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Antecedents and Mediating Mechanisms of Proactive Behavior: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

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Abstract

While there is burgeoning interest in proactive behavior in today’s workplaces, very little is known about cognitive mechanisms by which employees engage in proactive behavior. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), we explored critical antecedents and cognitive mechanisms of proactive behavior in Asian work contexts. The results of structural equation modeling analyses conducted for 138 supervisor-subordinate dyads in Korean firms supported most of the propositions of the TPB. Learning goal orientation was found to be associated with proactive behavior through attitudes toward proactive behavior. Perceived organizational support was related to proactive behavior through the intervening mechanisms of subjective norms and intention. Job autonomy predicted proactive behavior through the mediating processes of perceived behavioral control and intention. These findings have meaningful implications for the literature on proactive behavior.

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Notes

  1. As data for proactive behavior were obtained from a different source (i.e., supervisor ratings), items of proactive behavior were excluded from the EFA. We were unable to perform a confirmatory factor analysis due to small sample size.

  2. Because data were nested within firms, we checked intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)(1) values for the study variables, as recommended by Bliese (2000). The ICC(1) values for the variables were sufficiently low, suggesting that non-independence was not a serious issue in our data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Business, Hanyang University, 222 Wangshimri-Ro Sungdong-Gu, Seoul, 133-791, Korea

    Yuhyung Shin & Min-Jeong Kim

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  1. Yuhyung Shin
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  2. Min-Jeong Kim
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Correspondence to Yuhyung Shin.

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This was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2014S1A5A2A01010763).

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Shin, Y., Kim, MJ. Antecedents and Mediating Mechanisms of Proactive Behavior: Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Asia Pac J Manag 32, 289–310 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-014-9393-9

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