Toward an understanding of one’s future work self salience as an indicator of work related behaviors

Future work self (FWS) refers to who a person aspires to become in the future as it relates to his or her work. FWS serves as a distal goal that motivates individuals to engage in three work-related behaviors: job crafting, proactive career behavior (PCB), and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Because there is multifinality in goal attainment (e.g., several goals linked to the same means), individuals take steps, serving focal and distal goals, to advance in achieving their FWS. As individuals move toward their work goals, they incorporate feedback to reassess their progress and alter steps necessary to fully achieve their future self. I expand future focused research by integrating regulatory focus theory (RFT)—how individuals approach desired or avoid undesired outcomes—and extend research on three work-related behaviors in the context of becoming one’s FWS. I expect that a person’s promotion focus (and not prevention focus) will moderate the relationship between one’s FWS and these three work-related behaviors (i.e., job crafting, PCBs, OCBs). Overall, I suggest that a FWS is a valuable motivational resource that induces specific work-related behaviors.