The dynamics of diplomatic careers: The shift from traditional to contemporary careers

Abstract

Career research has focused on the changing structures of careers, mainly in the private sector. Recent literature on employment patterns in the public sector suggests that career structures are evolving, gradually moving away from their signature traditional structures to contemporary ones. However, empirical evidence of this change is scarce and inconclusive. This qualitative study examines the changes currently unfolding in the career structure of the civil service by eliciting the experiences and views of senior Foreign Offices (FOs) staff in four countries: 198 state ambassadors from the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Denmark were interviewed about their career trajectories. The data were analyzed using a thematic analysis framework. The findings revealed a gradual breakdown of the structures and policies that support traditional careers, and the emergence of new principles and practices that characterize contemporary careers. However, as they were captured midway through the process of change, all FOs display a combination of traditional and contemporary career structures at this point. The findings offer unique insights into the drivers of this evolution and highlight some of the consequences.

The why, what and how of career research: a review and recommendations for future study

“…Baruch, 2014;, research on both concepts has dramatically increased (Li et al, 2021;Wiernik and Kostal, 2019). Despite the substantial amount of research on these two orientations, common misconceptions persist (Hart and Baruch, 2022). For example, it is often assumed that those with a higher BC or PC orientation are more likely to engage in all types of physical mobility, without considering differences in transition types (e.g.…”

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Academic independent directors in China: factors influencing career decision-making

“…Future studies may offer a more comprehensive cover of motivational needs and career concepts, in line with current literature (e.g., Hart and Baruch, 2022).…”

“In the office nine to five, five days a week… those days are gone”: qualitative exploration of diplomatic personnel’s experiences of remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…For example, a recent study found that over half of surveyed professionals would rather resign than return to the office full-time [ 42 ] and there has been a great deal of news coverage suggesting that ‘forcing’ employees back to the office could result in mass resignations [ 43 , 44 ]. This is particularly important for diplomatic organisations, given that recent research suggests that the traditional career model of a diplomat (joining the organisation at a young age and spending their entire career there) is beginning to change, with younger cohorts of diplomats no longer considering diplomacy a ‘career for life’ and being much less likely than older cohorts to tolerate the negative aspects of the job and more likely to leave to start a new career if they are not happy with organisational decisions [ 45 ].…”