How do I stay proactive? Examining proactive behavior from a self-regulatory resource perspective

Abstract

Drawing upon the self-regulatory resource theory, we investigate the relationship between proactive behavior and individual fatigue and examine the effect of taking a short break on sustaining proactivity. We argue that continuous proactive behavior is positively associated with individual fatigue via resource depletion, which in turn decreases the subsequent act of such behavior. We further propose a moderating effect of break on the proactive behavior-resource depletion-fatigue linkage. Through three laboratory experiments involving a total of 224 participants, we found that participants who had been continuously performing proactive behavior experienced resource depletion and in turn higher fatigue. Accordingly, fatigued individuals engaged in lower levels of proactive behavior afterwards. Further, the association between proactive behavior and fatigue was buffered when individuals took a break after accomplishing such behavior, whereas the association was exacerbated when not taking a break. Our findings suggest that continually engaging in proactive behavior consumes self-regulatory resource, which in turn leads to greater fatigue and lower subsequent proactivity. However, this detrimental effect could be overcome if an appropriate intervention, such as a short break, is applied.