The Nomological Network of Proactivity: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

1
The Nomological Network of ProactivityA
Meta-Analytic Investigation
Paper symposium New Directions in Proactive
Behaviour Research

• Katharina Tornau
• Nadine Kunze
• University of Giessen, Germany

2
Proactivity research so far

• has received considerable interest but appears
  fragmented and unsystematic (Grant Ashford,
  forthcoming).
• Numerous proactivity concepts have been
  introduced but mostly isolated from similar
  concepts and research streams.
• Call for more integrative research and the
  identification of general and common dynamics of
  proactivity (Grant Ashford, forthcoming Parker
  Collins, in press).

3
Objectives of This Study

• Empirical integration of research findings by
  using meta-
• analysis technique
• Magnitude of relationships between various
  proactivity concepts Personal Initiative,
  Proactive Personality, Voice, and Taking Charge
• Nomological network of proactivity concepts
• Magnitude of relationships
• Pattern of relationships
• Generalizability of relationships Moderator
  analyses

4
Relationships between Proactivity Concepts
5
2. Nomological Network (1)
6
2. Nomological Network (2)
7
2. Nomological Network (3)

• Personal initiative and
• extraversion (.36/.35) agreeableness (.12/.13)
  positive affect (.42/.39) job autonomy
  (.33/.30) job control (.28/.27) self-efficacy
  (.27/.23) GMA (.20/.22) innovativeness
  (.30/.23) org. commitment (.26/.24)
• Proactive Personality and
• extraversion (.28/.28) agreeableness (-.01
  -.01) role-breadth self-efficacy (.41/.40)
  learning GO (.54/.50) performance-prove GO
  (.35/.28) org. commitment (.23/.23)
• Taking Charge and
• felt responsibility for change (.45/.52)

8
3. Generalizability of Effect Sizes

• Moderators of the relationships
• Measurement method (questionnaire vs. interview)
• Source of information (self vs. peers vs.
  supervisors)
• Nature of correlations (cross-sectional vs.
  longitudinal)
• Aggregation of similar concepts
• e.g., personal initiative vs. individual
  Initiative (OCB) vs. personal growth initiative
• e.g., indicators for performance supervisory
  rating vs. objective performance data vs. proxies
  of performance (e.g., grades, number of
  employment interviews)

9
Steps to take

• Identify additional studies for presented
  relationships
• Consider additional proactivity concepts (e.g.,
  active feedback seeking)
• Include unpublished studies
• Identify and test moderators
• Ultimate goal Create meta-analytic correlation
  matrix and test causal model of proactivity
  process

10
Preliminary Conclusion

• Personal initiative and proactive personality
  seem to have attracted most research activities
  but more studies needed, particularly on voice
  and taking charge
• Substantial correlations for most proactivity
  concepts with
• Conscientiousness and self-efficacy
• Org. commitment and job performance
• Different (magnitude of) relationships for
  different proactivity concepts
• Agreeableness PI vs. PP, Gender PI vs. PP vs.
  VOI/TC
• Conscientiousness PI vs. PP vs. VOI

11
Katharina TornauKatharina.Tornau_at_psychol.uni-gie
ssen.dewww.uni-giessen.biz
For further information and for (unpublished)
proactivity studies to be included in the
meta-analysis