The historical view of a career has been of a progression up an organization and an occupation which we chose near the beginning of our working lives. Events have overtaken this model. Increased competition, cost competitiveness, information technology and customer focus have all resulted in de-manning and de-layering of organization structures. Organizations have removed the rungs of the career ladder and instead are concentrating on the optimal use of their 'human resources'.

The study of careers and of the interventions designed to develop them has changed accordingly. The move is away from the determinants of success, where success is defined as position achieved in the corporate hierarchy, towards understanding how individuals construe their careers, how they might better manage them and what is the appropriate relationship between organization and employee. Above all, current research and theory seeks to place careers in the context of individual, organizational and environmental change.

Peter Herriot