The Theory of Professional Growth
Agaigbe Uhembansha
The NAOWA College Abuja
Arts Department
Abstract
Life seems to be a dynamic phenomenon. Animate or inanimate, everything in life or our endeavors needs to grow, the kind of growth that is interpretable, measurable, and recognizable. The kind of transformation that ought to cut across all facets of the human interface and milieu as it relates to individuals and organizations. Quite sizably, individual advancement determines organizations’ growth and vice versa. As such, from time to time, individuals in organizations need to study how far they have grown themselves and their organization, and what they can do to improve productivity. Such professional studies require a framework. Thus, this paper attempts to propose a theory, The Theory of Professional Growth, which can be used to assess the level of advancement of individuals in an organization, and the organization itself.
Keywords: Theory, Profession, and Growth.
Introduction
All individuals or organizations crave enormous development upon establishment, hence the policy to train and retrain staff, renovate infrastructure, and restructure. Professional changes in the lives of individuals and organizations breed the developmental pace and height organizations target.
My early years as a junior staff, employed to contribute my quota to the growth of a new institution that was a year old, saw a microcosmic struggle for organizational growth which can be applied to a nonspecific macrocosmic setting. After five to six years of sinking and drowning, my organization finally came afloat (to view the magnificence of the ocean’s surface and its aquatic contiguousness). The pacing and jiggling movement of a chameleon, how hesitant, was a faster pace compared to my organization. Our growth was at a snail’s pace, almost stagnant. A burden was placed on us to grow the staff strength, infrastructure, and modus operandi amidst the crushing financial insolvency.
However, we all had a strong understanding, that it was a phase and our responsibility as staff was to grow ourselves and the organization, whatever we could do. We came to terms with the situation and the imbroglio surrounding the organization, and how important it was to infiltrate an ounce of advancement to trigger any improvement.
We had to think outside the box, imagine the unimaginable, and try drawing the image our minds couldn’t even visualize clearly. One thing we had realized early, was that we could flip to the next page if we clicked the right bottom. It was more than a struggle, it was a dilemma, and leaving the organization was the only door that was illumined, the only path that we could see a way to fulfilling our destinies. Then our team split; and one faction departed. Of course, a reasonable number of them are doing well in other endeavors. On our part, the satisfaction is that the organization is not only standing but also thriving beyond our imagination.
Most importantly, we have understood that in every organization; no matter the level of growth, individuals have the responsibility to grow themselves, and concomitantly the organization. It takes hard work and patience to avoid being led by the expression – There’s no future here.
Thus, The Theory of Professional Growth was born out of that experience and similar others I have had in the course of working with big and small organizations.
Literature Review
The terrain this study takes is not entirely new. There are many theories propounded by great intellectuals to explain career advancement, and how individuals grow from one level to another. Fullan for instance prefers the term career development, and according to him, it has to do with “the sum total of formal and informal learning pursued and experienced … in a compelling learning environment” (265). This suggests that career advancement or professional growth is at two levels: ceremonial and coded settings.
Radoslavova (63) uses the terms professional development and career development in tandem, which according to her have a vital role to play in an individual’s life. She believes that “professional and career development are oriented towards the biological, psychological, sociological and cultural” changes experienced by the individual. Radoslavova’s opinion suggests that professional growth cuts across all areas of life.
However, Maharji and Bhattarai (42) consider professional development in the life of a professional teacher. They explain that “the education and professional development of every teacher needs to be seen as a lifelong task, and be structured and resourced.” The importance of growth in the life of a professional is highlighted in this regard and Sharma (216) consolidates this position when he elucidates that professional growth is “an integral part of one’s developmental experiences.”
At this point, it may be seen that professional growth is an important part of an individual’s career. We may not forget to point out that a profession is any organized area of life that people undertake to offer services to mankind, and in this light, say also that professional growth has to do with any changes that occur in actions or inactions, which depict advancement in career.
Theories of Professional Growth
This theory posits stages of professional growth in the life of an individual or organization, but preferably both as growth in individual lives influences the progress of the entire organization.
Pre-Toddler Theory (PTT)
In the gloomy stage of career growth, the employee has the management and colleagues around him or her, cheering and waiting to celebrate victory. The employee is given all the support and tools needed, including the visions and goals. Yet there is no understanding of the target, even the goals of the organization or the individual in question. It’s the crawling stage of career growth.
Light and Tunnel Theory (LTT)
The employees have caught the vision and they are running with it. Things seem to be better than how they started. This is the mock-heroic theory of professional growth. The employees have mastered certain intermediate skills required to deliver the basic objectives of the organization. This stage welcomes a little pride in self-fulfillment and in during interaction with superiors. They can handle a lot of challenges, and hard work produces results, but there is always
the danger of self-glorification.
Post- Toddler Theory (PTT)
The vision is lost, even the goal. The mechanics have failed. The individual or organization is at crossroads and the challenges of the job are overwhelming. The organization and the individuals feel empty, and all that they have acquired on the job, nothing works anymore. This is also known as the seabed theory. Lack of creativity is about to crumble the static phrase that has been relying on self-trusted mechanisms that are important to handle prime challenges.
Utopian Theory (UT)
This is the expertise stage of unerring creativity. The individual or organization is self-sufficient in handling internal and external challenges of the job, perfectly. Professionals and organizations crave to attain this developmental height. However, it seems no organization or profession has attained this level of advancement, hence growth in the life of an individual and organization has no end.
Conclusion
The Theory of Professional Growth is a proposition that offers approaches or stages of professional advancement in the life of the professional and organization. The theory did not attempt to debunk any existing theories, except unintentionally, rather it offers to work side by side with other theories to proffer apparatuses individuals and organizations can use to measure their professional altitudes.
Works Cited
Fullan, M. Professional Development in Education: new paradigms and Practices. New York; Teachers College Press. 1995.
Maharja, S. and Bhattarai, J. “Teacher Professional Development in Nepal: Theories and Scope”, Journal of Poverty, Investment, and Development. Vol. 33, 2017.
Radoslavove, Lora. “Theories of the Professional and Career Development”, Proceedings of University of Ruse. Vol. 61, Book 6.2. 2022.
Sharma, Preeti. Theories of Career Development: Educational and Counseling Implications”, The International Journal of Indian Psychology. Vol. 3, 4, No. 63, 2016.
Biography: Agaigbe Uhembansha is a Nigerian writer. He holds a Master’s degree from Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and currently works at The NAOWA College Abuja as the Vice Principal Academics. His short story, ‘The Village Pond’, won second prize in The Green We Left Behind Creative Nonfiction Writing Contest. ‘The Storm Battle’ got Honourable Mention in Globe Soup Challenge 8#. His works appear in Arts Lounge Magazine, Mocking Owl and elsewhere.
