As a society, we have a pervasive ambivalence toward organizations. It is not a love-hate relationship. The emotions expressed about organizations tend to be on the dark side: deep suspicion, fear, anger, and even hatred. The other side of the ambivalence is shown, not in the emotions we express about organizations, but in the fact that we seem irresistibly drawn to form, utilize, and join organizations. Along with science and technology, modern organizations have been the most powerful force for change in this century. We feed, clothe, govern, and transport ourselves through organizations.

We have also been moving into organizations in increasing numbers. The first half of this century largely saw the completion of a mass migration of men from individual family farms into complex organizations. The last half of this century has brought a large proportion of adult women into the organizational work place as well as an increasing proportion of what were once considered independent professionals: physicians and lawyers.

The increasing part of our lives that is spent in organizations has raised the question: What happens to us in organizations? Attempts to answer that question have brought with them the increasing use of the term “career” to describe the individual's sequence of experiences, roles, and relationships in work-related organizations. The history of this word in the English language brings with it an interesting connotation. The word came to us from the French word carriere, meaning a road or racecourse. Thus the original use of the term in English was to designate a racing course.