This chapter discusses the conclusions which answer three research questions respectively, including the factors affecting career choices of MAs, the effect of MA programs on career development of MAs, and their difficulties and adopted strategies. In this chapter, suggestions also provided with MAs, organizations and future researchers.
Conclusions Factors Affecting Career Choices of MAs
The finding showed choosing career was a complicated process, which involving in different considerations. The process could be divided into three parts: motivation, retention, and turnover intention. As the figure 5.1 shown, each process was influenced by intrinsic, extrinsic, and interpersonal factors.
Person-job fit influenced MAs on choosing their retention and turnover.
As the vocational theory proposed by Holland (1959) indicated, behavior is determined by the fit between individual’s personality and the environment by he or she is surrounded.
The behaviors of MAs were affected by person-job fit. If MAs thought their personality fit the work environment, they kept retaining in organizations. In contrast, they would quit when their personality didn’t match the characteristic of work environments.
Financial and professional contributions of jobs played critical roles on career choices of MAs.
At first, most of MAs joined MA programs because of better salary, more trainings, and faster promotion. After entering companies, they were satisfied by training and opportunities provided by organizations so they decided to retain in their organizations. If one day they don’t have opportunities any more, they will resign. Despite compensation was a factor influencing their career choices, it seemed like they paid more attention on their future development. To sum up, compensation, training and learning opportunities and career
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A. intrinsic factors: person-job fit B. extrinsic factors: financial and
potential were considerations for their decision making.
Supervisors had effect on both on the retention and turnover intention of MAs.
It seems like managers were factors influencing MAs on retaining and resigning.
Encouragements and support from supervisors made MAs keep staying in their organizations as they met difficulties and intended to give up. However, the management style of supervisors was one cause of resignation. If MAs had troubles in getting along with their supervisors, they would choose to leave for other organizations.
Family affected MAs to make decisions.
Although family didn’t have impact on the motivation of MAs to take part in MA programs, it increased retention intention and turnover intention of MAs. Since MAs encountered many challenges, family gave them support to encourage them keep moving on.
However, family also would be a cause for them to choose other organizations. For example, if they get married or there are unexpected incidents happened to their family, they would consider other choices.
Figure 5.1.Factors Affecting Career Choices of MAs
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The Effect of MA Programs on Career Development of MAs
MA programs were developmental programs, included in career management activities had effect on career development of participants. As figure 5.2 shown, MA programs brought both positive and negative effect on career development of MAs.
The skills and knowledge of MAs were developed through MA programs.
Organizations provided MAs with more training and learning opportunities than other coworkers. MA programs included job rotation, specific skills training, special assignments and mentoring or coaching. Through rotation, training courses and several projects, their skills and knowledge were developed. They learned the process of organizational operation and each function’s business, job-related knowledge and self- management skills. In addition, they learned interpersonal skills by establishing interpersonal network within and without organizations through training. Among all training activities, outdoor educations seemed like special types of training methods impressing participants. Organizations could address their organizational core values and MAs could build teamwork ability through special activities, such as camping, river tracing, rock-climbing, etc.
MA programs had both positive and negative impact on career development of MAs.
There were a lot of advantages to be MAs. Being management associates made them have special status in organizations contributing to have more learning and working opportunities and higher expectation from supervisors and coworkers. Besides, they had higher pay and faster career advancement than other employees with same qualifications.
Higher salary benefits to negotiate salary in the future; however, it also limited their future development because they won’t change occupations with lower pay. As management associates entered companies, their positions were higher than others new employees. They indeed promoted faster than others but only for the first two or three years. Taking part in MA
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programs had positive influence on future career of management associates due to having broader view, diverse experiences, and more opportunities in financial industry. Yet their careers were confined because they only could work in financial industry due to long working hours and having less time to cultivate different strengths.
Figure 5.2. The effect of MA programs on career development of MAs
MA
1. Have breadth understanding of organizations and industry.
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Difficulties and Strategies
As figure 5.3 indicated, MAs met several difficulties, such as heavy stress, work overload...etc. In order to overcome challenges, they adopted some strategies.
Better treatment, lack of experience, and personality gave rise to problems.
Management associates had special status in organizations. As a result, others put high expectation on them. Due to better compensation and more opportunities, management associates felt stressful and had little personal time. Besides, their ground work was not solid enough resulting from fast advancement. They needed to fill this gap as soon as possible.
Moreover, since most of MAs were fresh graduates, they didn’t have work experiences before.
