09/01/2011Career Flow: A Hope-Centred Approach to Achieving DreamsBy Roberta NeaultHope is related to optimism. Snyder (1998) described hope as “the perceived capacity to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency thinking to use those pathways” (p. 249). In Career Flow (Niles, Amundson, & Neault, 2011), hope is at the centre of a career development model and essential to each of the stages (i.e., self-reflection, self-clarity, visioning, goal-setting, action-planning, implementing, and evaluating). Without hope, clients are unlikely to be motivated to engage in career planning activities or ongoing career management. Of course, career development is also impacted by factors external to the individuals. In the Career Flow model, therefore, environment is acknowledged as a significant and dynamic influence. Just as environmental shifts (e.g., global recessions, earthquakes, or tsunamis) can impact individual careers, so too individual career decisions can impact the environment – the “butterfly effect” often mentioned in articles about chaos theory describes how very small changes can create far-reaching shifts. The career flow metaphor illustrates different types of career experiences through comparing them to water conditions (e.g., still water, white water, stagnant water, or waterfall). Optimal career flow occurs when individuals are well-suited to the types of work challenges they encounter (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997; Neault & Pickerell, in press). They are fully engaged, focused, and accomplishing their goals. Career conditions, however, can change quickly. For example, through an increase in challenge or a decrease in resources, optimal career flow can transform into a white water experience. Similar types of white water challenges may be perceived as exhilarating by some people and overwhelming by others, depending on internal and external resources available to get the job done. Sometimes individuals get stuck in their careers – peaceful still water experiences may slowly become stagnant and, over time, even toxic. Hope, however, can help individuals navigate challenging career experiences. Whether in white water or a stagnant pool, a belief in one’s own ability to cope (i.e., self-efficacy) along with a belief in the organization’s potential to supply interesting opportunities and sufficient resources, combine to motivate people to keep paddling when conditions are less than perfect. As counsellors, we’re less likely to see clients when all is well with their careers. Our job, therefore, may be to instil or strengthen hope when times are tough. Here are some tips to build hope at each of the career flow stages:
As Snyder (1998) identified, hope has three key components: goals, perceived pathways to those goals, and motivation to follow those pathways (agency). Through the Career Flow model, counsellors can strengthen hope through reminding clients of their previous accomplishments, facilitating visions of a positive future, setting goals, action-planning, and supporting clients to implement their plans. Recognizing that plans are dynamic, counsellors can prepare clients for times when career flow is less than optimal, equipping them to adapt and respond to changing conditions. References Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow. New York, NY: HarperCollins. Krumboltz, J. D. (2009). The happenstance learning theory. Journal of Career Assessment 17, 135-154. DOI: 10.1177/1069072708328861. Neault, R. A. (2002). Thriving in the new millennium: Career management in the changing world of work.Canadian Journal of Career Development, 1(1),11-21. Neault, R. A., & Pickerell, D. A. (in press). Career engagement: Bridging career counseling and employee engagement. Journal of Employment Counseling. Niles, S. G., Amundson, N. E., & Neault, R. A. (2011). Career flow: A hope-centered approach to career development. Pearson: Columbus, OH. Seligman, M. E. P. (1990). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. Toronto: Pocket. Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 249–275.
Dr. Roberta Neault, CCC, RRP, GCDFi, CCDP is a counselor educator at Yorkville University, just completing her term as editor of the Journal of Employment Counseling, and, with Spencer Niles and Norm Amundson, co-author of Career Flow: A Hope-Centered Approach to Career Development, a book published in 2011 by Pearson. With her co-authors, Roberta presented on this topic at the 2011 NCDA conference in San Antonio. For more about the book, go to:http://www.pearsonhighered.com/product?ISBN=0132241900 Contact Roberta at roberta@lifestrategies.ca.
2 CommentsRoberta Neault on Thursday 11/10/2011 at 10:53 PM I'm so glad you found this helpful, Thadra. In earlier research, I found that optimism was the single best predictor of both career success and job satisfaction. However, as you said, it's not enough to simply tell a client to be positive and keep applying. :-) Instead, as career practitioners and counsellors we need tools to help to strengthen their optimism or boost their hope - not naively but grounded in the reality of their unique context. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.
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Thadra Vrubel on Tuesday 11/08/2011 at 09:18 PM
This is so helpful! More helpful that simply encouraging clients to maintain a positive outlook and to keep applying for positions.