Have the Career Attitudes Changed to Protean Ones? Evidence from Managers in One Company in China Central Regions

This study aims to determine the extent to which career attitudes of managers in one company in China central regions is conform with the protean career attitudes. Questionnaire assessing protean career attitudes is used to explore the career profiles, such as success criteria, psychology contract, career self-responsibility, self directed career management, value-driven predisposition. We produce six career profiles based on factor analysis. The results show that the career attitudes of managers combine traditional and protean ones: managers agree with position or salary as material criteria of success and psychological success as psychological criteria at the same time, managers believe the organization will be able to provide them with job security rather than career development, although managers think the responsibility of career relies on individuals, they don´t have very independent, self-directed careers and their careers depend on the organization´s training and development rather than relationships and work experience, the managers´ value-driven predisposition is not obvious and organization has influence on managers. There are significant implications for organization to be aware of this change.