AN EMPffilCAL 1l'i"VESTIGATION ON THE PREDICTORS OF THE SUBJECTIYE MANAGERIAL CAREER SUCCESS IN TURKEY

The main purpose of this research is to exaınine the nature of the predietors of subjective career success of the managers in Turkey. Career satisfaction, hierarchical success, and financial success were used as subjective career suceess in the study. Demographic variables, human capital, work values, family, and stnıemral or work variables were seleete<! for the study as detenrunants of subjective eareer success. Regression was analysed the data obtained from 246 man.agers. According to the analysis result, independent variables including dernographic, work value and structural variables have affected the three dimensions of subjective career suceess. I.Introduction What factors lead same managers to be more successful in their careers than others? (Judge et aL., 1995, p:485). Understanding the factors that predict career success is a topic that interests individuals and organization. As more organizations encourage to employees to manage their own careers, these individuals have sougbt guidance about doing this effectivily. At the same time, organizations continue to have an interest in identifying the factors that predict career success in order to effectivily select and develop high-potential employees. Given the importanee of careers to individuals and organizations, there is a need to examine the factors that influence eareer success (Wayne et aL. 1999, p:577). Past research in the occupational literatlire has led to the integratian of the tenns "career" and "success" to refer to objective and subjective elements of achievement and progress of an individual through the vocational lifespan (Nabi, 1999, p:212 ; 2001, p:457; Judge et al.,1995, p:486). Of Hall who defines career as a sequence relating work experiences and activities directing personal and organizational goals, through which a person passes his or her lifetime (') Yrd. Doç. Dr. Ondokuz. Mayıs Üniversitesi İİBF partly under their control and partly under those of others is among the widelyaccepted conceptualizations of career. (Orpen, 1994, p:27). Sueeess İs an evaluative concept. Evaiuation requires judges and a eriterion against which an outcome can be assessed (Jaskolka et al.,1985, p:189). As consistem with the above coneepts, Judge et aL. (1995) noted that career suecess can be defined as the positive psyeho10gical or work-related outeomes or aehievements a person has accumulated as a result of one's work experiences (p:486). Career suceess can be divived into objective and subjective forms and measured either in terms of sodally defined criteria or individual eareer aspirant's own subjectiye criteria (Aryee et aL, 1994, p:488). Beeause career suecess is a value judgement and that whether a eareer is considered successful depends on who does the judging (Jaskolka et aL, 1985, p:189; RoZİer et al., 1998, p: 691). Researeh eoncemed with sueeess must therefore eonsider to whom and by what eriteria a given indicator connotes suecess. II sueeess is to be judged reliably by others, the critecia used must be relatively objective and visible to others. When individuals judge their own success, they can use intemalized aspirations and goals that are not visible to others as eriteria; the result of such judgements are relatively subjectiye internal states or feelings (Jaskolka et aL, 1985, p:190). in the light of these considerations, objective eareer success has been measured in tenns of sodety' s evaluation of achievement with reference to extrinsie measures, such as salary, promotions and status. In contrast, subjeetive career suceess has been measured in term of an individııal' s feeIings of suceess with reference to intrinsic indices, such as perceptions of career accomplisments and future prospeets (Nabi, 1999, p:212; 2000, p:4S7). Researchers have traditionally tended to focus on objective type of eareer suceess. This type of career sueeess is determined on the basis of relatively objective and visible eriteria because theyare judged by others. in contrast, intemal or subjeetive measures of eareer sueeess are not easily judged by others (Rozier et aL., 1998, p:692). As noted by Gattiker and Larwood (I 989), looking at careers from the perspeerive of the individual employee demonstrates that career success is a eonstruct which exists only in people's rninds and has no clear boundaries (Gatriker and Larwood, 1989, p:75 ; Aryee et aL., 1994, p:488 ). it has long been assumed in society that managerial careers are desirable beeause people having these positions are more satisfied in both the job and nonjob aspect of their lives. Among the reasons offered for this high degree of satisfaction are that managers have greater societal prestige, a range and challenge of job activities and an autonomy in meeting the demands of their positions. It is now becoming apparent that these assumptions may no longer be as justified as they have been in the past (Korman et aL, 198 I, p:342). Many suecessful individuals, despite their high salaries and status, do not feel successful İn their own careers. Earning a high salary may be important and 318 Hali$DEMİR