapting to the public sector is an important consideration from both the individual and the employer perspective. Table 1 . Adapting t o the public

sector

Past experience related to work in Department?

2.37

65%

Transfer knowledge from past experience to Department?

1.66

86%

Adapt to Department in a reasonable length of time?

1.67

90%

Adjustment took about as m u c h effort as expected before accepting position?

2.31

61%

Respondents generally had little difficulty in adapting to the public service envi­ ronment, a fact that may help in recruiting individuals currently in the private or not for profit sectors. However, this interpretation is tempered since it is unknown how easy or difficult the transition might have been for those who entered, then left the public service. Moreover, the reasons why they were attracted did not differ from those who began their careers in the public sector, except for their search in the pri­ vate or not for profit sector (2.53 versus 3.05; indicating greater consideration o f these sectors) and their ability to apply knowledge and skills (2.03 versus 2.33). Interest­ ingly, there was no difference regarding the opportunity to serve the public. Thus, it appears that those who moved from the private or not for profit sectors were moti­ vated strongly by the ability to apply their previously acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities. Therefore the message that the public service offers opportunities that the other sectors may not, may b e quite effective. It may b e useful to research questions such as how specific opportunities provide a competitive advantage to the public sec­ tor. While speculative, it may b e easier for individuals in the private or not-for-profit sectors to move into the public service than vice versa (easy transition into the pub­ lic service but reluctance to leave). The study was also concerned with why people sought their current position.

Career Mobility and Branding

3

T a b l e 2.

Reasons for seeking the current

position Staff

Supervisors

Better utilized knowledge, skills, a n d abilities

2.02

75%

1.87

83%

Higher level of responsibility

2.80

46%

2.08

80%

Higher salary

2.93

44%

2.55

58%

Greater contribution t o the public service

2.93

38%

2.42

57%

The use o f knowledge and skills remained a significant factor in seeking posi­ tions within the public service. T h e finding that supervisors sought management posi­ tions to satisfy needs for exercising responsibility is consistent with literature in this area. And, service to the public sector remains a "background" variable. Moreover, managers and supervisors feel they can adapt to other positions quite easily. T h e responses to the questions are as follows: (1) My management KSA enable m e to have many career options in the civil service (2.71; 4 1 % agreeing); (2) My management KSA can b e applied to other Departments (2.03; 78%); and (3) I can learn specifics o f other Departments in reasonable length o f time (1.67; 87%). T h e response to the last ques­ tion is surprising since they later respond that knowledge o f the work unit is impor­ tant to their effectiveness as supervisors. These results suggest that, while they may be optimistic, managers and supervisors feel that they are mobile and seek growth in using their knowledge and skills and in higher levels o f responsibility. These are both factors in retaining individuals, as well as a "story" around which a recruitment and retention campaign can b e developed.

Mobility Individual career plans are integral in understanding mobility. Three years was chosen as an appropriate time horizon, based upon advice received from human resource management professionals. T h e question posed below was asked in which 1 = very great extent and 5 = very little extent. A subsequent analysis sought to find clusters of individuals (e.g. those who wished to b e promoted and simultaneously did not wish to remain in the current position). Both types o f information may help to identify issues that HR systems may address. The following question was asked: In three years time, would you like to b e working .... (non- supervisors). T h e responses were as follows: same position (2.83; 45%); different position with no supervisory responsibility (3.21; 2 8 % ) ; and position with supervisory responsibility (2.79; 4 9 % ) . Using responses 1 or 2 as indicating desir­ ability o f a position 3 years from now; and 3, 4, or 5 as indicating indifference or undesirability o f the position, four clusters of individuals were formed based on their attitudes toward promotion and remaining in the same position. T h e number o f respondents is lower than the sample size as many individuals did not respond to all questions. T h e clusters, based on 156 respondents was as follows: (1) desire promo­ tion to supervisor ( 5 4 ) ; (2) wish to stay in the same position ( 4 6 ) ; (3) both promo-

