Case Study: Designing Career Paths & Structure

How can we provide managers and team members with tools to develop and grow their career?

At a Glance 

Client:
Video Game Developer

Goal:
Career Paths & Career Development

Service:
Consulting Project

The Opportunity 

A video game developer wanted to create a career architecture to organize jobs and enable more career development at the company. The studio had experienced quick growth and needed to put more structure and process in place. In addition, team members were asking for more clarity about career growth opportunities and guidance about how to progress. The company highly valued creativity and freedom so the solution needed to be customized and not feel “too corporate” in order to maximize usage and value. 

Young man with hat and headphones sitting at desk with computer screen showing video game
The design required opportunities for people to choose to build their career along a managerial path or through deeper technical specialization and expertise.

The Solution 

The solution included developing career levels and paths for the organization, tools to enable productive career exploration and preparation, and training to help people use the tools and support each other’s growth and development. The design required opportunities for people to choose to build their career along a managerial path or through deeper technical specialization and expertise. All aspects of the solution required attention to the organization’s unique culture and values.

The work began by connecting with leaders, managers, and team members to discuss the business’s growth and performance goals, organization culture, and typical career paths. We used this data to collaborate with senior leadership and the HR team to define, align, and communicate the organization’s strategy and approach to career growth. The output was clearly defined career principles that guided the solution design. 

In alignment with the career principles and the studio’s values, we worked alongside HR to design the details and levels of the career architecture. The career architecture included identifying job families, organizing jobs, defining career levels, creating career criteria and expectations for each level, and developing different paths to grow one’s career. 

Finally, we conducted training for both managers and team members on how to have effective career development conversations using the new career architecture as a tool. The training reinforced the role of manager and team member in career development, expanded ideas about career paths, and provided tactical practice and tips for supporting team members’ career exploration and growth. 

The Impact

The purpose of the career architecture was to clarify both opportunities for career progression and expectations for competencies and activity at each career level. People now saw the company as a viable place to build a long-term career. It also promoted consistency and fairness across the organization, which increased a culture of trust. 

Clearer career paths and responsibilities also enabled people to be more thoughtful about pursuing career growth opportunities that matched their strengths and interests. The tool and training opened communication at all levels, which led to increased dialogue among managers and team members about career development. In addition, leaders had more resources to help with strategic decision-making within their functions and more clarity for anticipating future talent needs for departments and teams. 

As a result of the work,  

  • Team members were better equipped with resources to understand how to progress their career and seek varied opportunities both vertically and horizontally within the business.  
  • Managers were better equipped to have productive development conversations with their people and to support their career goals.  
  • Leaders were better equipped to have strategic conversations with their teams and to make more informed talent and business decisions. 

The client shared the following feedback, “The team was absolutely fantastic to work with! Everyone was so helpful, kind and knowledgeable. I was super impressed with the research they put in and the framework, career levels, department descriptions, etc. have already really helped us improve career clarity.”