Future work self salience: A systematic review and future research agenda

Abstract

With the transformational shift in the ownership of careers, individuals have become the primary actors in managing their careers. Owing to this, it has become imperative for working individuals to engage in various career development behaviors proactively. To understand the motivation behind these proactive behaviors, the construct of future work self-salience (FWSS) was introduced in the literature a decade ago. FWSS reflects the extent to which people can easily and clearly envision who they want to become in relation to work. Since then, scholars have explored a range of antecedents and outcomes of FWSS, further enhancing our knowledge. However, we are yet to witness a synthesis of this body of knowledge highlighting key advancements, issues, and challenges. To date, disparate findings have not been integrated, impeding the advancement of this research area. Accordingly, we systematically review the empirical research on FWSS to comprehensively understand the theoretical perspectives adopted in previous work, the nomological network of variables associated with FWSS, and how this construct has been conceptualized and measured. Building on the review's findings, we develop an integrated theoretical framework and craft a future research agenda to facilitate further theoretical and empirical advancement.