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Volume 3 2 No. 1 Spring 2 0 0 3

tion and staying are desirable ( 2 2 ) ; and (4) neither are desirable ( 3 4 ) . Those in cate­ gory 4 are more favourable to moving to a lateral career move. The same question was asked o f supervisors. Their responses were: same posi­ tion (2.78; 51%); same level — different position (3-20; 3 1 % ) ; higher supervisory level (2.47; 54%); and less supervisory responsibility (3-94; 17%). T h e clusters, based on 118 respondents was as follows: (1) desire promotion ( 4 0 ) ; (2) wish to stay in the same position ( 4 2 ) ; (3) both promotion and staying are desirable ( 1 9 ) ; and neither desirable (17). Those in category 4 are more favourable to a lateral move or position with less responsibility. The data promotion on seeking promotion is an indicator o f the supply available to fill positions as they b e c o m e vacant and the demand for training and support pro­ grams to assist in the transition, especially for staff promoted to supervisor. Data pre­ sented later will suggest the potential need for further training and assistance in the transition process. On the other hand, there are many who are relatively dissatisfied — wishing neither a promotion nor to stay in the present position (22% o f non-super­ visors and 14% o f supervisors). This suggests the importance o f developing systems for lateral movement and, for supervisors, the opportunity to move into more tech­ nical positions or otherwise less supervisory responsibilities.

Barriers

to

Development

The need for individual mobility within the organization is growing, and, the respon­ sibility for career planning has shifted from organization to employee, a philosophy in which job security resides in one's own career resilience — one's ability to adapt to 8

changing circumstances . Thus, it is important to understand how employees perceive mobility issues in order to meet individual growth aspirations as well to meet organi­ zational needs. The opportunity for career mobility may attract applicants and help to retain employees. T h e following data addresses barriers to development and to career progress, and management o f the transition from rank and file to supervisor. Respondents were asked to identify which factors served as barriers to their own development; and supervisors were asked to indicate which factors served as barriers to their subordinates' development. An individual could check any number o f the items. The scores represent the number o f times the item was checked and the per­ centage o f the total.

Career Mobility and Branding

5

Table 3.

Barriers t o development Own development N = 3 1 0

Subordinates' development

Difficult to free up time

183

62%

93

73%

Lack of funding by government to support programs

163

55%

87

68%

Future requirements for jobs are unclear

107

36%

44

34%

Lack of knowledge about programs available

105

35%

41

32%

Lack of useful programs

99

33%

53

41%

Not clear which programs will be useful

99

33%

45

35%

Respondent is unclear about career direction (for non-supervisors 36%)

88

30%

77

60%

The difficulties in freeing up time and funding are the most important blockages. However, while 3 6 % o f non-supervisors indicate that they are unclear about their career direction, 6 0 % o f supervisors identified this reason as a barrier for their staff. This finding is consistent with the lack o f interaction between supervisor and subor­ dinate regarding career issues, discussed later in the paper. And, given the scarcity o f time and funding, the uncertainty and disagreement about career aspirations may cause ineffective allocation o f these resources. The

study also measured the extent to which a number o f factors which pre­

vented people from taking advantage o f career opportunities. In each case, the scale read "Regarding future career opportunities in the Provincial public service, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?" (1 = strongly agree; 5 = strongly disagree) Table 4.

Barriers t o career

progress

Few openings of interest

2.39

55%

A lot of competition for positions 1 a m interested in

2.56

47%

Difficult to know qualifications needed in future

2.92

40%

2.7

38%

Qualifications not known to decision makers

2.80

37%

Insufficient experience

3.38

23%

Categorized as specialist or difficult to replace

3.50

22%

Systems d o not measure my qualifications accurately

The two highest barriers are few openings o f interest and competition for these positions. While each is important by itself, the combination is o f greater concern. Of the 305 responding to this question, 3 2 % strongly agree or agree that there are few positions o f interest and there is a lot of competition for these positions. This com­ pared with only 4% who strongly disagreed or disagreed with both statements. In par­ ticular, this suggests that the promotion and transfer process needs to b e both trans-

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Public Personnel Management

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parent and easily explained, otherwise, feelings o f inequity and dissatisfaction may arise. Moreover, the scores on qualifications may suggest some difficulties, with 37 or 38% o f respondents indicating that they strongly agreed or agreed that these repre­ sented barriers to their career progress. And, 2 4 % strongly agreed or agreed to both statements versus 13% who strongly disagreed or disagreed with both statements.

