ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces a dynamic career states model. This acknowledges that it is impossible to isolate an organisational career from the career dynamics of the individual or from the environment in which the organisation is set. It is suggested that different career states reflect differing degrees of mutuality in the employment relationship. The career outcome for an individual can be derived by superimposing the promotion dimension upon the bonding dimension. The career state is a dynamic condition describing the level and direction of investment in career activity in a particular individual at any point in time. It varies under a complex range of interacting influences, themselves ever changing and of more or less significance over time. The four main career states are represented in the model: Building, Sustaining, Subsisting and Searching. The career states represent levels of career investment that have both positive and negative connotations for either individual or organisation depending on the circumstances.
