M. Frese et al., THE CONCEPT OF PERSONAL INITIATIVE - OPERATIONALIZATION, RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY IN 2 GERMAN SAMPLES, Journal of occupational and organizational psychology, 70, 1997, pp. 139-161
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.