Schein's Career Anchors Edgar Schein at MIT has identified eight themes and has shown that people will have prioritized preferences for these. For example a person with a primary theme of Security/Stability will seek secure and stable employment over, say, employment that is challenging and riskier. People tend to stay anchored in one area and their career will echo this in many ways.
Technical/Functional competence This kind of person likes being good at something and will work to become a guru or expert. They like to be challenged and then use their skill to meet the challenge, doing the job properly and better than almost anyone else.
General Managerial competence Unlike technical/functional people, these folks want to be managers (and not just to get more money, although this may be used as a metric of success). They like problem-solving and dealing with other people. They thrive on responsibility. To be successful, they also need emotional competence.
Autonomy/Independence These people have a primary need to work under their own rules and steam. They avoid standards and prefer to work alone.
Security/Stability Security-focused people seek stability and continuity as a primary factor of their lives. They avoid risks and are generally 'lifers' in their job.
Entrepreneurial Creativity These folks like to invent things, be creative and, most of all, to run their own businesses. They differ from those who seek autonomy in that they will share the workload. They find ownership very important. They easily get bored. Wealth, for them, is a sign of success.
Service/Dedication to a cause Service-oriented people are driven by how they can help other people more than using their talents (which may fall in other areas). They may well work in public services or in such as HR.
Pure Challenge People driven by challenge seek constant stimulation and difficult problems that they can tackle. Such people will change jobs when the current one gets boring and their career can be very varied.
Lifestyle Those who are focused first on lifestyle look at their whole pattern of living. They not so much balance work and life as integrate it. They may even take long periods off work in which to indulge in passions such as sailing or traveling.
So what? So find the other person's career anchor and priorities and then pitch your persuasion in the right direction
Career Anchors - Edgar Schein
Edgar Schein, widely acclaimed as one of the founders of the field of modern organizational psychology, suggests that every one of us has a particular orientation towards work and that we all approach our work with a certain set of priority and values. He calls this conc ept our ‘Career Anchors’. A "Career Anchor" is a combination of perceived areas of competence, motives, and values relating to professional work choices. Often, people select a career for all the wrong reasons, and find their responses to the workplace are incompatible with their true values. This situation results in feelings of unrest and discontent and in lost productivity. To help people avoid these problems, Career Anchors help people uncover their real values and use them to make better career choices. Career Anchors - include talents, motives, values and attitudes which give stability and direction to a person’s career – it is the ‘motivator’ or ‘driver’ of that person.
A career anchor is the one element in your self-concept that you will not give up, even in the face of difficult choices. Identify your career anchors and how well you perceive these to match your current job
Edgar Schein at MIT identified eight career anchor themes (see table below) and has shown that people will have prioritized preferences for them. Schein identified these career anchors to enable people to recognize their preferences for certain areas in their job. For example a person with a primary theme of Security/Stability will seek secure and stable employment over, say, employment that is challenging and riskier. People tend to stay anchored in one area and their career will echo this in many ways.
Understanding your preference will help you plan your career in a way that is most satisfying to you. For example, a person with a primary theme of security/stability will seek secure and stable employment over employment that is challenging and riskier. People will be more fulfilled in their careers if they can acknowledge their career anchors and seek jobs that are appropriate for these.
Career anchor category
Technical/functional competence
Managerial competence
Autonomy/independen ce
Security/stability
Entrepreneurial creativity
Traits
This kind of person likes being good at something and will work to become a guru or expert They like to be challenged and then use their skills to meet the challenge, doing the job properly and better than almost anyone else These people want to be managers They like problem-solving and dealing with o ther people They thrive on responsibility To be successful, they also need emotional competence These people have a primary need to work under their own rules and 'steam' They avoid standards and prefer to work alone These people seek stability and continuity as a primary factor of their lives They avoid risk and are generally ‘lifers’ in their job These people like to invent things, be creative and most of all to run their own businesses They differ from those who seek autonomy in that they will share the workload They find ownership very important They get easily bored Wealth, for them, is a sign of success
Service/dedication to a Service-orientated people are driven more by how they can help other people than by using their talents cause They may work in public services or in areas such as human resources
Pure challenge
Lifestyle
People driven by challenge seek constant stimulation and difficult problems that they can tackle Such people will change jobs when the current one gets boring, and their career can be varied Those who are focused first on lifestyle look at their whole pattern of living Rather than balance work and life, they are more likely to integrate the two They may even take long periods of time off work in which to indulge in passions such as travelling
With the themes identified by Schein in mind, complete the table below - this will help you identify how well suited you are to your current job. By completing this tool, it may highlight
that you are in the right sort of job or that you need a change if you are going to succeed in your desired career path. This may be a positive thing as it will give you insight into your future goals and objectives. Identify your career anchors and how well you perceive these to match your current job: How important is this aspect of your career to you (score out of 5, where 0 is not important and 5 is vital)
Schein career anchor
How does this match with your current post? (score out of 5, where 0 is not important and 5 is vital)
Technical/functional competence Managerial competence Autonomy/independence Security/stability Entrepreneurial creativity Service/dedication to a cause Pure challenge Lifestyle
An alternative way of using the Career Anchors: Career Anchors
My motivator or driver
Implications for me.
