Embracing Career Constellations: 3 Things Organizations Can Do

In yesterday’s article, we discussed what the career constellation is and how it represents a new paradigm in career trajectory. One that focuses on the lifelong compilation of experiences, capabilities, and skills instead of the old straight-line progression of job or role.

As the needs of our businesses and organizations evolve alongside the expectations and needs of our people to redefine careers, there is no function or discipline better positioned to lead the way in configuring to support and enable these shifts than learning and development (L&D).
So, how does L&D fit into this new paradigm of career as a constellation?
Learning is absolutely central to building capabilities in the constellation model. L&D must enable the organization to provide the compelling, engaging, always-on experiences that draw people in, motivate them, and satisfy them.
People increasingly expect consumer-grade experiences that mesh seamlessly into the work they do, the technology they use, and their human interactions. What’s new is that the goals and objectives of an organization’s talent have evolved. In addition, employees want to build the unique, ever-evolving constellation of experiences and capabilities that are their career résumés and not just their paper ones.
The perspective and needs of the business are also critical. Attracting and developing key talent are table stakes. To successfully execute on this constellation strategy, what’s needed is a higher-order organizational capability, driven by L&D, to execute strategy through people. In addition to the right talent, this strategy requires constantly refreshing and incrementally building talent’s capabilities to innovate and work in new markets, technologies, and service areas.
To get started:

1. Define the new concept of career for your organization.L&D can lead the effort, in coordination with broader HR, to identify who your employees are and the components that make up the career constellations at your organization. Develop career personas that represent employees and how they want to develop their careers.
2. Align learning, talent management, and career development.Clearly define L&D’s strategy and how learning supports talent management and career development. Define metrics to demonstrate learning’s impact on talent, careers, and business objectives.
3. Create consumer-grade experiences that support fluid careers.Start curating and creating learning content and experiences that quickly build capabilities and provide the knowledge and flexibility required for employees to create their own unique careers.

This truly is a new and ongoing exploration: No one has all the answers for responding to this sea of change. It likely means “boldly going” where the learning function hasn’t gone before. But as the future of work unfolds, we’re all faced with forging new paths in our careers. As L&D professionals, it’s our job to help our organizations and the people in them adapt, thrive, and continue to expand their constellations.
Learn how to incorporate new L&D trends and techniques into your employees’ career constellations by joining Terry Patterson—of Deloitte Consulting LLP—at Workforce L&D, November 15-16, 2018. Patterson will be presenting the session: L&D Game Changers: VR, Microlearning & Other Learning Technologies Have Shaken Training to Its Core—Now What?. Click here to learn more, or to reserve your spot today!

Terry Patterson is a senior manager in the Human Capital practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP, helping clients achieve their business goals with talent practices that are designed and executed to support more engaged, more capable people within a positive, high-performance culture. Ina Gantcheva is a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP’s Human Capital practice and focuses on organizational and talent transformation for multinational organizations. She has extensive experience across Europe, Asia, and the Americas and has led large-scale projects focused on global and local market talent strategies, talent branding, acquisition, retention, and development. Erin Clark is a managing director with Deloitte Consulting LLP in the Human Capital practice. Clark is passionate about learning and the opportunity to transform businesses and organizations through people. Her primary areas of focus with clients are in learning strategy, capability development, and leadership.