Lack of experience also caused them to encounter several challenges. Like Holland’s vocational theory proposed, personality and work environment unfit made MAs feel challenged at work. For example, if MAs were shy, they would have difficult in adapting to new environment during rotation.
Interpersonal problems were the major difficulties MAs encountered.
The major problem MAs encountered was relationship with coworkers and supervisors.
Since they were special, others felt unfair treated. Some coworkers and supervisors were unwilling to teach MAs or gave them favors when they needed.
MAs adopted some strategies to deal with those difficulties. They worked harder than others and they were not proud of their special status. They also tried their best to establish interpersonal relationship with coworkers and supervisors. When they met obstacles, they asked other employees help and communicate with supervisors actively.
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Figure 5.3. Difficulties and strategies
Recommendations
Since the personnel flow rate and turnover rate of MAs were higher than those of other employees, the researcher provided some suggestions for organizations to retain talents. Due to receiving better treatments, MAs had more challenges than others. Suggestions for MAs were proposed in the section. Lastly, there were some suggestions for future researchers based on research delimitations and limitations.
For Organizations
Because organizations attached great importance on MAs and invested a lot on them, they should try their best to retaining high potential individuals. For organizations, having a
MAs
Difficulties 1. Stress
2. Work overload 3. Long working hours 4. Not professional enough 5. Interpersonal relationship 1. Special status
2. Better compensation 3. Quick promotion 4. Lack of experiences 5. Personality
Strategies 1. Be humble.
2. Work harder than others.
3. Ask for a favors actively.
4. Communicate with supervisors actively.
5. Establish a good relationship with others.
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good compensation system was the most basic method to retain employees. Except for compensation, MAs also saw work and learning opportunities and future development as very critical. Therefore, organizations needed to design a systematic training program to provide MAs with abundant learning and developmental opportunities. MAs could be well-prepared only after experiencing enough trainings and their managerial competence was well-developed. MAs were high potentials, with different needs, motivations, and behaviors (Pepermans & Vloeberghs, 2003). Organizations needed to understand MAs’ need and satisfied them because satisfaction had impact on behaviors of employees.
Interpersonal relationship with coworkers and supervisors was one of major difficulties MAs encountered in workplace. Before implementing MA programs, organizations needed to communicate with all employees and built a knowledge sharing environment to make MAs’
learning effectively. Organizations also could establish an in-service transfer channel to provide equal opportunities with other employees to be MAs.
Moreover, heavy workload and stress were difficulties MAs encountered. They were not reasons for MAs to resign but making MAs work-life unbalance. As a result, organizations could provide more activities for MAs to relax and courses on stress and time management.
Based on feedback provided by interviewees, the researcher found there were some organizations didn’t provide mentors with MAs and effective mentoring had positive influence on career development of MAs. Hence, mentoring should be included in MA programs. Moreover, the most important was organizations need to make sure mentor programs were executive effectively and mentors had willingness to share experiences with mentees. Lastly, it seemed like the effect of outdoor educations on MAs was profound and lasting. Consequently, outdoor education could included in MA programs because it had positive and long lasting influence on MAs.
76 For Management Associates
MAs were seen as future leaders and had better treatment than others in organizations causing others to feel unfairly treated. As a result, the major problem MA faced was interpersonal relationship with coworkers and supervisors. Nevertheless, it was important for MAs to establish a good relationship with other employees or nobody was willing to share information and experiences with them. Therefore, they should be much humble and work harder than others. Attitude matters for MAs. Moreover, MAs could be a volunteer to do additional tasks to show their enthusiasm on works. MAs always worked under pressure and had many challenges. Nevertheless, don’t give up easily and try to ask colleagues and supervisors for a favor actively or talk with family, friends and peers. They would be a driving force to keep going.
For Future Researchers
There were few suggestions for future researchers. First, since the findings of the study were based on MAs with about 2 to 5 – year seniority, the future researcher could focus on career development of MAs with longer seniority. Second, there were three types of banks in Taiwan: domestic, international, governmental banks. Future researchers could make comparisons among career development and difficulties of management associates in the three different types of banks. Third, there were many industries executive MA programs in Taiwan now. Future researchers could explore career development of MAs in other industries.
Finally, the difference of MA programs in different industry can also be discussed.
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APPENDIX INTERVIEW INSTRUTMENT Interview Invitation
Dear all,
I am a graduate student from National Taiwan Normal University, Graduate Institute of
I am a graduate student from National Taiwan Normal University, Graduate Institute of