Generalizability of career orientations: A comparative study in Switzerland and Great Britain

Abstract

This study examined the generalizability of types of career orientation. Exploratory latent class analyses were used to examine whether structurally the same career orientations can be found across a large sample of Swiss German ( N =737), Swiss French ( N =319), and British ( N =1,002) employees. The finding showed that the generalizability of career orientations was not supported across the two countries and not even between the German‐ and French‐speaking parts of Switzerland. At least four career orientations were found in all samples. Country‐specific inspection of these four career orientations showed that they differed in terms of their combinations of specific components (boundaryless, protean, advancement, and time orientation). Mixtures of types of career orientations exist and make it difficult to identify fully the same type of career orientation across different cultural contexts. Explanations for differences in career orientation are discussed focusing on the cultural and economic context of Switzerland and Great Britain. Implications for organizational career management practices as well as theory of the career orientation concept are discussed.

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