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Journal of Business and Psychology
Published in: Journal of Business and Psychology 1/2014

01-03-2014

Proactive Personality at Work: Seeing More to Do and Doing More?

Authors: Diane M. Bergeron, Tiffany D. Schroeder, Hector A. Martinez

Published in: Journal of Business and Psychology | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model relating proactive personality to job behaviors (task and citizenship behaviors) through the intervening mediator of perceived role breadth.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data were obtained from 530 faculty members in 69 U. S. research universities.

Findings

Proactive personality was positively related to task behavior and OCB. Perceived role breadth mediated the relationship between proactive personality and OCB, but did not mediate the relationship between proactive personality and task behavior. Despite not viewing their role more broadly, individuals higher in proactive personality engaged more frequently in both task behavior and OCB; and also worked more hours per week.

Implications

Having a better understanding of proactive individuals is important in terms of managing them. Because these individuals tend to do more in their jobs and subsequently work more hours, they may be more susceptible to burnout and may require additional help in determining priorities and balancing their work and lives.

Originality/value

This is the first study to show that proactive personality is positively related to the frequency with which these individuals engage in task and citizenship behavior. Although role breadth is generally an antecedent of such job behaviors, individuals higher in proactive personality engage more frequently in task behaviors regardless of whether or not they perceive them as part of their role. This is one of the first studies to show that working more hours each week is a potential cost of having a proactive personality.
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Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
We also included number of children as a control variable in our initial set of analyses, but removed it because it had no significant effect on our dependent or mediating variables.
 
2
In post hoc analyses, we further tested for relationships between role breadth and job behaviors (i.e., task, OCB). The above results for Hypothesis 3b showed a positive relationship between OCB role breadth and its two corresponding OCB dimensions. In order to be comprehensive, we also tested the relationship between role breadth and the task behavior dimensions. For each of these job behavior outcomes, their respective role breadth dimension contributed significantly and independent of the effects of the control variables and proactive personality. Full results are available from the first author.
 
3
We also ran mediation analyses to see if proactive personality had an indirect effect on hours worked through job behaviors. We found that none of the job behaviors significantly predicted hours worked, and we found no support for an indirect effect using Preacher and Hayes (2008) bias-corrected bootstrapping method. For the set of 5 job behaviors, point estimate = .46, SE = .39, bias corrected 95 % CI [−.3098, 1.2442].
 
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Metadata
Title
Proactive Personality at Work: Seeing More to Do and Doing More?
Authors
Diane M. Bergeron
Tiffany D. Schroeder
Hector A. Martinez
Publication date
01-03-2014
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Business and Psychology / Issue 1/2014
Print ISSN: 0889-3268
Electronic ISSN: 1573-353X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-013-9298-5

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