Proactivity and innovation : promoting a new workforce for the new workplace

Imagine you are running a marathon. You started at a nice, steady pace, but the speed just kept increasing. You must compete with the others in the race but they keep sprinting forward. And more and more people keep joining the race. Not only that, but things are now being thrown at you from all angles and you must duck and swerve to avoid them, and the finishing line keeps being moved. Feel the pressure? This is how many organizations today operate: in an increasingly competitive environment in which frequent changes in technologies, markets, government regulations, and customers give rise to turbulence and unpredictability. So, how does an organization deal with such pressures? How do they finish the race? We believe that one important ingredient is the proactive and innovative behaviour of employees: that is, employees who help you to sprint forward with new ideas, and who can duck and cope with unpredictability. This chapter examines the concepts of proactivity and innovation. It is unique in that it draws together findings from these traditionally separate research streams and identifies areas of convergence and divergence.