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Challenges for the boundaryless career odyssey
Abstract
The boundaryless career, which challenges the assumptions of the traditional hierarchical career, has proved to be a remarkably popular and influential concept. However, we argue that it remains theoretically and empirically undeveloped, which limits its explanatory potential. We draw on some New Zealand empirical research highlighting the issue of who gets studied. Focusing on women's career experience, local ethnic groups and collective cultures we argue that these experiences represent a challenge to boundaryless career theory. Some of the theoretical assumptions on which boundaryless careers have been built are also interrogated: freedom from boundaries, individual volition and minimal influences from societal structures. We conclude that the boundaryless career story/odyssey is in danger of becoming a narrow career theory applicable only to the minority, if there is no engagement with theoretical and empirical critiques.
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Cited by
Career mobility at the intersection between agent and structure: A conceptual model
Forrier, A., Sels, L., & Stynen, D. (2009) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1348/096317909x470933 · Cited by 326
Boundaryless careers in the gig economy: An oxymoron?
Kost, D., Fieseler, C., & Wong, S. I. (2020) · Human Resource Management Journal · doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12265 · Cited by 272
Metadata
- Authors
- Pringle, J., & Mallon, M.
- Venue
- The International Journal of Human Resource Management
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2003-08
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 839-853
- ISSN
- 0958-5192 (ISSN-L)
- 1466-4399
- OpenAlex
- W2032735895
- Cited by
- 250
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 42.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
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- Pringle, J., & Mallon, M. (2003). Challenges for the boundaryless career odyssey. The International Journal of Human Resource Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/0958519032000080839
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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
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