Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

The Role of Leader Support in Facilitating Proactive Work Behavior

Wu, Chia-Huei; Parker, Sharon K.

The Role of Leader Support in Facilitating Proactive Work Behavior Thumbnail


Authors

Chia-Huei Wu

Sharon K. Parker



Abstract

Researchers have proposed that leader support helps employees behave proactively at work. Leader support can facilitate the opportunities for employees to bring about change, as well as their motivation to do so. Nevertheless, empirical studies have shown mixed effects of leader support on employees’ proactive behavior. In this study, to reconcile the inconsistent findings on the impact of leader support on employees’ proactive behavior, the authors consider the content, mediating mechanisms, and boundary conditions of leader support in shaping employees’ proactive behavior. On the basis of attachment theory, the authors propose that secure-base support from leaders (support in the form of leader availability, encouragement, and noninterference) positively predicts employees’ proactive work behavior by increasing their role breadth self-efficacy and autonomous motivation. These hypotheses are supported in an online-survey sample from U.S. participants (N = 138) and a sample from a large gas and oil company in China (N = 212). The authors further propose that the beneficial effects of secure-base support from leaders are more prominent for individuals with lower attachment security. This hypothesis was also supported: Individuals high in attachment anxiety especially benefited from leader secure-base support in terms of its effect on role breadth self-efficacy; whereas those who are high in attachment avoidance especially benefited from leader secure-base support in terms of its effect on autonomous motivation. Our study helps explain how leaders’ support motivates employees’ proactive behavior, particularly for those individuals who have lower attachment security.

Citation

Wu, C., & Parker, S. K. (2017). The Role of Leader Support in Facilitating Proactive Work Behavior. Journal of Management, 43(4), 1025-1049. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314544745

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 20, 2014
Online Publication Date Jul 31, 2014
Publication Date Apr 1, 2017
Deposit Date Jul 13, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Management
Print ISSN 0149-2063
Electronic ISSN 1557-1211
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 43
Issue 4
Pages 1025-1049
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314544745
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1326085

Files

Accepted Journal Article (984 Kb)
PDF

Copyright Statement
Wu, Chia-Huei & Parker, Sharon K. (2017). The Role of Leader Support in Facilitating Proactive Work Behavior. Journal of Management 43(4): 1025-1049. © 2014 The Author(s). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.




You might also like



Downloadable Citations