The keys to proactivity
Employees who seize the initiative: that is every manager's dream. But this attitude is far from being simple to establish in practice. How can we understand the mechanisms of proactivity to turn it into a key to collective efficiency?
Proactivity is often held up as the cardinal virtue of a committed employee. Proposing to simplify a process that has become obsolete, taking the initiative to defuse a latent conflict, reserving targeted attention for a strategic customer, or anticipating one’s own needs for skills development: all of these are high value-added behaviors in unstable, demanding environments, in which the reference points are constantly changing. In this logic, everyone is invited to “become an actor”—of their own development, of collective performance, or of customer satisfaction.
But this expectation soon runs up against the reality on the ground. Why do some employees, however competent and conscientious, persist in staying on the sidelines? And why do certain well-intentioned initiatives produce counterproductive effects? Proactivity, far from being a spontaneous and homogeneous attitude, proves in reality to be as complex to encourage as it is to channel.
The research conducted on the subject shows that it depends on a complex combination of factors. Personality traits play a proven role: some people are more inclined to take initiatives, while others first need to overcome internal barriers. But the psychological lever is far from being the main determinant. The work climate, the managerial posture, the definition and clarity of roles, or the implicit messages conveyed within the team, often weigh more heavily in the activation of proactive behaviors—or their inhibition.
Furthermore, not all forms of proactivity are equally valid. Some feed collective performance; others, poorly coordinated or poorly expressed, can hinder efficiency or create tensions between colleagues. Several companies that encouraged initiative-taking without having prepared its conditions for success have had to adjust their approach, in order to re-establish a balance between individual autonomy and team cohesion.
Encouraging proactivity entails far more than promoting it to one’s teams: it requires a demanding management approach. This synopsis deciphers the psychological drivers of proactivity, its organizational conditions, and the precautions to be taken in order for it to become a lasting asset—for employees and the company alike.
In this synopsis:
– Helping a team member to be more proactive
– Unleashing proactivity within your teams: under what conditions, with which precautions?
– Channeling an individual proactivity that disrupts the team’s equilibrium
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See also
Removing the obstacles to personal initiative
Overcoming organizational obstacles that discourage individual initiative.
Liberating the company: returns of experience
The notion of a liberated company remains controversial: some see in it as an ideal model, others as a deception. In any event, it raises a key question: how can you combine individual autonomy and collective efficiency?
