The Reality of the Globalizing World and Shaping the Professional Identity of an Individual in the World of “Boundaryless” Careers

Abstract

Global transformations of the contemporary world, to which almost all aspects of social existence are subject, seem to be inevitable and their complexity difficult to grasp. On a micro and macro scale, new opportunities and prospects emerge, but also fears and anxieties, which are the contours of the society of the future. The qualitative specificity of new transformations in the relationship between the global and the local, society and the individual, and the links between them, is not without significance for the multi-contextual changes in the world of work, which place new demands upon employees. This vision implies definitely new ways of interpreting the world and the quality of judgments on the condition of contemporary man - including man as a “manager” of his own career. In a knowledge-based economy, which in turn makes the orientation of modern society towards knowledge a reality, the key element is the development of the careers of its members and investing in a career “portfolio”. Commitment to career development is characterized by the development of personal career goals, attachment to, identification with and involvement in these goals. Changes in the world of “borderless” careers update the problem of proactive behavior of individuals pursuing their careers. The distinguishing feature of proactive career planning, management and management is the awareness of being a subject who performs actions in the desired direction and influences the surrounding reality by initiating changes. Involvement in an internally defined career may be an important source of the crystallization of the (professional) identity of a subject, which seems necessary for the development of his or her career in the world of “borderless” careers in the reality of the globalizing world. Identity is formed in the context of social and cultural influences undergoing a permanent change in reality. Identity styles determined by social-cognitive processes refer to individual preferences in the processing of information about the subjective self, in decision making, in the choice of strategy for constructing or avoiding crystallization of one’s identity and the quality of career decisions in the world of “borderless careers”. In a situation where no a priori career scenario guarantees success, an investment in a career identified as “owned” by an entity becomes a necessity and forces its proactive planning and management.