Mass Career Customization: Aligning the Workplace with Today's Nontraditional Workforce

by Cathleen Benko, Anne Weisberg, C. Benko A.Weisberg

Far-reaching changes in attitudes and family structures have been redefining the workforce for more than two decades--yet the workplace has remained much the same. During this time, many companies have learned that personalizing the customer experience is good for business. In Mass Career Customization , the authors argue convincingly to extend this popular and profitable concept to the workplace. This book is centered on the powerful insight that...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1422110338
• ISBN13: 9781422110331
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 230 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Thought Provoking Book

I strongly recommend this timely and instructive book to all those involved in developing talent in professional service firms or any business seeking to hire, retain and prepare their younger employees for leadership. Although much of the book discusses methods for retaining and promoting women, who now make up half of the graduates of our finest universities and grad schools, it also has great applicability to Gen X and Y men, many of whom would prefer to have part-time schedules and are as likely as women to work some hours from home. In place of the more widely accepted, rigid up and down, "all or nothing" ladder, the authors advocate a more flexible, option-providing lattice as a model for the workplace. Berko and Weisberg convincingly show that the lattice, or MCC, much better accommodates what they call the "sine curve" of a modern career - the different periods where employees can dedicate varying amounts of time to advancing within their firms. The authors demonstrate that flexible work arrangements, such as permitting young mothers to "ramp up" after a maternity leave, are an incomplete substitute for a more comprehensive process that meets the interests of employees to modify and adjust workloads, where that work is performed and the opportunity to customize their careers to closely match their long-term objectives. Only a career-long methodology will address the overriding interests of the organization to hire and keep their best talent while providing enough flexibility, not just in dealing with maternity leave, but over a several decade career path. The book is particularly helpful because it provides the reader with a framework for implementing MCC and case studies showing how well-respected firms have successfully customized MCC to recruit and retain their highly regarded employees while broadening their leadership pool.

Excruciatingly Relevant

An excellent book that squarely confronts a major challenge that businesses face today - how to address the core issue of retaining top talent. The book starts by outlining the six main demographic and cultural trends that are impacting the workforce. In a nutshell, the retirement of the baby boomer "bulge" cannot be replaced by the much smaller generations that follow (Gen X, Gen Y). In addition, the growing number of women in the workforce and the changing views of men in the workforce has made "work/life balance" possibly the single most critical factor in choosing whether or not to remain at a job - and even whether or not to take a job. So, faced with a shrinking talent pool and the overwhelming economic advantage in keeping excellent people, rather than hiring and training replacements, what is an organization to do? According to Mass Career Customization, is to allow employees to customize their careers the same way they customize computers that are purchased from Dell. Giving employees the option to "dial up" for more intensity, increased learning experiences, more extensive travel when they are younger, or when their kids are older, or when their spouse is on a break and allowing them to "dial down" for a slower career advancement, reduced salary, and restricted opportunities when raising small children or caring for aging parents. By providing this option, in a way that is fair and companywide (which is the problem with well meaning flexible work arrangements - which are usually "one-offs") organizations allow people to customize their career and remain with the company as their life circumstances change. I have seen the value of this in my own life, as my wife is now on the "intense track" (I think the dial broke off in her hand when she pushed it past 10 :) ), and my job is flexible and allows me to handle the child care (and read lots of business books). I think that this is an outstanding tool for companies to use in recruiting and retention - and, as the authors point out, it has tremendous "option value". That is, most of the employees (90-95%) will choose the "normal" path, but simply knowing that other options exist for them makes the company a very attractive employer. Obviously, changing the corporate HR system to incorporate this in a "fair" way is where the challenge gets difficult. What I admire most is that the authors are working for a company (Deloitte) that is implementing this program - so the theory has been tested (at least a little) before being written about. Of course, no book is perfect and I think this book shows an evolution in thought as the writing progressed - becoming a little more refined in thought towards the end. As a specific example, I think the early focus on the difference between a "corporate ladder" (up or out) and a "corporate lattice" (multiple paths) is not as valuable as the core aspects of customization (mid book) or the "option value" which is only touched upon at the end. A

Innovative Breakthrough for the Workplace!

The sign of a great innovative breakthrough is that the moment you learn of it, it's easy to embrace. Everyone who reads this book will agree that it's time to think differently about the workplace; mass career customization is the future. The authors describe a new model and vision for career progression that will likely transform organizations. Mass career customization is a concept that can benefit individuals who need a new lens for thinking about their careers. This concept can also help organizations in their ability to attract, retain and develop talent. The authors present a new method of managing the myriad of preferences and career paths that employees desire; application spans from Gen X and Gen Y to working parents and everyone who wants to create a career path to fit their life.