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Though key characteristics of the American workforce - its composition, attitudes and family structures - have changed significantly over the past several decades, the corporate ladder model of career progression has remained much the same. As a consequence, the model, based on the assumption of continuous, full time employment, does not now fit the majority of knowledge workers. As the traditional track becomes less attractive for the majority, nontraditional career tracks become more appealing. In order to attract and retain talent, corporate leaders will need to rethink how their organizations offer career choices. The goal, of course, is to foster competitive advantage by providing choices that are rewarding to the most talented men and women of current generations and also inviting to future ones. Senior leaders can further this goal by encouraging a change in the businesses culture, from corporate ladder to a corporate lattice model (see exhibit 1 [Figure omitted. See Article Image.]).
A corporate lattice system encourages a continuous collaboration between employer and employee to design customized career paths, taking into account both the changing needs of the business and employees' changing lives. The result is an adaptive model of career progression that offers employees career-long options for keeping their work and personal lives in sync and employers the long-term loyalty of their best and brightest.
To facilitate the progression from a corporate ladder to corporate lattice culture, Deloitte has designed a framework - mass career customization (MCC)(TM). MCC extends the notion of mass product customization to careers in the workplace. MCC aligns current and future career development options for the employee with current and future requirements of the business in ways that are sustainable for both. In sum, MCC is an individually customizable, scalable system designed to align workplace needs with today's nontraditional workforce and also to meet the challenges of the major long-term trends affecting the talent market.
Convergence of six workforce trends
The convergence of these six major workforce trends will require a coordinated response:
Knowledge worker shortfall. The shortfall of knowledge workers will likely increase in the next decade as demand rises and a number of factors reduce supply. Accelerating retirement of Baby Boomers, lower birth rates, increased competition for skilled workers worldwide, stagnant college graduation rates, and...