Transforming the National Health Service: The challenge for career management

Claims that, for the 1990s, images of careers are multidimensional and individualistic. Notes that employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their own self‐development, incorporate horizontal as well as vertical moves, and forge careers based on “employability”, i.e. learning, networking and reputation. Bases its arguments on the findings of a study into senior executives in the NHS, and explores the consequences of organizational restructuring for the careers of clinical, general and functional managers. Suggests that organizational and professional barriers exist to undermine the notion of the multidimensional career. Argues that prescriptive approaches to career self‐development need to take account of organizational context and that, to meet the challenges of careers in the 1990s, both the organization and the individual need to become more willing to take risks.