Motivations

In terms of work attributes, different people are motivated differently. For instance, some are motivated in a line of work that offers power and a sense of achievement, others by an opportunity to exercise expertise and value job security. There are some that value personal growth and still others that look for novelty, independence and people involvement in their work.

If one values a particular type of characteristic, and his or her job does posses that characteristic, one is more likely to be motivated to work better and feel job satisfaction.

Given that people’s motivations tend to change with time, and that research has aligned different types of motivations with different career paths, if a type of career does not motivate you anymore, it may be time to look at another way to go about your career.

For example, when plateaued out on power or sense of achievement (characteristic of a linear career, typical of investment banking jobs) one may begin to value novelty, people involvement, and at this point consider a shift to a transitory career (typical of consultants, associate knowledge sharing). Another example of this could be experts looking to broaden their experience, that may benefit from looking into a spiral career (typical of rotation or training programs) and then applying for broader job roles, which may slow down the vertical promotion process, but widens the scope in terms of experience and horizontal transfer.