THE CONCEPT OF PERSONAL INITIATIVE - OPERATIONALIZATION, RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY IN 2 GERMAN SAMPLES

Personal initiative is conceptualized as a behavioural syndrome made u p of several fact-ors. It is important for organizational effectivenes s and is one aspect of 'contextual performance'. The construct validit y of a set of interview- and questionnaire-based scales for measuring initiative was ascertained in interrelated studies (two waves from a l ongitudinal study in East Germany [N = 543] and a cross-sectional stud y in West Germany IN = 160]). As hypothesized, initiative correlated w ith partners' assessments, need for achievement, action orientation, p roblem-focused and passive emotion-focused coping, career planning and executing plans, but nor with job satisfaction. Higher initiative exi sted in small-scale entrepreneurs in the East and in those unemployed who got a job more quickly.