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Enhancing a Sense of Competence at Work by Engaging in Proactive Behavior: The Role of Proactive Personality

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  • Chia-Huei Wu

    (London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Hong Deng

    (University of Manchester)

  • Yuhui Li

    (Renmin University of China)

Abstract

To understand how individuals’ senses of competence are cultivated, scholars have primarily focused on situational factors such as job autonomy and supervisor support. Against this backdrop, we propose that individuals can work as active agents and enhance their sense of competence by initiating actions that aim to master the environment. We adopt the behavioral concordance model and propose that people higher in proactive personality are more likely to engage in proactive behavior that elevates their senses of competence over time. We further propose that such behavioral concordance contributes to boosting a sense of competence is more prominent among those with higher proactive personality. Our predictions are supported by data from 172 employees and their direct supervisors in China, after controlling for the effect of job autonomy and supervisor support for autonomy. Specifically, only those higher in proactive personality engaged in more proactive behavior and increased their sense of competence over time. This study highlights both a self-initiated and a behavioral perspective on understanding the development of a sense of competence.

Suggested Citation

  • Chia-Huei Wu & Hong Deng & Yuhui Li, 2018. "Enhancing a Sense of Competence at Work by Engaging in Proactive Behavior: The Role of Proactive Personality," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 801-816, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:19:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s10902-016-9827-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-016-9827-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wu, Chia-Huei & Liu, Jun & Kwong Kwan, Ho & Lee, Cynthia, 2016. "Why and when workplace ostracism inhibits organizational citizenship behaviors: an organizational identification perspective," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64006, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Bandura, Albert, 1991. "Social cognitive theory of self-regulation," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 248-287, December.
    3. Andreas Klein & Helfried Moosbrugger, 2000. "Maximum likelihood estimation of latent interaction effects with the LMS method," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 65(4), pages 457-474, December.
    4. Sprangers, Mirjam A. G. & Schwartz, Carolyn E., 1999. "Integrating response shift into health-related quality of life research: a theoretical model," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 48(11), pages 1507-1515, June.
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