Polishing followers' future work selves! The critical roles of leader future orientation and vision communication

Future work self salience (FWSS) refers to a clear and accessible image of possible self-concerning future work that encapsulates individual hopes and aspirations. FWSS guides employees' work and careers and leads to many favorable work consequences, such as work engagement, organizational socialization, and job performance. However, little is known about its antecedents. This research explores how leaders can be leveraged to shape follower FWSS and suggests that follower FWSS is cultivated by future-oriented leaders who communicate visions. Moreover, leader self-integrity is identified as an important boundary condition. The results of a multi-wave, multi-source survey featuring leader-follower dyads indicate that leader future orientation facilitates leader vision communication, which in turn, enhances follower FWSS. In addition, this indirect effect is contingent upon a first-stage moderator, leader self-integrity, such that the indirect effect is more salient when leaders have higher self-integrity. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are addressed.