Do adaptable employees always display high performance? Dual roles of proactive behavior and self-construal

• Yanzhao Bi

  Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

• Jie Zhang

  Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

• Qi Nie

  Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

• Miaomiao Wang

  Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

We examined a dual-path model to explain the opposite roles of career adaptability and organizational performance. We used a time-lagged survey of 53 supervisors and 327 employees in China to collect data. Results show that career-oriented proactive behavior mediated the negative effect of career adaptability on performance, and work unit-oriented proactive behavior mediated the positive effect of career adaptability on performance. Moreover, the effects of career adaptability and career-oriented proactive behavior on performance were significant only for employees with high independent self-construal, and the effects of career adaptability and work unit-oriented proactive behavior on performance were significant only for employees with high interdependent self-construal. This study extends career construction theory in the organizational behavior field and has practical significance for the effective guiding of adaptable employees’ contribution to organizational performance.

1. Yanzhao Bi, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
   College of Economics and Management
2. Jie Zhang, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
   College of Economics and Management
3. Qi Nie, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
   College of Economics and Management
4. Miaomiao Wang, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
   College of Economics and Management

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