Organizational Career Growth and Proactivity: A Typology for Individual Career Development

Abstract

The current article integrates research on proactive personality, career theory, and perceived organizational career growth opportunities to propose a typology describing four career scenarios that may occur for individuals based on their level of proactivity (high or low) and perceived organizational career growth (high or low). We present turnover intention and performance as career-related outcomes that characterize these scenarios, ultimately arguing that proactive personality likely moderates the positive effects of organizational career growth opportunities on individual career outcomes, such that the benefits of organizational career growth are likely to be most beneficial for highly proactive individuals. Using an interactionist perspective and social cognitive career theory as foundations, this conceptual article illustrates how the benefit of organizational career growth opportunities for individual career development may depend on the individual characteristics of employees.