1. Introductions - Welcome to Office Hours!

In this kickoff episode of Office Hours at The Alignment Lab, we launch the podcast and introduce our first mini-series on career development, focused on how to approach it in practice.This episode also sets the stage for the series ahead, which examines a central question: where does responsibility for career development really sit? You’ll hear how this tension shows up across individuals, managers, and organizations – and what it might take to navigate it more intentionally.Before diving into the series, we unpack how “career” and “career development” have evolved over time – shaped by cultural, economic, and social forces – and why definitions and expectations can vary so widely.TranscriptUnfortunately Spotify does not currently support transcripts for this podcast and the transcript length is too long for the description field. A transcript of the episode is linked here.ReferencesWilson, F. (2013, May 31). The Creation of the National Vocational Guidance Association. National Career Development Association (NCDA). https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/page_template/show_detail/74076?model_name=news_articleSavickas, M. L. (Ed.). (2013). Ten ideas that changed career development. National Career Development Association (NCDA). https://www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/asset_manager/get_file/71112?ver=29242#:~:text=A%20field%20of%20practice%20emerges,a%20journal%20beginning%20in%201911 Wang, D., & Li, Y. (2024). Career construction theory: tools, interventions, and future trends. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1381233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1381233 Baskin, K. (2023, June 13). To keep employees, focus on career advancement. MIT Sloan School of Management. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/to-keep-employees-focus-career-advancementArulmani, Gideon., Bakshi, A. J., Leong, F. T. L., & Watts, A. G. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of Career Development: International Perspectives (1st ed. 2014.). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9460-7 Music: "Feel Good (Instrumental Version)" by PØW⁠ via Epidemic Sound