Proactivity - wikipedia Proactivity `` Proactive '' redirects here. For the acne treatment, see Proactiv Solution. For the Java software, see ProActive. This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( May 2012 ) This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia 's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. ( May 2012 ) This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia 's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. ( May 2012 ) In organizational behavior and industrial / organizational psychology, proactivity or proactive behavior by individuals refers to anticipatory, change - oriented and self - initiated behavior in situations. Proactive behavior involves acting in advance of a future situation, rather than just reacting. It means taking control and making things happen rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen. Proactive employees generally do not need to be asked to act, nor do they require detailed instructions. Proactive behavior can be contrasted with other work - related behaviors, such as proficiency, i.e. the fulfillment of predictable requirements of one 's job, or adaptability, the successful coping with and support of change initiated by others in the organization. In regard to the latter, whereas adaptability is about responding to change, proactivity is about initiating change. Proactivity is not restricted to extra role performance behaviors. Employees can be proactive in their prescribed role ( e.g. by changing the way they perform a core task to be more efficient ). Likewise, behaviors labeled as organizational citizenship behavior ( OCB ) can be carried out proactively or passively. For example, the altruistic OCB can be proactive in nature ( e.g. offering help to co-workers before they ask for assistance ). Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 3.1 Notes 3.2 General 4 External links History The use of the word proactive ( or pro-active ) was limited to the domain of experimental psychology in the 1930s, and used with a different meaning. Oxford English Dictionary ( OED ) credits Paul Whiteley and Gerald Blankfort, citing their 1933 paper discussing proactive inhibition as the `` impairment or retardation of learning or of the remembering of what is learned by effects that remain active from conditions prior to the learning ''. In another related meaning, the 1946 book Man 's Search for Meaning brought the word to the wider public domain. The author, Austrian existential neuropsychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl, used the word to describe a person who took responsibility for his or her life, rather than looking for causes in outside circumstances or other people. Frankl stressed the importance of courage, perseverance, individual responsibility and awareness of the existence of choices, regardless of the situation or context. Etymologically, this is a `` centaur '' word ( like `` bi-cycle '' ), combining a Greek prefix ( `` pro - '' meaning `` before '' ) with a Latin root, `` active ''. The Latin prefix `` pre - '' ( `` before '' ) could have been used, but perhaps it would then be confused with `` re-active ''. See also Journal of Applied Psychology Onboarding Personnel psychology Proactive communications References Notes Jump up ^ Grant, Adam ; Ashford, Susan ( 2008 ). `` The dynamics of proactivity at work ''. Research in Organizational Behavior. 28 : 3 -- 34. doi : 10.1016 / j. riob. 2008.04. 002. Jump up ^ proactive - Definition from the Merriam - Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam Webster dates the origin of the word to 1933. Jump up ^ proactive - Definition from the Oxford English Dictionary Jump up ^ Whiteley, Paul L. ; Blankfort, Gerald ( 1933 ), `` The Influence of Certain Prior Conditions Upon Learning '', Journal of Experimental Psychology, APA, 16 : 843 -- 851, doi : 10.1037 / h0075141 Jump up ^ Page, Randy ( 2003 - 01 - 01 ). `` Responsibility : Are We Proactive or Reactive ? ''. Fostering Emotional Well - Being in the Classroom. Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. p. 50. ISBN 978 - 0763700553. Retrieved 2012 - 08 - 18. General Bateman, T.S. ; Crant, J.M. ( 1993 ). `` The proactive component of organizational behavior : A measure and correlates ''. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 14 ( 2 ) : 103. doi : 10.1002 / job. 4030140202. Campbell, D.J. ( 2000 ). The proactive employee : Managing workplace initiative. Academy of Management Executive, 14 ( 3 ), 52 - 66. Crant, J.M. ( 2000 ). `` Proactive Behavior in Organizations ''. Journal of Management. 26 ( 3 ) : 435. doi : 10.1177 / 014920630002600304. Frese, M., & Fay, D. ( 2001 ). `` Personal initiative : An active performance concept for work in the 21st century '' ( PDF ). Research in Organizational Behavior. 23 : 133 -- 187. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Frese, M., Kring, W., Soose, A., & Zempel, J. ( 1996 ). Personal initiative at work : Differences between East and West Germany. Academy of Management Journal, 39 ( 1 ), 37 - 63. Grant, A.M., & Ashford, S.J. 2008. The dynamics of proactivity at work. Research in Organizational Behavior, 28 : 3 - 34. http://www.unc.edu/~agrant/publications.htm Griffin, M.A., Neal, A., & Parker, S.K. ( 2007 ). A new model of work role performance : Positive behavior in uncertain and interdependent contexts. Academy of Management Journal, 50 ( 2 ), 327 - 347. Parker, S.K., & Collins, C.G. ( 2010 ). Taking stock : Integrating and differentiating multiple forms of proactive behavior. Journal of Management. 36, 633 - 662. http://parker.zydec.net.au/publications/Parker&collins_ProactivityDimensions_JOM_InPress.pdf Parker, S.K., Williams, H.M., & Turner, N. ( 2006 ). Modeling the antecedents of proactive behavior at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91 ( 3 ), 636 - 652. http://parker.zydec.net.au/publications/parker_et_al_modelingProactiveBehavior_JAP_2006.pdf Parker, S.K., Bindl, U.K., & Strauss, K. ( 2010 ). `` Making things happen : A model of proactive motivation '' ( PDF ). Journal of Management. 36 : 827 -- 856. doi : 10.1177 / 0149206310363732. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) External links Look up proactive in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Aspects of organizations Architecture Behavior Blame Burnout Capital Cells Chart Citizenship behavior Climate Commitment Communication Complexity Conflict Culture Design Development Diagnostics Dissent Ecology Effectiveness Engineering Ethics Field Fit in or fuck off Hierarchy Identification Intelligence Justice Kick the cat Kiss up kick down Learning Life cycle Machiavellianism Mentorship Narcissism Network analysis Ombudsman Onboarding Patterns Perceived support Performance Politics Proactivity Psychology Psychopathy Resilience Retaliatory behavior Safety Space Storytelling Structure Suggestion box See also templates Aspects of corporations Aspects of jobs Aspects of occupations Aspects of workplaces Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Proactivity&oldid=784505653 '' Categories : Organizational theory Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from May 2012 All articles lacking in - text citations Wikipedia articles needing reorganization from May 2012 Wikipedia articles needing rewrite from May 2012 All articles needing rewrite CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Català Čeština Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 עברית Polski Português Русский Simple English Slovenčina Türkmençe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 8 June 2017, at 18 : 16. 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Question: proactivity can be best defined as the fact that
Answer: taking control and making things happen rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen