The 'hot' side of proactivity: Exploring an affect-based perspective on proactivity in organisations

Today’s globalized economy is characterized by high levels of uncertainty, as well as organizational dynamics (Grin, Neal, & Parker, 2007; Wall, Jackson, and Mullarkey, 1995). These developments have inuenced characteristics of the work environment and thus behaviors required of employees to succeed in their jobs (Ilgen & Pulakos, 1999). In organizations that are low in hierarchical dierences and high in environmental uncertainty and ambiguity, employees are more than ever required to not only comply with broader goals that are set by their organization but also to be self-starting in shaping their own careers or in improving organizational performance (Frese, 2008). In this context, research on proactive behavior focuses on explaining how employees actively take charge of situations to bring about change in a future-focused way (Grant & Ashford, 2008; Parker, Bindl, & Strauss, 2010). For instance, employees sometimes modify or adjust their organizational goals, set for themselves more challenging goals (Hacker, 1985), and take action to inuence socialization processes to improve their work experiences (Ashford & Black, 1996; Saks & Ashforth, 1996). Similarly, employees can decide to change the characteristics of their job and situation by using their personal initiative (Frese, Garst, & Fay, 2007) or via job-crafting (Berg, Wrzesniewski, & Dutton, 2010; Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001), and to persuade managers of important new directions for the organization (Dutton, Ashford, O’Neill, & Lawrence, 2001).