A Systematic Review of the Career Adaptability Literature and Future Outlook

Abstract

Researchers in the career domain have embraced the concept of career adaptability as denoted by a rapid growth in the number of published articles in recent years. Career adaptability is a psychosocial construct including both readiness and resources for successfully facing vocational tasks, occupational transitions, and unexpected challenges. To synthesize the research in this field and to suggest directions for future development, this article systematically reviews the studies on career adaptability. The 116 published pieces covered in the review include book chapters and articles, including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and qualitative papers, along with intervention studies, and theoretical contributions. First, the different instruments available to measure career adaptability are presented, after which the research is reviewed in the categories of adaptability resources and adapting responses. Both resources and responses contribute to positive transitions and personal functioning in teenagers through to adults. The article concludes by offering several suggestions for future research, highlighting the theoretical, practical, empirical, and methodological contributions that future work in this domain could make.

How do career adaptability and proactive career behaviours interrelate over time? An inter‐ and intraindividual investigation

“…This is not fully satisfying because CCT makes assumptions about dynamic career processes and highlights the need to investigate developmental aspects within career adaptability research (Guan et al, 2017;Savickas, 2005). Specifically, past research has not investigated the effects of changes of these constructs on subsequent career success Johnston, 2016). The relationship of both constructs over time is not only empirically informative and theoretically stimulating because of extending CCT, but would also be insightful for organizations and practitioners alike.…”

“…In the light of this, notions of career self-management and self-direction have attracted growing scholarly attention (King, 2004;Koen, Klehe, & van Vianen, 2012;Lent & Brown, 2013;Sullivan & Baruch, 2009;Wang & Wanberg, 2017). Particularly relevant in this regard are the career management constructs of career adaptability and proactive career behaviours, which are frequently framed against the background of career construction theory (CCT; e.g., Johnston, 2016;Parker & Collins, 2010;Rudolph, Lavigne, & Zacher, 2017;Strauss, Griffin, & Parker, 2012).…”

“…The relationship of both constructs over time is not only empirically informative and theoretically stimulating because of extending CCT, but would also be insightful for organizations and practitioners alike. Specifically, past research has not investigated the effects of changes of these constructs on subsequent career success Johnston, 2016).…”

Determining Career Resilience

“…As noted above, career adaptability entails having the readiness and resources to cope with developmental tasks, career transitions, and work traumas across the entire life span (Savickas, 1997(Savickas, , 2013. Recent research has advanced and supported career adaptability along three primary dimensions of planning, exploring, and deciding (Creed, Fallon, & Hood, 2009;Hirschi, 2009;Johnston, 2016;Koen et al, 2012). The most recently revised version of the CMI produced an adaptability form that measures the dimensions of career adaptability for diagnostic work with school populations up to and including twelfth grade (Savickas & Porfeli, 2011).…”

“…This conceptual refinement indicates developmental lines wherein individuals must establish a foundation of (a) concern about the future, (b) control over their lives, (c) curiosity about occupational careers, and (d) confidence to construct a future and deal with career barriers (Savickas, 2002(Savickas, , 2013. The components of looking ahead to envision the future, owning one's life-career decisions to construct the future, looking around to explore work and career opportunities, and building confidence to solve problems form the critical theoretical dimensions of career adaptability and are, as well, represented in the research (e.g., Ginevra et al, 2016;Johnston, 2016;Rudolph et al, 2017). These four developmental lines of career adaptability (i.e., concern, control, curiosity, and confidence) extend through the traditional developmental career stages, or what Savickas (2013) termed the adaptive functions of orientation (growth in Super's model), exploration, stabilization (establishment), management, and disengagement and the tasks associated with these stages or functions.…”