Abstract
Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between employees’ proactive personality and task performance, with playful work design (PWD) and work-related flow as sequential mediators. Integrating proactive personality theory and the self-determination theory of flow, the authors propose that employees with a proactive personality are more likely to playfully redesign their work tasks and to experience flow, resulting in improved performance. Design/methodology/approach Participants were 466 Italian employees who filled out an online survey. The sample was well balanced regarding age and gender. Measurement models were tested, and sequential mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling. Findings The proposed measurement model, including four latent factors, fits better to the data than alternative models. Proactive personality showed positive relationships with PWD, flow at work and task performance. As predicted, proactive personality was indirectly related to task performance through PWD and work-related flow, supporting sequential mediation. Originality/value This study expands previous knowledge regarding how proactive personality may be related to task performance through proactive behavior. The authors integrate proactive personality theory and the self-determination model of flow to show that proactive individuals may playfully redesign their work tasks and experience flow, and that this results in improved performance. The authors discuss several implications for organizational practice.
Published Version
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