A Dual Pathway Model of Daily Proactive Work Behavior on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being

Abstract

Recent research on proactive work behavior suggest that it entails negative consequences for actor’s hedonic well-being. This raises the question why people persevere acting proactively. We propose that in addition to its negative consequences for hedonic well-being proactivity exerts a positive effect on eudaimonic well-being, which may counterbalance the negative effects. Drawing on resources theory and models of eudaimonic well-being the present paper develops and tests a dual pathway model which explores the effect of daily proactivity on daily well-being. The model holds that on one hand proactivity has negative effects on hedonic well-being by increasing daily workload, finally negatively affecting general well-being experienced in the evening. On the other hand, proactivity has a positive effect on eudaimonic well-being because it allows authentic expression. This path results in a positive effect on evening general well-being. We conducted a daily diary study with four daily measurement points (early morning, morning, afternoon, evening) on five consecutive working days. Our sample consisted of n = 121 (k = 604) employees in finances and administration. Data was analyzed with a multilevel structural equation modelling approach. Findings support the dual pathway model. Proactivity exerts a negative effect on evening general well-being through the hedonic pathway and a positive effect through the eudaimonic pathway. The overall effect of proactive work behavior on evening general well-being is positive. Thus, findings suggest that in order to gain a full understanding of the well-being implications of proactivity, eudaimonic processes need to be taken into account in addition to hedonic processes.