The impact of career competencies on the emergence of entrepreneurial intention among boundaryless profiles: Theoretical approach

Abstract

Today’s career landscape has been object to many changes, since first work forms. Job configurations are object to actual economic factors, in globalization era, characterized by freedom and boundarylessness. These changes impacted the deepest of the work relation: the psychological contract. This contract, that meant a long-term engagement of employees, in exchange of a stable salary and secure work, isn’t relevant in today’s career world. We observe more and more liberty of changing one’s job, and working for so many companies become more common than previously: it’s the emergence of the concept of the “boundaryless career”. The new career form brings many advantages to organizations, benefiting from transferable competencies boundaryless profiles develop in previous experiences. Also, workers will take benefits from it: people with boundaryless careers will cumulate experience, confidence and competencies, useful to build their personalities and to boost their careers. And this will lead to appearance of entrepreneurial intentions among boundaryless employees, embed with competencies developed during their careers. The main competencies developed along these careers are knowing-how, directly linked to the core of the job, consisting of technical skills; knowing-why, related to one’s motivations and aspirations, his own expectations and the reasons pushing him in search for opportunities; and knowing-whom, or personal network, consisting of links one cumulates during his entire career. Our article is a theoretical exploration, aiming to discover links between boundaryless careers, career competencies and entrepreneurial intention.

JEL Classification: D21, L26, O15

Paper type: Theoretical Research.