Transitions The

from Rank and File to Supervisor

study asked questions o f the experiences and attitudes o f first line supervisors

who were promoted from within the Department (N = 4 1 ) . T h e information may assist in identifying issues that may b e o f concern in the transition from staff to super­ visory positions. The first question was: To what extent did the following play a role in seeking the position? The following are the responses: believed that technical/pro­ fessional expertise would help in becoming an effective manager (2.26; 67%);

posi­

tion was part o f a career plan (1.93; 88%); and progress in a technical/professional role didn't seem enough (2.54; 51%). These findings are consistent with reasons for seek­ ing the current position discussed earlier. The transition from staff to supervisory positions requires the development o f a different skill set, and may b e stressful if the transition is not handled carefully. T h e questions (1 = to a very great extent; 5 = very little extent) were: Table 5.

Transition t o supervisory

positions

To what extent d o you feel that... Technical/professional background important to managing unit

1.95 (88%)

Managerial role is more a m b i g u o u s than professional role

1.98 (76%)

G o o d balance between managerial and technical roles

2.56 (51%)

Spending too m u c h time on technical work of the unit

3.24 (15%)

Adequately prepared in managerial processes before taking the job

2.98 (32%)

Organization helped y o u in the transition

3.17 (32%)

You knew "what you were getting into"

2.76 (54%)

There are some themes important to understanding career transitions. First, supervisors promoted from within believe that technical experience is important to managing a unit. While the data indicated that people hired into the civil service from outside were able to adapt easily, the vast majority o f these individuals entered at the technical or professional level. Thus, there may b e difficulties in bringing in people as managers from outside the public service. Second, respondents indicated that the nature o f the work is more ambiguous, but that they were not as prepared in man­ agerial processes as they might have been (32% strongly agreeing or agreeing that they were adequately prepared) and that the organization did not provide a high level of support in the transition (32% strongly agreeing or agreeing). Thus, given the expected changes in staffing, with anticipated promotions to handle retirements, it appears that there is an opportunity for improved transition management. Career Mobility and Branding

7

Attitudes, Career Characteristics, and Organizational Factors This section o f the paper considers three attitudes (turnover intentions, commitment, and promotion stress); four characteristics about careers (career development activi­ ties, flexibility, control, and the extent to which one's contributions are recognized), and supervisory support. This is followed by a discussion o f how the variables are associated with one another (Figure 1 ) . T h e s e variables are each composed o f sever­ al items, the scale reliabilities ranged from acceptable to very high. Factor analysis (varimax rotation) was used to group items into variables. In the following discussion, the means and the percentage o f those either strongly agreeing or agreeing to a state­ ment are presented. Because the means will fall between integers, it was necessary to round off in order to provide this information. The procedure is illustrated by using the data from the commitment variables in content note 2. Unlike the previous ques­ tions, for the attitudes, characteristics, and factors, the scales were reversed:

the high­

er the score, the greater the presence o f the characteristic. Figure 1 . Model of Relationships

Intention to search

Appropriate recognition

1 Commitment to Dept Supervisor's support of work and career

Career control

1 Career flexibility

8

Career dev activities

Public Personnel M a n a g e m e n t

Volume 3 2 N o . 1 Spring 2 0 0 3

Three Attitudes

About

the

Career

While searching for a new job is associated with negative affect, such as job dissatis­ faction, it can also b e part o f a career plan, a simple desire for variety, or b e unrelat­ 9

ed to the job (e.g. spouse leaving the city). T h e costs associated when people leave the organization are high, where investments are lost,

