| The high level of uncertainty in the real world is challenging a large number of issues in sustainable development.The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the promulgation of the national "Double Reduction Policy" have brought about huge changes in the development of different industries and the career paths of employees.The outbreak and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have severely damaged the rising development period of the hotel industry.A large number of hotel enterprises have been affected by the pandemic,and the economy has suffered heavy losses.Besides,the pandemic has accelerated the application of Artificial Intelligence in the hospitality industry,with some workers gradually losing their jobs because of it.Employees from hospitality industries face unprecedented hardship and stress over their career prospects due to the pandemic and technological innovation.Gradually,the concept "sustainability" has attracted the attention of both the scholars and individuals.The UN defines "sustainability" as "a general worldview according to which people should strive to fulfill their needs in a manner such that the ability of future generations to fulfill their needs is not endangered".A sustainable career is thus one that endures over time and that is characterized by development,conservation and renewal of the working individual’s career-related resources,including human and social capital(for example,skills,credentials,reputation,relationships)as well as personal characteristics such as proactivity and resilience that aid in career self-management.Therefore,in the VUCA(volatile,uncertain,complex and ambiguous)environment,career sustainability is important for individuals to maintain their career development,which is the focus of this study.Our research focuses on the following four questions:First,what are the conceptual and structural dimensions of Career Sustainability?Second,what is the relationship between career capital and career sustainability?Third,does career sustainability improve employee wellbeing?Fourth,how does organizational antifragility,a contextual factor,affect the relationship between career sustainability and employee well-being?Our research adopts Boundaryless Career Theory,Career Construction Theory and Social Capital Theory to solve the research questions.According to the model of career construction "adaptive readiness--adaptive resources--adaptive response--adaptive results",the overall research model was built.Our research can be divided into three studies:Study 1:Career Sustainability:scale development and validation.Based on the extant literature about career sustainability,four dimensions were confirmed.Then we established the item pool through the process of literature review and survey.After that,we adopted the purification process to refine the items.Finally,explorative factor analysis(EFA)and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)were applied to validate the final measurement scales.Study 2:Antecedents of career sustainability—The mediating role of career competency and career adaptability.In this study,we used the measurement instrument developed in Study 1 to test the theoretical model.Based on Career Construction Theory and Social Capital Theory,a chain mediating model was proposed.Data were collected among employees from hospitality industry in China.Results of Structural Equation Modeling analysis suggested that:(1)Perceived organizational career management positively relates to career sustainability;(2)Career competencies positively relates to career sustainability;(3)Career adaptability mediates the positive relationship between perceived organizational career management and career sustainability;(4)Career adaptability mediates the positive relationship between perceived career competencies and career sustainability;(5)Perceived organizational career management indirectly affects career adaptability through career competencies,which in turn indirectly affects one’s career sustainability.Study 3:A multilevel analysis of the relationship between Career Sustainability and Employee Wellbeing—the moderating role of organizational antifragility.Study 1 and Study 2 provides as a significant reference towards the analysis of the outcomes of career sustainability.In Study 3,we emphasized on the psychological outcomes of individuals.Relationship between career sustainability and employee wellbeing was analysis and the moderating role of organizational antifragility was examined through a multi-level model.Results of the study shows that:(1)Career sustainability has a positive effect on employee well-being;(2)Organizational antifragility positively relates to employee well-being;(3)Organizational antifragility positively regulates the relationship between career sustainability and employee wellbeing.The innovation of the research can be summarized in four aspects:(1)Research topic:Traditional career research mainly focus on individual and organizational dimensions,our research emphasized the concept of sustainability,which extends the dimensions to life and time.(2)Research outcome:a measurement instrument of career sustainability was developed and validated,which provides tool support for the subsequent studies;(3)Research method:multi-level analysis was used to test the moderating effect of organizational antifragility,data were collected from both manager and employees,which enhances the validity of the research;(4)Theoretical application:this research enriches literature on boundaryless career theory,career construction theory and social capital theory.Theoretical implications of the research are as follows:(1)Measurement scale of Career Sustainability was developed for the convenience of subsequent studies;(2)Causes of effects of career sustainability were examined,which enriched career theories;(3)The effects of organizational antifragility was analyzed,which expands the scope of organizational contextual factors;(4)The research focused on career capital aspect in social capital theory,which deepens the content of social capital.Practical implications are as follows:(1)Raised the awareness for both organizations and individuals to focus on career sustainability;(2)Encourage individuals to think from multiple perspectives and develop career sustainability strategies;(3)Suggested that active responses should be considered to the VUCA environment;(4)Proposed that organizations should adapt to the changing environment and innovate talent management models. |
PDF Full Text Request