Technical and Functional Competence – what you would not give up is the opportunity to apply your skills in the area of technical/functional competence and develop those skills to a high level. Managerial Competence – what you would not give up is the opportunity to climb to a high enough level in the organisation. You want to be responsible for total results; you seek challenging assignments and leadership opportunities. Autonomy and Independence – what you would not give up is the opportunity to define your own work in your own way, in your own time, to your own standards. You would turn down opportunities for advancement in order to retain autonomy. Security and Stability – what you would not give up is employment security. Your main concern is to achieve a sense of having succeeded so that you can relax; you are concerned about financial security and less concerned with work content and rank in
the organisation. Entrepreneurial Creativity – what you would not give up is the opportunity to create your own organisation or enterprise. You are restless by nature, constantly require new creative challenges and are willing to take risks and overcome obstacles.
AND Variety - why do you seek variety? What are your range of talents and drivers that you wish to fulfil? Power, Influence and Control - Do you enjoy controlling others? How important is this to you? Service to others - do you get a lot of satisfaction in helping others? Is this important to your lifestyle? Basic Identity - do you prefer to wear a uniform or something similar?
What next? Is there a mismatch between what career anchors you rate as being most important to you and those that relate to your current situation?
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You could discuss the completed table: Identify your career anchors and how well you perceive these to match your current job, with your career mentor, partner at home or a trusted friend. If you find that most things you value are not part of your current job, this might give you the impetus to make some specific career plans and move on. If you find there is a good match, you are likely to be in the right job or role.
Using Careers Anchors The thought of a career change can be confusing, stressful, and scary for some. Others seize the chance to make a change for the better, even if it means a shift in income, location, lifestyle or training. Changing to a trade-based career may be an option for people who prefer practical roles, handson work, specialized skills or the desire to work for themselves and not be confined to an office. So, if you're having trouble dragging yourself out of bed and off to work - here are some tips for career changing: 1. Think about what you really enjoy doing You can structure the following activity to help you discover your passion and/or strengths: List 5 things you love doing List 5 things you love doing AND you're good at (they could include the first 5 activities, but they might not!) Think about whether any of the above fall into an occupational group - for example, a person who love turning wood probably will enjoy carpentry or joinery (Building & Construction). Someone that loves clothes and can draw may be well suited to clothing design, manufacturing, costume making or millinery (Manufacturing). If you like the outdoors, active careers can be found in landscaping, horticulture or building (Rural & Farming). 2. Think about the achievements you would value in life Expert on organisational leadership and culture, Edgar Schein identified 8 career anchors. These anchors are what drives people to success. Once you discover your career anchors (i.e. what drives you) you can focus your career more effectively. To discover your career anchors - List the 8 anchors on paper and spend half an hour ordering them in priority according to what drives you, and what's important to you. Then, come back to the 8 in two days time and see if you'd swap anything around. This activity can provide real clarity about what it is you want in life and what work, career or trade skill you might enjoy. 3. Seek feedback from others about what you're good at In your workplace, school, tech or your family there are people around you who may have valuable feedback about your strengths and weaknesses. Playing to your strengths make sense. There's little use in being passionate about gardening if you are really a black thumb. It's important to focus on passions with a dose of reality - rather than daydreaming. Ask them what they think you're good at. Ask them if they have observed you doing something with real interest, engagement and enjoyment. Knowing
how other people see you and have observed you can be a real insight to yourself. 4. Research the options for re-training By now you may have identified one or two real possibilities for a career based on a greater understanding of your passion, strengths and career anchors. Now's the time to research what skills are required to get there. You can watch all sorts of videos on this site that explore the passions other people have discovered in skilled trades. You can also search profiles on other career sites or the Internet generally. You can also read our guide on How to get an Apprenticehip if your career path requires it. 5. Put a plan in place to do it! If you're a school leaver - you'll need to plan the 5 key steps to getting where you want to be - will you need an apprenticeship? What training must you enrol in? By when should you find an employer? Write yourself a short list and go!
If you've just finished studying or are mid-career and looking for a change - you'll need to plan the 5 changes to make in your life to get there. Will you need to quit your job or can the company accommodate you in the field of your choice? Can you change to an apprenticeship program or do you need a different employer? Do you need to relocate or change salaries for a short period while retraining? Creating a plan will give you the confidence to follow through. If you're a senior manager or corporate defector you may be lucky enough to have acquired wealth and be able to make the change with little risk and some time on your side. If you have family commitments, a mortgage or other debts, you plan needs to reconsider what material aspects of you life need to be modified to reduce the pressure of earning a high income while you are changing careers and retraining.
