It's not just action but also about reflection: Taking stock of agency research to develop a future research agenda

Date

2020

Authors

Hirst, Giles
Yeo, Gillian
Celestine, Nicole
Lin, Sonya
Richardson, Alex

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

University of New South Wales

Abstract

Agency is the human capability to exert influence over one's actions and environment, such as through forethought, self-regulation and self-reflection. We focus on six prominent agency constructs, including goal orientation, regulatory focus, proactivity, fear of failure, core self-evaluations and psychological capital, and review what we have learned from each construct. By adopting an overarching multidisciplinary perspective, we identify key research agendas for the six prominent constructs: (1) incorporating self-reflection into research on agentic disposition; (2) how agency dispositions equip employees for workplaces of the futures, yet also how such behaviours may challenge societal and corporate mechanisms of control; and (3) well-being and health-related consequences of agency. In addition, we highlight the importance of understanding the interface between agency scholarship and developments in technology, medicine and sociology.

Description

Keywords

Agency, individual differences, proactivity, self-efficacy

Citation

Source

Australian Journal of Management

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

License Rights

Restricted until

2099-12-31