In this kickoff episode of Office Hours at The Alignment Lab, we launch the podcast and introduce our first mini-series on career development, focused on how to approach it in practice.
This episode also sets the stage for the series ahead, which examines a central question: where does responsibility for career development really sit? You’ll hear how this tension shows up across individuals, managers, and organizations – and what it might take to navigate it more intentionally.
Before diving into the series, we unpack how “career” and “career development” have evolved over time – shaped by cultural, economic, and social forces – and why definitions and expectations can vary so widely.
Transcript
Unfortunately Spotify does not currently support transcripts for this podcast and the transcript length is too long for the description field. A transcript of the episode is linked here.
References
Wilson, F. (2013, May 31). The Creation of the National Vocational Guidance Association. National Career Development Association (NCDA). https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/page_template/show_detail/74076?model_name=news_article
Savickas, M. L. (Ed.). (2013). Ten ideas that changed career development. National Career Development Association (NCDA). https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/71112?ver=29242#:~:text=A%20field%20of%20practice%20emerges,a%20journal%20beginning%20in%201911
Wang, D., & Li, Y. (2024). Career construction theory: tools, interventions, and future trends. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1381233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1381233
Baskin, K. (2023, June 13). To keep employees, focus on career advancement. MIT Sloan School of Management. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/to-keep-employees-focus-career-advancement
Arulmani, Gideon., Bakshi, A. J., Leong, F. T. L., & Watts, A. G. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of Career Development: International Perspectives (1st ed. 2014.). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9460-7
Music: "Feel Good (Instrumental Version)" by PØW via Epidemic Sound
