The process of switching jobs, or “job-hopping,” among C-level hospitality executives is both predictable and potentially positive, according to a study by HVS Executive Search published in the February 2013 issue of the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly.
The analysis, which examined the years between job changes for 43 C-level hospitality executives, found the timing of career moves within and across companies followed a predictable rhythm known as a “power law” — the same mathematical pattern seen for random-looking events like earthquakes, avalanches, traffic jams and stock market crashes.
Job-hopping also may be an early and positive sign of entrepreneurial drive, according to the study. Researchers found the timing or rhythm of job-hopping was literally “musical” in nature, with a more steady rhythm for traditional “organization men” and a more erratic rhythm for opportunistic and entrepreneurial “trailblazers.”
“Organizations that can recognize ‘trailblazers’ early on and foster their entrepreneurial spirit are expected to lead in new market innovations — as with Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg,” said Keith Kefgen, CEO of HVS Executive Search and one of the authors of the article.
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