References
1. Schein, Edgar H, (1990 & 1996). Career Anchors (discovering your real values), Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer
About Edgar H. Schein Edgar H. Schein was educated at the University of Chicago; at Stanford University, where he received a master's degree in psychology; and at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. in social psychology. History Edgar Schein’s (1975) model of career anchors evolved out of a longitudinal study of about 44 Sloan Graduates covered over a period of over one decade
CAREER ANCHORS WHAT ARE YOUR REAL VALUES? by Ron Visconti
Do you know what your life goals are? What motivates and directs your work? If you ask yourself these questions, wouldn't it make your career choices much easier? Dr. Edgar Schein wrote a career assessment book entitled Career Anchors: Discovering Your Real Values. In this book, he states that everyone has one dominant “anchor” and motivator, as it relates to work. From my experience in talking with all kinds of people, it is clear that not everyone has the same ambitions in work. Some people are very content to have a quiet, uneventful job, while others thrive on constant change and excitement. In short, we are all different, and our motivators are an “internal barometer” of who we are and what we want. Dr. Schein outlines eight main career anchors: • • • • • • • •
• Technical/Functional Competence • General Management Competence • Autonomy/Independence • Security/Stability • Entrepreneurial Creativity • Service/Dedication to a Cause • Pure Challenge • Lifestyle
How do these motivators relate to you? Each and every one of them is a statement of what you want (or don’t want). To clarify these concepts, I will describe the eight anchors and what kind of work fits each. Technical/Functional: Enjoy using core skills; skills don’t have to be technical in nature; can be a human resources worker or a secretary and enjoy using the skills needed for those positions; motivated by learning new skills and expanding current knowledge base. Type of Work: What turns these types on is the exercise of their talent; satisfaction with knowing concepts. If it is not a challenge, technical/functional types feel bored and/or demeaned. Content of actual work more important than the context of the work. In other words, it is the actual work they are concerned with not the organization or the overall mission of their work; teaching and mentoring offers opportunity to demonstrate expertise. General Managerial Competence: view specialization as limiting; primarily want to manage or supervise people; enjoy motivating, training and directing the work of others; enjoy authority and responsibility, and when someone strips of control it is “demotivator;” thrive in three areas of competence – analytical, interpersonal/intergroup, and emotional. Type of Work: high levels of responsibility, varied, integrative, leadership.
Autonomy/Independence: need and want control over work and want to be recognized for achievements; can’t tolerate other people’s rules or procedures; need to do things their own way; independent consulting and contract work would be a good fit for these people; want to be left alone to do their work; just give them instructions on what you want, when you want it and let them “go to it!” Type of Work: seek autonomous professions such as consulting, teaching, contract or project work, or even temporary work; part or full-time acceptable. Security/Stability: safe, secure, predictable are buzz words; motivated by calmness and consistency of work; don’t like to take chances, and are not risk-takers; stable companies are best bets; strive for predictability, safety, structure, and the knowledge that the task h as been completed properly; unused talents may be channeled outside work. Type of Work: stability and predictability are key; emphasis on context of job rather than content or work (in other words, pay, benefits, work environment most important). Entrepreneurial Creativity: like the challenge of starting new projects or businesses, have lots of interests and energy, and often have multiple projects going at once; different from autonomy in that the emphasis is on creating new business; often pursuing dreams at early age. Type of Work: strong need to create something new; bored easily; inventions; restless; constantly seeking new creative outlets. Service/Dedication to a Cause: motivated by core values rather than the work itself; strong desire to make the world a better place. Type of Work: high concentration of service-oriented professions, motivated by pursuit of personal values and causes. Pure Challenge: strongest desire is overcoming obstacles; conquering, problem-solving; competition; winning; constant self-testing; single-minded individuals. Type of Work: careers where competition is primary. Lifestyle: have a high need to balance work and the rest of life; enjoy work, but realize that work is just one of many parts of life that are important; subscribe to philosophy of “work to live”, rather than “live to work.” Type of Work: careers must be integrated with the rest of life flexibility; desire to work with organizations that accept and promote balance; some individuals unwilling to relocate for reasons of life balance.
These are the main career anchors outlined by Schein and measured by his Career Orientations Inventory. In his book he discusses the concept of the career anchor in-depth, raising such thought-provoking questions as:
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Are there other career anchors? Can one have more than one anchor? Do anchors change? And finally, How does one match individual needs and those of the organizations?
When embarking on career exploration, the concept of career anchors is just one of many useful self-assessment scales. It is a way of pinpointing who you are and what you want, so you can better define what you are seeking in a job. Source: Schein, Edgar H., Career Anchors: Discovering Yo ur Real Values, San Diego: Pfeiffer & Company, University Associates, Inc., 1990
