Encouraging professional development in small and medium‐sized firms. The influence of career history and job content

The present study describes the relationship between three job‐related predictor variables and the degree of professional expertise of middle and higher level employees, working in small and medium‐sized firms, in three different career stages. The factors in question are: total number of jobs that have been performed, the average period spent in each job, and the learning value of the function. Hypotheses have been tested with original survey data from middle and higher level employees. One might conclude that it is not experience as such that counts as a predictor for the development of professional expertise. It is assumed that it is rather the allocation of different jobs, that determines the career patterns. The amount of learning value only seems to be profitable in the context of the development of greater professional knowledge and growth potential. Results are considered in relation to possible explanations of the outcomes.