Perceived prosocial impact, perceived situational constraints, and proactive work behavior: Looking at two distinct affective pathways

Abstract

This paper examines the role of affect as a linking mechanism between experiences at work (perceived prosocial impact and situational constraints) and two distinct components of proactive work behavior (issue identification and implementation). Based on a dual-tuning perspective, we argue that both positive affect and negative affect can be beneficial for proactive work behavior. Multi-level path analysis using daily-survey data from 153 employees showed that perceived prosocial impact predicted positive affect and that situational constraints as a typical hindrance stressor predicted negative affect. Negative affect, in turn, predicted issue identification, and positive affect predicted implementation. Overall, our study suggests that both positive and negative affects can be valuable in the organizational context by contributing to distinct components of proactive behavior. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.