National Context
In general one in 5 manager vacancies are hard
to fill because of skills shortage
(UKCES 2014)
Retail themes
• attracting talent,
• image of the sector,
• employee retention and attraction,
• customer service management,
• managing technology and innovation,
business development sales and marketing
(UKCES 2014)
National Context
• 60,000 more managers forecast by 2022
• proportion of hard to fill vacancies 13% in retail
compared to 6% in UK economy
• Average age of managers in retail below 30 is
18% of retail workforce compared to 9% across
the UK economy
• Private sector workplaces that invest in workforce
training raise business survival rates by 13%
People 1st (2015)
Organisational Context
– Response to business
needs - retention
– Talent management
pipeline
– Transition from sales to
management in retail
Academic Response
Progression route
- L5 60 credits University Certificate
in Professional Development (Retail
management)
- L4 60 credits University Diploma in
Professional Development (Retail
Management)
-
BA (Hons) Professional
Development (Retail Management)
Teaching, Learning &
Assessment approaches
• Work based learning principles
• Content delivered via a VLE
• Curriculum design and
assessment crucial
• PDP
• Reflection throughout
• Business challenges
Can work-based learning affect the way in which learners
perceive their professional identity?
Organisation
Learner
New skills and
behaviours
University
of Derby
Develop employees and
retain talent and reduce
recruitment costs
Personal changes
Relationship with colleagues
and managers – reshaping
of professional identities
Identity
Identity
work
‘A person’s identity is
defined as the totality
of his self-construal,
in which how he
construes himself in
the present expresses
the continuity
between how he
construes himself as
he was in the past and
how he construes
himself as he aspires
to be in the future’.
‘People’s engagement
in forming, repairing,
maintaining and
strengthening or
revising their
identities’.
Weinreich (1977)
Sveningsson & Alvesson
(2003)
Development of Professional
Identity
- ‘Professional Identity evolves through - socialisation
within work environment, requires observation of
role models.’
Ibarra (1999)
- the part that identity plays in role transition or
career moves, and suggests the notion of ‘identity
play’ which is defined as ‘people’s engagement in
provisional but active trial of possible future selves’
Ibarra & Petringler (2010)
- issues that are faced when becoming a leader that
not only involve the acquisition of skills but also a
fundamental shift in identity
Ibarra, Ely & Kolb (2013)
The story so far…
• To date
- 2 cohorts of L4 – 170
students (pilot)
- 10 students on 60
credit top up module
- Current 3rd cohort of
30
Cohort 1 outcomes
Out of 119 learners
– 84% pass rate
– 43% promoted within
programme period
– 38% ready for promotion within
6-12 months
– 79% retention vs previous 75%
staff turnover
In the beginning…
Learners professional goals were
-48% to learn new skills in relation to current and potential role
-94% progress in their career
-51% increased exposure within the
company
-60% to gain more confidence in role
-15% to gain a university qualification
On completion…..
• 93% more confident in
work situations with
colleagues
• 94% more confident in
work situations with
line managers
• 96% more confident
with store managers
and above
• 82% noted changes in
relationship with
manager
• 100% change in
understanding of brand
and job related issues
Emerging themes
- Changes to individuals working
relationships
- Better understanding of colleagues
- Positive changes to confidence (less
fear)
⁻ Improved skills – time management
What is impact of the changes on professional
identity?
Next steps?
• More data gathering from
current cohort
• Data analysis to define and
explore themes
• Flexible approach in
response to the changing
business needs
• Welcome advice and
guidance?
‘I feel I have achieved all of
my personal goals and
become a more confident,
self-aware, participative
manager. I also feel ready
to apply for a promotion’
‘Reignited my
passion for the
job and passion
to learn’
The key benefit is talent growth. The
learners now have more confidence in
their abilities, if you align this to the skills
they are learning they are able to think
differently about leadership, retail and
commerciality.
Senior Development Partner
‘I am doing my job
because I want to do
it and understand
why I am doing it’
References
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Ibarra, H. (1999) ‘Provisional selves: Experimenting with Image and Identity’. Professional
Adaptation Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 4 p.764-791.
Ibarra, H., Ely, R. & Kolb, D (2013) ‘Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers’. Harvard Business Review.
Vol.91. No. 12. p.61-65.
Ibarra, H. & Petriglieri, L. (2010) ‘Identity work and play’. Journal of Organisational Change
Management. Vol. 23 (1) pp10-25.
People First (2015). Management and Leadership needs in Retail monthly insight report. Jan 2015.
accessed on 3rd March 2015 http://www.people1st.co.uk/getattachment/Researchpolicy/Research-reports/Monthly-insights-reports/Insights-report-Jan15-Leadership-managementRetail-draft-v2.pdf.aspx
Sveningsson, S.F. & Alvesson, M. (2003) ‘Managing managerial identities: organisational
fragmentation, discourse and identity struggle’. Human Relations, Vol. 56 No. 10, p. 1163-93.
UKCES (2014) ‘Understanding Skills and Performance Challenges in the Wholesale and Retail Sector
Evidence report 87’. UK Commission for Employment and Skills, Wath-upon-Dearne.
Weinreich, P. (1977) ‘Identity development and ethnicity: extensions of personal construct theory.’
Second international Congress on Personal Construct Theory. Oxford, England.