Putting Common Career Advice to the Test

在對“如何能在當代職場中游刃有余”這一問題進行了數(shù)十年的研究之后，研究人員鎖定了四條最常見的建議：自己掌控事業(yè)命脈、構(gòu)建本企業(yè)及本行業(yè)之外的關(guān)系網(wǎng)、追隨內(nèi)心的激情和隨時準備投身下一份工作。

After decades of research on how to be successful in contemporary careers, researchers have identified the?four most common pieces of advice?people consider necessary to have a successful career：take your career into your own hands，network outside of your organization and industry，follow your passion and?be ready to jump at the next job opportunity.

我們對2006年以來該領(lǐng)域內(nèi)的田野調(diào)查進行了薈萃分析（meta-analysis），考察上述四條建議分別導(dǎo)向何種結(jié)果，以期測算出每一條建議的價值。分析對象涉及175個獨立樣本，覆蓋世界各地處于不同職業(yè)階段、身處不同職業(yè)的6.3萬多人。

To figure out how worthwhile each piece of advice actually is,?we conducted a meta-analysis?of all available field studies since 2006 that had examined how each one relates to various career outcomes, totaling 175 independent samples of over 63,000 people around the world in various career stages and occupations.

基于這一樣本量，我們能夠確定哪條建議最具價值，哪些建議應(yīng)該審慎采納。我們將這四條建議各自所產(chǎn)生的影響分拆成如下三個維度來具體考量：

This allowed us to spot population-level patterns for each piece of advice and determine which are likely to be the most rewarding and which should be approached with caution. We did this by breaking down how each of the four pieces of advice relates to:

1、客觀上的成功

（薪資水平、行業(yè)地位、晉升通道等）

2、主觀上的成功

（職業(yè)滿意度、職業(yè)幸福感等）

3、具體工作表現(xiàn)

（工作滿意度、組織認同感、離職意向、退出行為和工作績效等）

• Objective career success (i.e., salary, status, promotions)

• Subjective career success (i.e., career satisfaction, well-being)

• Employee job outcomes (i.e., job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intentions, withdrawal, and job performance)

從這三個維度來進行數(shù)據(jù)分析，可以獲知這四條建議對助力職場成功的價值如何。

Here are those four most common pieces of advice and what the data says about how useful they are for finding success in today’s jobs.

1. 把事業(yè)命脈掌控在自己手中

Take your career into your own hands

執(zhí)行這條建議通常需要具備一種自我驅(qū)動的思維，這意味著知曉自身是職業(yè)道路及未來發(fā)展的全部責任人，而不能依賴雇主來承擔該責任。與另外三條建議相比，這條建議總體上是最有價值的。我們還發(fā)現(xiàn)，與缺乏自主意識的人相比，擁有自我驅(qū)動思維的人在客觀和主觀兩個維度都取得更大職業(yè)成功的可能性更高。

This piece of advice requires a self-directed mindset, which means a person assumes full responsibility for their own career path and development, rather than relying primarily on their employer. Compared to the other three pieces of advice, this one has the most positive effect overall. We also found it to be across-the-board beneficial for all outcomes considered — people who hold a self-directed mindset are more likely to experience?both?greater objective and subjective career success compared to those who don’t.

此外，完全由自己掌控職業(yè)生涯的人，在工作中擁有更高的士氣（即更高的工作滿意度和組織認同感）、更高的工作績效評級和更少的工作退出行為（如缺勤等）。因此，這條引導(dǎo)職場人士提升工作技能和掌控自己命運的建議，是四條建議中對員工和雇主最有幫助的。

Additionally, people who take full ownership of their own careers are more likely to have greater morale (i.e., higher job satisfaction and organizational commitment), higher job performance ratings, and lower withdrawal behaviors (e.g., turnover intentions) in their current job. Thus, the advice to proactively develop your own skillsets and “pack your own parachute” is the most helpful of the four types for both the employee?and?employer.

我們的研究結(jié)果及建議：缺乏自我驅(qū)動思維的人通常認為其職業(yè)發(fā)展仰仗于他人的照拂，比如現(xiàn)任雇主。雖然過去這種思維無可厚非，但如今卻是四處碰壁。部分原因在于公司需要快速適應(yīng)不斷演進的技術(shù)變革和全球化所帶來的日益嚴峻的競爭，勢必要求員工自主掌握相應(yīng)的新知識和技能。

Recommendation:?Someone lacking a self-directed mindset assumes their career development will be taken care of by others, such as their current employer. While this may have worked in the past, it’s no longer the case today. This is due in part to the need for companies to adapt quickly to changing technologies and increased competition caused by globalization. That requires employees to be on their feet to acquire the new knowledge and skillsets sought after by 21st century organizations.