1 0

but where search is within

the Department or the public service, the overall system may benefit. T h e voluntary turnover measure was composed o f three items, including "I am planning to search for a new job during the next 12 m o n t h s . "

11

The score was 2.72, with 54% strongly

disagreeing or disagreeing that they are seeking career options. Those aged 26 — 35 were more likely to search, with those with a high school education the least likely to search. As would b e expected, people seeking promotion, or indifferent to promotion or remaining in the job, were more likely to search. To explore where they would search, respondents were asked, "If you are think­ ing o f a search for another position — how likely would you search for a position in (sector)": the scale ends were definitely likely to definitely unlikely. T h e number o f respondents was 268. T h e responses were: within the Department (2.37; 61%);

the

public sector (2.07; 75%); the not for profit sector (3.39; 27%); and the private sector (3-03; 38%). Thus, the search favors the public sector and the Department. As would be expected, those with less desire to search (scores less than or equal to 2.33) had different patterns o f search than those with more desire (scores greater or equal to 333).

The scores were Department (2.06 vs 2.66); public service (2.22 vs 1.87); not

for profit (3.71 vs 3-33), and private (3.41 vs 2.71), respectively. Thus, while the like­ lihood o f individuals leaving the Department increased, the preference was to remain in the public service. Those aged 26-35 had the lowest scores for the private sector (2.46), indicating they were likely to search in this sector, but they would also search for an internal position (2.24). This pattern was also observed for those seeking pro­ motions and those indifferent to both promotions and the current position. More­ over, those who originally held positions in the private or not for profit sectors had similar scores to those who reported they came directly to government. Thus, those planning career changes prefer to seek positions either within the Department or in the civil service generally. T h e implication is that o n c e a career is underway, there are strong tendencies to remain within the public sector. This may reflect investments in knowledge and skills in the public service and/or a preference for working in a large organization, among other reasons. However, the data shows that the private sector is attractive to those who are younger, those seeking promotion, as well as those who may b e disaffected. This implies that if the search for desirable positions is not met in the civil service, expanding the search to the private sector may b e c o m e more attractive. This places further emphasis upon the need for a good match early in the career, especially for "new age" employees. While organizational commitment has been studied for a long time as an impor­ tant variable on its own, it is becoming increasingly important as a means o f coun­ tering the effects o f mobility on turnover and turnover intentions.

1 2

Commitment to

the public service was measured by two items, for example, "I am proud to b e part o f

Career Mobility and Branding

9

the Provincial public service"; and commitment to the Department was measured by three items, for example, "This Department has a great deal o f personal meaning for me."^

The scores were: public service (3.89; 68% strongly agreeing or agreeing); and

for the Department (3.47; 50%). While the commitment to public sector appears high­ er than the commitment to the Department, the questions are different, with the lat­ ter implying a more affective attachment (e.g. above — personal meaning). T h e s e two variables are highly correlated. There were no significant differences by gender, age, education, or type of position (rank and file versus supervisory). The least committed are those who seek promotion. T h e most committed are supervisors who wish to remain in the same position and non-supervisors who are positive about both remain­ ing and being promoted. Promotion stress, concerned with a lack o f career progress, has received little empirical attention, with the first scale developed only recently.

1 4

This variable is an

indicator o f the difficulties and strains experienced by a lack of career progress and may b e associated with turnover intentions. While much literature concerns devel­ oping attitudes toward promotion more consistent with today's organizational reality of flatter structures, nonetheless, the desire for promotion remains relatively high (as shown previously). T h e four items included "Not being promoted has caused me a great deal o f tension." T h e importance o f this variable is that a high degree o f stress and collaterally, disappointment, can lead to voluntary turnover, as well as a lack of commitment (as shown later in the development o f a model o f cause and effect). T h e average score is 2.43, with 16% strongly agreeing or agreeing that career progress is J

a concern. Compared with the average of 3.07 in a study o f 229 MBA graduates 5 this figure appears to b e quite low, suggesting that promotion stress is not a problem over­ all, but is a problem for some individuals. Females reported lower levels o f promotion stress than did males. However, supervisors and managers who either (a) seek pro­ motion and do not wish to remain in their current position or (b) do not seek pro­ motion nor wish to remain in their current position, report the highest levels o f stress. These levels are significantly higher than those who wish to remain in their current position.

