Career boundarylessness and career success: A review, integration and guide to future research

The concept of boundaryless careers characterizes emerging career patterns that are less dependent on traditional organizational career management. Based on an evidence-based review of literature on the relationship between career boundarylessness and career success published from 1994 to 2018, we f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of vocational behavior 2019-02, Vol.110, p.390-402
Main Authors: Guan, Yanjun, Arthur, Michael B., Khapova, Svetlana N., Hall, Rosalie J., Lord, Robert G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Boundaryless careers
Career development planning
Career success
Career transition
Careers
Interdisciplinary aspects
Organization theory
Physical mobility
Psychological mobility
Success
Success factors
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Summary:The concept of boundaryless careers characterizes emerging career patterns that are less dependent on traditional organizational career management. Based on an evidence-based review of literature on the relationship between career boundarylessness and career success published from 1994 to 2018, we found that boundaryless careers have mixed effects on the various indictors of career success, and these effects depend on the operationalization of career boundarylessness, the motives (voluntary vs. involuntary), career competencies, adaptive capabilities and career resources held by individuals, as well as the structural constraints and institutional support for boundary-crossing behaviors. In addition, career success was also found to predict subsequent career mobility. Based on these findings, we develop an integrative model to understand the complicated and dynamic relationship between boundaryless careers and career success. This review serves as an important step to integrate theories and research on boundaryless careers and career success, and more interdisciplinary work should be done in the future to examine this question. •We reviewed studies on the relation between career boundarylessness and career success.•There are mixed effects of career boundarylessness on indicators of career success.•Individuals' motives, competencies and resources are important moderators.•Structural constraints and institutional support are important moderators.•More interdisciplinary research should be conducted on this important question.
ISSN:0001-8791
1095-9084
DOI:10.1016/j.jvb.2018.05.013