When Promotions Come Unexpectedly: Promotion Congruence and Women’s Career Goal Transitions in Public Administration

Abstract

Drawing on grounded‑theory interviews with 16 female staffers in the South Korean National Assembly, this study integrates the Kaleidoscope Career Model with a person–environment congruence lens to explain career‑goal dynamics. A two-stage process emerges. First, initial careers are shaped by the interaction of entry motivations (proactive or reactive) and perceived organizational climate (positive or negative). Second, women interpret promotion decisions through four congruence patterns: positive congruence (expected promotion received), negative congruence (promotion neither expected nor received), downward incongruence (promotion expected but denied), and upward incongruence (unexpected promotion). Upward incongruence generates cognitive dissonance, prompting career-goal shifts from balance or authenticity toward challenge. Conversely, downward incongruence typically prompts withdrawal from challenge goals. These findings extend the Kaleidoscope Career Model by showing that promotion shocks—not only gradual work–family adjustments—can trigger non‑linear shifts in women’s challenge, authenticity, and balance goals in public organizations.