Career Characteristics One theme in the HR field is that individuals should develop a broad range o f knowl­ edge, skills, and abilities in order to enhance their mobility within and outside the organization. Moreover, individuals are encouraged to take the initiative in develop­ ing these resources and to develop career plans.

16

Today security resides more in the

ability to adapt to changes, such as restructuring, and to take advantage o f opportu­ 17

nities, rather than a "contract" with the employer. Career development activities con­ sisted on 4 items: sample item: "the extent to which you look for job assignments that will help you meet your career goals." Career flexibility was measured by 2 items: sam­ ple item: "I feel that my knowledge, skills, and abilities make m e flexible in pursuing 18

career prospects." As noted earlier, individuals were motivated to seek their current positions to better utilize their mix o f KSA. A second theme is the ability o f individu-

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Public Personnel M a n a g e m e n t

Volume 3 2 No. 1 Spring 2003

als to plan their careers and to predict what they will b e doing in the short term. Career control was measured by 3 items: sample item: " I feel that I am in control o f 19

my career." Finally, the promotion process normally includes assessments o f work performance and other types o f contributions, such as "good citizenship" behaviors. Moreover, our normal beliefs that contributions ought to b e appropriately recognized suggest the importance o f the fairness o f appraisals and recognition o f contribu­ tions.

20

.Appropriate recognition was measured by 4 items: sample item, "The effort

I put into the job is recognized."

21

T h e scores were: career development activities

(3-88; 7 8 % agreeing that they engaged in activities); career flexibility (3.79; 6 7 % ) ; career control (3.18; 4 1 % ) ; and appropriate recognition (3-32; 52%). Supervisors seek­ ing promotion reported the weakest level o f appropriate recognition.

Supervisory

Roles

The role o f the supervisory in developing their staff's careers and in fostering com­ mitment has been extensively researched.

2 2

There are several ways that supervisors

help their staff to develop their careers. T h e first is direct support in career planning, for example, through mentoring and in setting developmental goals in performance appraisals. This variable was measured by 8 items: sample items: My supervisor "Takes the time to learn about my career goals and aspirations" and "Encourages m e to plan 2

my career. " 3 T h e second is through providing on-going feedback that helps individ­ uals to improve their performance and address their weaknesses. This variable was measured by 2 items: sample item: "Gives you helpful feedback about your perfor­ mance." Finally, on-going support o f staff decisions and performance may provide vis­ ibility, as well as encouraging initiatives and higher performance: measured by 3 items: sample item: " Makes sure you get the credit when you accomplish something sub­ stantial on the j o b . "

24

The scores were: support o f career (2.95; 2 2 % ) , providing feed­

back (3-29; 4 6 % ) , and support in decision-making (3.80; 6 5 % agreement). The latter two variables were combined as supervisor's support o f work; and all three variables were combined into the overall variable "supervisory support" in testing the model. This variable had a mean o f 3-57. T h e score on the o n e item measure o f career coun­ seling 'All in all, I am satisfied with the career counseling I have received" was 2 . 4 1 , with only 15% agreement with the statement. Supervisors seeking promotion report­ ed the lowest level o f direct career support and satisfaction with career counseling.

