WORKING PAPER ALFRED P. SLOAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT Living with Technology: Issues at Mid-Career by Lotte Bailyn in collaboration with Edgar H. Schcin May 1979 WP1066-79 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY 50 MEMORIAL DRIVE CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02139 Living with Technology: Issues at Mid-Career by Lotte Bailyn in collaboration with Edgar H. Schein May 1979 WP1066-79 The study on which this manuscript is based was supported, in part, by funds from the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, by the Office of the Undergraduate Planning Professor of M.I.T., and by research funds from the Sloan School of Management. These sources are gratefully acknowledged. Table of Contents Preface iv Chapter I Introduction 1 The Research Sample ^ The Plan of the Monograph 6 Technical Appendix: Population and Sample by Year of Graduation • • Chapter II Technically Based Careers; Patterns and Values 12 — Career Patterns 16 Occupational Differences in Job Values 20 Socialization or Pre-Selection? 29 Technical Appendix: 1. Basic Definitions of Occupational Roles .... 35 A: Occupational Distribution by Class .... 37 2. Occupational Differences 41 A: Background and Current Characteristics ... 41 B: Occupational Success 47 3. Other Job Values 52 Chapter III Reactions to Work 53 Work Involvement in Technically Based Careers 53 Orientations in Four Career Types 72 — Reactions to Work in Four Career Types: A Summary Profile . . 82 Technical Appendix: 1. Derivation of Index of Work Involvement .... 86 A: Explication: Extreme Groups 95 B: Construct Validation 97 2. Derivation of Measures of Orientations to Work . 103 Chapter IV The Alumnae: M.I.T.'s Women Graduates 108 Career Paths 109 Mid-Life Career Patterns 116 Conclusion: Future Trends? 120 Chapter V Implications and Conclusion 122 Summary of Findings 122 Organizational Implications 129 Concluding Note 141 References 143 Appendix A: The Questionnaire 1'^9 ^30\ S3 11 List of Tables Table 1.1 The Research Sample 5 Table lA 1 Undergraduate Majors of Population and Sample by Class ... 9 Table 2,1 Occupational Classification ^^ Table 2.2 Career Patterns Based on Early Career Events 17 Table 2.3 List of Job Values with Percentage Rating Each as Very Important 23 Table 2.H Percentage of "Successful" Respondents Rating a Given Value as "Very Important" 26 Table 2.5 Job Values of "Successful" Alumni In "Congruent" and "Incongruent" Occupations 33 Table IIA1 Basic Occupations of Alumni of the Classes of 1951, 1955, and 1959 38 Table IIA2 Some Background and Current Characteristics of Respondents in Twelve Occupational Roles H2 Table IIA3 Perceived Success in Career Patterns and Occupational Roles 50 Table IIA** Percentage of "Successful" Respondents Rating a Given Value as "Very Important" 52 Table 3. 1 Work Involvement by Occupational Role 58 Table 3.2 Success Aspirations of Occupants of High and Low Organizational Positions 61 Table 3.3 Four Career Types: Engineering Based with High and Low Organizational Positions; Scientific/Professionally Based with High and Low Organizational Positions 63 Table 3.^ Occupational Value Norms and Characteristic Career Stance of Four Career Types (including data on work involvement) 65 Table 3.5 Reactions to Work by Occupants of Four Career Types 69 Table 3.6 Orientations in Four Career Types 7^ Table 3.7 Organizational Evaluation of Employees with Different Orientations in Four Career Types 76 Table 3.8 Individual Satisfaction with Different Orientations in Four Career Types 78 Table 3.9 Individual Satisfaction with Different Orientations in "High" and "Low" Engineering Based Careers Controlled by Relative Income 80 Table IIIA1 Final Variables Used in the Index of Work Involvement , 87 Table IIIA2 Correlations of Work Involvement Index with Components Table IIIA3 Some Differentiating Characteristics Between the Extremely High and the Extremely Low Work Involvement Groups 96 Table IIIA^^ Work Involvement in Relation to Intrinsic and Extrinsic Job Characteristics 98