“Attraction of the like”: How does coworkers’ proactive behavior stimulate employees’ motivation and job performance?

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2022.00516

Abstract

Abstract:

Previous studies on proactivity usually focus on employees themselves, ignoring the important management practice and theoretical perspective that coworkers in teams or organizations will have an impact on employees’ behaviors. Therefore, based on social learning theory, this study explores the influence of coworkers’ proactive behavior on employees’ autonomous motivation and job performance, and the moderating effect of employees’ proactive personality. Through two studies, including a multi-time, leader-subordinate dyads questionnaire (Study 1) and a situational experiment (Study 2), this paper finds that coworkers’ proactive behavior can stimulate employees’ autonomous motivation, and then improve job performance. Moreover, employees’ proactive personality strengthens the positive effect of coworkers’ proactive behavior on employees’ autonomous motivation. This study not only shifts the existing research perspective on proactive behavior to coworkers in theory, but also provides practical guidance on how to better motivate employees.

Key words: coworker proactive behavior, autonomous motivation, job performance, proactive personality, social learning theory

ZHANG Ying, DUAN Jinyun, WANG Fuxi, QU Jinzhao, PENG Xiongliang. (2022). “Attraction of the like”: How does coworkers’ proactive behavior stimulate employees’ motivation and job performance?. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 54(5), 516-528.

Figures/Tables 7

References 63

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Model	χ²	df	χ²/df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA	SRMR
M4. Four-factor model PB、PP、AM、JP	1027.18	399	2.57	0.86	0.85	0.08	0.05
M3. Three-factor model PP+PB、AM、JP	1436.16	402	3.57	0.77	0.75	0.11	0.08
M2. Two-factor model PB+AM+PP、JP	1970.70	404	4.88	0.65	0.62	0.14	0.11
M1. Single factor model PB+AM+PP+JP	2270.65	405	5.61	0.58	0.55	0.15	0.11

Model	χ²	df	χ²/df	CFI	TLI	RMSEA	SRMR
M4. Four-factor model PB、PP、AM、JP	1027.18	399	2.57	0.86	0.85	0.08	0.05
M3. Three-factor model PP+PB、AM、JP	1436.16	402	3.57	0.77	0.75	0.11	0.08
M2. Two-factor model PB+AM+PP、JP	1970.70	404	4.88	0.65	0.62	0.14	0.11
M1. Single factor model PB+AM+PP+JP	2270.65	405	5.61	0.58	0.55	0.15	0.11

Variables	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1. Gender	—	—
2. Age	2.11	0.78	0.10
3. Education	2.53	0.96	-0.04	0.13
4. Tenure	2.80	0.99	0.17^*	0.59^***	-0.05
5. Self-efficacy	3.48	0.66	-0.16^*	0.04	0.03	0.06	(0.76)
6. Coworkers’ proactive behavior	3.63	0.57	-0.08	0.05	-0.03	0.10	0.33^***	(0.89)
7. Employees’ autonomous motivation	3.58	0.70	-0.09	-0.10	-0.01	-0.001	0.38^***	0.50^***	(0.94)
8. Employees’ proactive personality	3.60	0.62	-0.12	0.04	0.03	0.10	0.58^***	0.49^***	0.56^***	(0.92)
9. Employees’ job performance	3.83	0.69	-0.16^*	0.02	0.06	0.04	0.42^***	0.42^***	0.54^***	0.59^***	(0.91)

Variables	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1. Gender	—	—
2. Age	2.11	0.78	0.10
3. Education	2.53	0.96	-0.04	0.13
4. Tenure	2.80	0.99	0.17^*	0.59^***	-0.05
5. Self-efficacy	3.48	0.66	-0.16^*	0.04	0.03	0.06	(0.76)
6. Coworkers’ proactive behavior	3.63	0.57	-0.08	0.05	-0.03	0.10	0.33^***	(0.89)
7. Employees’ autonomous motivation	3.58	0.70	-0.09	-0.10	-0.01	-0.001	0.38^***	0.50^***	(0.94)
8. Employees’ proactive personality	3.60	0.62	-0.12	0.04	0.03	0.10	0.58^***	0.49^***	0.56^***	(0.92)
9. Employees’ job performance	3.83	0.69	-0.16^*	0.02	0.06	0.04	0.42^***	0.42^***	0.54^***	0.59^***	(0.91)

Variables	Autonomous motivation						Job performance
	Model 1			Model 4			Model 2			Model 3
	B	SE	t	B	SE	t	B	SE	t	B	SE	t
Intercept	1.09	0.36	3.02	3.44	0.30	11.65	1.08	0.35	3.14	0.89	0.34	2.63
Gender	-0.03	0.10	-0.34	-0.09	0.09	-1.04	-0.14	0.09	-1.60	-0.13	0.09	-1.43
Age	-0.10	0.07	-1.51	-0.12	0.06	-1.92	0.02	0.06	0.35	0.04	0.06	0.63
Education	0.02	0.04	0.46	0.07	0.04	1.69	0.05	0.04	1.29	0.04	0.04	0.87
Tenure	0.01	0.05	0.18	0.02	0.05	0.42	0.01	0.05	0.20	0.00	0.05	0.01
Employees’ self-efficacy	0.23^**	0.07	3.44	0.03	0.07	0.47	0.25^***	0.06	4.02	0.22^**	0.07	3.30
Coworkers’ proactive behavior	0.51^***	0.08	6.47	0.25^**	0.09	2.93				0.19^*	0.08	2.32
Employees’ autonomous motivation							0.46^***	0.08	5.23	0.37^***	0.07	5.58
Employees’ proactive personality				0.42^***	0.08	5.37
Interaction				0.40^***	0.11	3.69
-2 restricted Log likelihood	389.63			357.15			372.40			370.51
Residual error	0.31^***			0.24^***			0.26^***			0.31^***
Intercept F value	9.11^**			135.68^***			9.84^**			6.93^*