Proactivity with image in mind: how employee and manager characteristics affect evaluations of proactive behaviors
De Stobbeleir, Katleen Ashford, Susan Sully de Luque, Mary
De Stobbeleir, Katleen
Ashford, Susan
Sully de Luque, Mary
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Publication Type
Journal article with impact factor
Editor
Supervisor
Publication Year
2010
Journal
Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology
Book
Publication Volume
83
Publication Issue
2
Publication Begin page
347
Publication End page
369
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Abstract
This paper investigates image cost as a potential downside of proactivity. Drawing on attribution theory, we examine how people construct subjective evaluations of one manifestation of proactivity, feedback-seeking behaviour. Using a scenario methodology, we examined how employees' performance history, their manager's implicit person theory (IPT), and the frequency of their feedback-seeking affect how managers evaluate employees' feedback seeking. Results indicate that manager attribute average performers' feedback seeking significantly less to performance-enhancement motives than superior performers' seeking. Results further show that the frequency of feedback seeking and a manager's IPT interact in influencing managers' attributions for feedback seeking, with more entity oriented managers attributing frequent feedback seeking significantly more to impression-management motives than infrequent feedback requests. These results highlight the importance of not only the instrumental benefits of employee proactivity, but also its potential costs.
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Keywords
Learning, Training & Development