THE INFLUENCE OF PROACTIVITY ON INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS
A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY CONSIDERING GENERATION AND GENDER
Visualizações: 333DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56579/rei.v7i2.2027Keywords:
Organizational behavior, performance, generations, phenomenologyAbstract
The present study investigated the relationship between proactivity and individual performance in a financial institution, considering the Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Generation Y cohorts, as well as male and female genders. The general objective was to understand how proactivity contributes to performance, addressing intergenerational and gender differences within the organizational environment. The methodology used was phenomenology, which enabled the analysis of the essence of meaning and the life-world of each individual.
Accounts from 36 managers were analyzed, divided between those with higher and lower performance, using the software Meaning Constitution Analysis (MCA) to identify meaning units. The results demonstrated that proactivity is positively related to performance, although it is not a constant characteristic. High-performing individuals exhibited a higher frequency of proactive behaviors, characterized by greater initiative and responsibility for their deliverables, while the low-performing group often attributed their difficulties to external factors.
Emotional factors such as anxiety and dissatisfaction were observed in both the high- and low-performing groups. It was concluded that proactivity is a dynamic element that may fluctuate depending on one’s life stage and environment. Pressure and other psychological factors were shown to impact both performance and the expression of proactive behaviors.
The study emphasized the importance of questioning binary concepts in the literature, such as proactivity versus non-proactivity, proposing a broader and more contextual perspective. Moreover, the relevance of phenomenology as an investigative method was highlighted, offering genuine and detailed analyses that can be applied in future research. This work contributes to bridging theory and practice in the organizational environment, providing valuable insights for the development of tools aimed at improving individuals and companies.
Downloads
References
ABENDROTH, A. K.; MELZER, S.; KALEV, A.; DEVEY, D. T. Women At Work: Women’s Access To Power And The Gender Earnings Gap. ILR Review, p. 190-222, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0019793916668530
BORMAN, W. C.; MOTOWIDLO, S. J. Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In: SCHMITT, N.; BORMAN, W. C. (Eds.). Personnel selection in organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993, p. 71-98.
BOSKI, P.; VIJVER, F. J. R. V.; CHODYNICKA, A. M. Fifteenth International Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. Warszawa, Polônia, 2002.
CRANT, J. M. The Proactive Personality Scale and Objective Job Performance Among Real Estate Agents. Journal of Applied Psychology, v. 80, n. 4, p. 532-537, 1995. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037//0021-9010.80.4.532
COGIN, J. Are generational differences in work values fact or fiction? Multicountry evidence and implications. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, v. 23, n. 11, p. 2268–2294, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2011.610967
CAVAZOTTE, F. S. C. N.; LEMOS, A. H. C.; VIANA, M. D. A. V. Novas gerações no mercado de trabalho: expectativas renovadas ou antigos ideais? Cadernos EBAPE.BR/FGV, v. 10, n. 1, p. 162-180, 2012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/S1679-39512012000100011
CAPPI, M. N.; ARAÚJO, B. F. V. B. Satisfação no trabalho, comprometimento organizacional e intenção de sair: um estudo entre as gerações X e Y. Revista Eletrônica de Administração, ed. 82, n. 3, p. 576-600, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-2311.0782014.54843
DANTE, F. S.; ARROYO, R. F. Âncoras de carreira: por onde caminham as gerações? Revista de Carreira e Pessoas, São Paulo, v. 2, p. 512-528, 2017.
DINIZ, A. P. R.; CARRIERI, A. P.; GANDRA, G.; BICALHO, R. A. Políticas de diversidade nas organizações: as relações de trabalho comentadas por trabalhadores homossexuais. Revista Economia e Gestão, v. 13, n. 31, p. 93-114, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5752/P.1984-6606.2013v13n31p93
GARG, N.; PUNIA, B. K. Gender implication of high-performance work practices in Indian organisations. Sona Global Management Review, v. 9, p. 61-76, 2015.
HUANG, J. The relationship between employee psychological empowerment and proactive behavior. Social Behavior and Personality, p. 1157-1166, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.6609
MOREIRA, D. A. Pesquisa em administração: origens, usos e variantes do método fenomenológico. In: ENANPAD, 26., 2002, Salvador. Anais... Salvador: ANPAD, 2002.
MOTOWIDLO, S. J.; BORMAN, W. C.; SCHMIT, M. J. A theory of individual differences in task and contextual performance. Human Performance, v. 10, p. 71-83, 1997. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327043hup1002_1
MELLO, C. M. Abordagens e procedimentos qualitativos: implicações para pesquisas em organizações. Revista Alcance, v. 21, n. 2, p. 324-349, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14210/alcance.v21n2.p324-349
OLIVEIRA, R. R.; GONÇALVES, C. A.; MARTINS, H. C. Desempenho organizacional: integração do modelo valor, raridade, imitabilidade e organização com a gestão de projetos. Contabilidade, Gestão e Governança, Brasília, v. 20, n. 2, p. 252-275, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21714/1984-3925_2017v20n2a5
SAGES, R. B. Truth as unveiling. In: LINDÉN, D.; SZYBEK, J.; (Red.). Validation of knowledge claims in human science. Lyon, 2003, p. 51-80.
SAGES, R.; SHIONG, L. Meaning Constitution Analysis, MCA Minerva. 10.13140/RG.2.1.3220.9128, 2015.
SAGES, R. B. Meaning Constitution Analysis – A transcendental phenomenological approach to empirical research. In: KREITLER, S.; URBANEK, T. (Eds.). Conceptions of Meaning. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2014.
SHULAMITH, K.; TOMÁŠ, U. Conceptions of Meaning. New York: Nova Publishers, 2014.
SILVA, K. F. M. Proatividade, Maquiavel e a modernidade. Pretexto, v. 1, n. 2, p. 49-52, 2000.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Interdisciplinary Studies Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies adopts the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows for sharing and adapting the work, including for commercial purposes, provided proper attribution is given and the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.
The Creative Commons 4.0 International license allows authors to share their works with flexibility, ensuring copyright while permitting specific uses such as reproduction, distribution, and adaptation, provided that the conditions are met, such as giving credit to the original author.