Future Work Self: insights and future directions

Abstract

Major nontraditional career perspectives highlight the need for greater self-directedness in one’s career. As individuals assume responsibility and agency for their career decisions, they are supposed to develop a clear idea of who they want to be in their future. Scholars have underlined the role of future work self – a positive representation of the future self in the work domain - in motivating proactive behaviors to strive for the envisioned future. However, few studies have examined theory-based mediators and conditions that influence this relationship. Drawing from control theory, we present an empirical paper testing the mediating role of career self-exploration, and provide insights on the role of future work self salience and elaboration in predicting proactive career behaviors. Moreover, we outline a research agenda based on a comprehensive overview of the future self domain.