We have discussed in detail the interactive relationship between work and personality change, and articulated how personality change can occur both as a result of multilevel influences from global, national and organisational contexts, and as a result of one's deliberate and intentional efforts, with and without external intervening forces. By this time, we have established that personality change does occur at work, through both passive and active influences, and that such change can have important implications in our work and lives in general.

In this final chapter, we will move beyond the review of existing evidence and point out the implications of personality change studies for future research and practice. First, we will draw on existing evidence to identify unresolved debates and understudied areas in personality change research, and provide suggestions for future research. We will also comment on methodological issues in studying personality change, providing a brief overview of the existing and future approaches for continuing research in this area. We will then address the practical implications for society, organisations and for employees themselves. By doing so, we hope to shed light on how organisations, leaders and individuals can take on board the dynamic perspective toward personality to adapt their thinking and practices within and beyond organisations.

Implications for future research: conceptual advancement

In this section, we summarise and discuss what we know and what we should further explore to understand work and personality development. We firstly address issues relating to the scope of personality traits and the scope of work experiences, and then indicate other topics for exploration.

The scope of personality traits

The majority of research efforts so far have focused on the Big Five traits. The advantage of such a dedicated focus is that it helps us to integrate research evidence under a consistently applied framework and thus provides a common language for communicating about the phenomenon of personality change. However, moving beyond this focus can present unique opportunities for expanding our knowledge on important, specific personality factors that are subject to change.