因此，我們建議你通過主動尋找培訓機會來提升自身的知識水平、夯實工作技能及各項能力，從而掌握自己的職場命運。比如，參加與職業(yè)相關(guān)的培訓課程。

Therefore, we recommend that you take control of your own development by proactively finding training opportunities to increase and strengthen your repertoire of knowledge, skills, and abilities. You could do so by attending training courses related to your career.

此外，考慮到自我驅(qū)動思維能夠提振員工士氣、提升員工績效，可以將其視為公司發(fā)展的最大驅(qū)動力，予以重視。其中的關(guān)鍵是在學習和職業(yè)發(fā)展規(guī)劃中持有終身學習的積極心態(tài)。埃隆·馬斯克對其員工的建議值得追隨：通過“不斷思考如何更進一步、如何挑戰(zhàn)自己”來自我完善。

Additionally, given the increases to employee morale, performance, and lower withdrawal that this mindset brings, you could mention how it’s in your company’s best interests to promote your growth. The key is to be proactive about your ongoing learning and professional development. Follow Elon Musk’s advice to his employees: “Constantly think about how you could do things better and challenge yourself” to improve.

2. 構(gòu)建本企業(yè)及本行業(yè)之外的關(guān)系網(wǎng)

Network outside of your organization and industry

在本企業(yè)或本行業(yè)之外建立職業(yè)關(guān)系需要具備“無邊界”的思維。那些在客觀和主觀維度上取得成功的職場人士，離職的可能性也更高，在計劃換工作時可能更容易讓新雇主猶豫是否應(yīng)該將其招致麾下。

Seeking out professional relationships outside of your own organization or industry requires having a “boundaryless” mindset. While these individuals have greater objective and subjective career success, they’re more likely to withdraw from their current employer, which could have negative effects on the perception of whether or not they should be hired.

總體來說，盡管“無邊界”思維有助于構(gòu)建競爭力，但其效率遠不及自我驅(qū)動思維。換言之，就對個人職業(yè)生涯帶來的有益效應(yīng)而言，它與自我導(dǎo)向思維相比相對較弱。

Overall, although a boundaryless mindset is beneficial to your career success, it is at a rate considerably lower than being self-directed. That is, its beneficial effects are relatively weaker on most career outcomes than being self-directed is to those outcomes.

我們的研究結(jié)果及建議：嘗試在本部門、企業(yè)或行業(yè)之外建立一個更廣泛的社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)。實現(xiàn)途徑包括但不限于：邀請直接工作小組之外的同事共進午餐，在生活社區(qū)中擔任志愿者，培養(yǎng)工作以外的愛好，參加工作圈子或?qū)I(yè)領(lǐng)域之外的活動或會議等。谷歌前首席執(zhí)行官埃里克·施密特認同了該建議：“對結(jié)識新朋友說‘yes’?！钡?，就建議的優(yōu)先級而言，我們認為還是應(yīng)該首先把注意力集中在自我驅(qū)動上，因為它將產(chǎn)生事半功倍的效果。

Recommendation:?Consider building a broader social network outside of your departmental, organizational, or industry silos. You may do this by inviting people outside your direct work group to lunch, volunteering in your community, cultivating non-work hobbies, or attending events or conferences outside your immediate network or area of expertise. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt echoed this advice: “Say yes to meet new friends.” However, when deciding which advice to prioritize, we recommend focusing your attention first on being self-directed, as it carries more bang for your buck in terms of how you use your energy.

3. 追隨內(nèi)心的激情

Follow your passion

價值觀驅(qū)動意味著個人的職業(yè)發(fā)展主要基于其根深蒂固的價值觀，并且僅僅從“追隨內(nèi)心的激情”這一角度來規(guī)劃職業(yè)生涯。

Being values-driven means a person makes career moves based primarily on their deeply held personal values and approaches their career solely from the view of “pursuing their passion.”

然而，我們的研究結(jié)果表明應(yīng)該審慎看待這一建議。因為追隨激情這一思維方式的付出與收獲難以成正比，其對帶來“有意義的生活”的裨益極有可能比想象中更少。

However, our findings suggest this advice should be approached with caution, as it’s likely to result in smaller, incremental “meaningful life” dividends than people think they’re investing in.

結(jié)果表明，這種心態(tài)其實無關(guān)緊要——在統(tǒng)計學意義上，它與客觀維度上的職場成功幾乎毫無關(guān)系，而與獲得主觀維度上的職場成功之間的關(guān)系也是相對最弱的。

The results show this mindset doesn’t really matter — its relationship to objective success is statistically no different from zero, and it has the relatively weakest relationship to subjective success.

