Twenty-third International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

Most people experience several major events in their life that affect their careers. Various terms have been used to define these events, including chance events, serendipity, happenstance, and live events. In recent years, the construct of career shock has been increasingly used in this context. A career shock is a disruptive, extraordinary, and often unexpected event, that is caused, at least to some degree, by factors beyond the individual’s control and that trigger a deliberate process of thinking about one’s career. Career shock can be positive or negative and can have positive or negative consequences for a person’s career, health, and life. It has been observed that even negative career shocks can also lead to positive emotional reactions such as feelings of joy or pride. The analysis showed that the factors that cause career shock differ between men and women. The reactions, consequences, and subsequent behavior and decisions in shaping their future careers are also different. The aim of this paper is to show the relationship between negative career shocks and positive consequences for women’s career paths. Data were captured through semi-structured interviews with 20 women. The study revealed that in most cases a negative career shock in a woman’s career path is associated with stress in the short term, but with career gains in the long term. Based on this research, insights are provided on how to reduce the negative short-term consequences of negative career shocks for women’s careers and how to encourage women to seize future opportunities.