Relationships Among the Variables Managers and professionals are concerned about theory that guides actions. For example, people are concerned about questions such as: How can commitment b e increased? How can intended turnover b e reduced? How can career flexibility b e improved so people can b e c o m e more mobile? S o m e variables can b e addressed directly — for example, career flexibility can b e improved by providing more training and more information on what types o f positions will b e available in the future. How­ ever, other variables, such as reducing turnover, have to b e approached indirectly — by changing commitment and other variables related to turnover. Career Mobility and Branding

11

This study is cross-sectional, that is, individuals completed just o n e question­ naire, rather than two or more instruments separated by time. Thus, o n e cannot con­ clude that o n e variable "causes" another, but only that they are associated. In the following discussion, the directions (one variable causes another) are based on theo­ ries developed in the extensive literature on careers and stress. Furthermore, one can only say that the model has been supported by the data — other models could also apply — there can also b e feedback loops. To make use o f as much data as possible in testing the model, the standard practice o f using the sample average o f an item to estimate missing values was followed. The size o f the sample is moderate for studies among relationships. T h e corre­ lation matrix (Table 6 ) shows the relationships among the variables. Table 6.

Descriptive statistics ( N = 310) Means (standard deviations), correlations variables, and reliabilities Mean (SD)

1

Supervisor's support of career

2

Supervisor's support of work

3

Participation in

2.95

1

2

(.91)

89

3.57(.98)

70

89

3.29 (1.09)

44

50

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

among

10

11

12 13 14

89

decision making 4 5

Autonomy

3.92 (.69)

Career development

3.88 (.72)

33 37 40 64 28 21 20 21 72

activities

7

Career resilience

3.79 (.81) 34 4.22 (.57) 0 1

8

Career control

3.18(.92)

9

Appropriate recognition 3.32 (1.05)

6

Career flexibility

10 Promotion stress 11 Affective commitment (Department) 12 Commitment (Public service) 13 Intention to search 14 Promotion system (higher scores indicate less blockage to the career)

28

31

33

38

63

03

02

1Q

77

29

29

24

33 20

29

29

29

53 53 44 38 25 2.43 (1.05) 3 4 as 35 42 in 3.47 (.91) 30 25 28 20 09

30

12 74 10 41 94

27

04

45

42

90

19

03

26

37

25

78

3.89 (.90)

21

19

18

17

04

15

11

19

28

22

54 67

2.72 (1.18)

21

24

12

24

17

01

07

25

22

41

37

2.78 (.93) (.93)

29 29 24 24 23 23

44 85

12 12 Qfi 18 18 06 29 37 37 2Q 24 17 06 29 17 i1a3 65 2Q 24

Decimal points removed; Negative values underlined; correlations above 12, 15, and 19 are significant a p < , 0 5 ; .01; .001; respectively. Reliabilities (coefficient alpha) on the diagonal, in bold.

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Public Personnel M a n a g e m e n t

Volume 3 2 No. 1 Spring 2 0 0 3

A model or pattern o f "cause and effect" (Figure 1) was developed and tested 2

using the computer program AMOS. 5 T h e paths shown are those found to b e sig­ nificant: hypothesized paths that were not supported and paths found in the data but which were not hypothesized have been excluded. This model was a good fit to the data: p = .07; Chi-square = 30.3, 20 degrees o f freedom; Chi-square/df = 1.51; CFI = .999; and RMSEA = .04. T h e regression weights are provided in Table 7. Table 7. Standardized regression Paths From

coefficients To

Coefficient

Commitment

Intention to search

Appropriate recognition

Intention to search

Career development activities

Intention to search

Supervisory support

Commitment

Appropriate recognition

Commitment

Promotion stress

Commitment

Appropriate recognition

Promotion stress

- . 3 3 *** .32 *** .23 *** .18 * .26 *** - . 1 5 ** - . 3 7 *** - . 3 0 ***

Career control

Promotion stress

Appropriate recognition

Career control

Career flexibility

Career control

Supervisory support

Appropriate recognition

Supervisory support

Career development activities

Supervisory support

Career flexibility

Career development activities

Career flexibility

.36 *** .19 *** .64 *** .29 *** .30 *** .28 ***

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