我們的研究結(jié)果及建議：倘若你執(zhí)意要追隨內(nèi)心的激情，也宜謹慎行事。擁有這種思維的人往往出于一種戰(zhàn)略權(quán)衡：希望通過抵制名利的誘惑來獲得更大的幸福感。但這種權(quán)衡往往擴大了“幸福感”的價值。追隨內(nèi)心的激情時，人們通常只是增加了些許快樂感，但其遠未達到對生活帶來實質(zhì)性改變的程度。因此，與其僅僅關(guān)注能否燃燒自己的激情，還不如認識到任何工作既需要賦予意義也需要匹配能力。

Recommendation:?Proceed with caution in solely following your passion. Many people adopt this mindset expecting a strategic trade-off: They’re trading the allure of money and prestige to secure greater happiness. However, this trade-off may be overestimated. What typically happens is people with this mindset are?slightly?happier, but not to any practically substantial degree. Thus, instead of focusing solely on passion, realize that any given job requires not only meaningfulness, but also competence.

關(guān)于這一點，可以參考求職社區(qū)繆斯（The Muse）的創(chuàng)始人凱瑟琳·明休（Kathryn Minshew）的建議：“我們每個人都有機會找到釋放自身激情的工作……但‘完美的工作’只是一個神話?！?/p>

We recommend considering The Muse founder Kathryn Minshew’s advice that while “each of us has the opportunity to find work that is aligned with our passions…the idea of a ‘perfect job’ is a myth.”

4. 隨時準備投身下一份工作

Be ready to jump at the next job opportunity

具有“流動性”思維的人，無論其當下的工作質(zhì)量如何，往往都會不斷尋找跳槽機會，為職業(yè)生涯的下一站做準備。結(jié)果表明，這無法助其獲得客觀維度上的職業(yè)成功，并且始終不利于擁有主觀維度上的職業(yè)成功。持有這種思維的員工往往士氣和績效較低，離職可能性更高；對于雇主而言，其成本高而且潛在吸引力低。

A person who is constantly seeking out opportunities to make their next career move and change jobs — regardless of the quality of their current job — has a mobility mindset. Results show that this does?not?lead to greater objective career success and is consistently?detrimental?to subjective career success. Employees with this mindset also have lower morale and performance and are more likely to leave their current job, making them costly — and potentially unattractive — to employers.

因此，盡管擁有更多工作選擇可能顯得特別誘人，但隨時準備離職無疑不利于個人的工作前景。事實上，從主觀維度來衡量，流動性思維所導(dǎo)致的負面影響大約是自我驅(qū)動思維所帶來的正面影響的三分之一。此外，從對個人心理健康影響層面來說，流動性思維的負面影響幾乎等于其他三種思維方式的積極影響之和。

Thus, while it may be especially tempting right now to be on the lookout for the next opportunity, being ready to “bail” at any moment is summarily bad advice for one’s success in current and future jobs. In fact, the negative effect of the mobility mindset on subjective career success is about one-third the strength of the positive effect the self-directed mindset has on it. Additionally, the detrimental effect of being mobility-minded is nearly equal to the combined positive effects of all other mindsets on a person’s psychological well-being.

我們的研究結(jié)果及建議：不要急于跳槽，而要專注于如何從當前的工作中脫穎而出。在流動性思維的主導(dǎo)下，人們會產(chǎn)生“風景在別處”的心態(tài)，并且容易給人留下“不夠穩(wěn)定可靠”的印象。

Recommendation:?Do?not?be too eager to “jump” jobs, but focus on excelling at your current job. Being mobility-minded leads to a “grass is greener” mentality and can earn you a reputation of being unreliable.

很多職業(yè)建議，盡管出于最善意的本心，但通常不是基于已經(jīng)驗證的事實依據(jù)，往往是陳詞濫調(diào)或者自相矛盾、古調(diào)不彈。所以下次當你聽取或給出職業(yè)建議時，應(yīng)該明白并非所有的建議都同樣有效。

A great deal of career advice, while given with the best of intentions, is often not based on verified evidence and is anecdotal, hackneyed, contradictory, or outdated. So the next time you hear or give career advice, consider that not all advice is equally valid.

對于規(guī)劃職業(yè)生涯，我們的建議是：掌控自己的事業(yè)，享受旅途中無邊界的風景，不要過于挑剔目的地，也不要急于躍入下一站的風景中。

Our recommendation for your career journey is to pack your own parachute, enjoy the “boundaryless” scenery on the trip, don’t be too picky about the destination, and don’t be too eager to jump at the next stop.

關(guān)鍵詞：職場

丹尼爾·D·戈林（Daniel D. Goering）、克里斯蒂娜·S·李（Christina S. Li）|文

丹尼爾·D·戈林是密蘇里州立大學管理學助理教授?？死锼沟倌取·李是俄克拉何馬大學普賴斯商學院客座助理教授。

Lisa|譯? ?周強|編校