Deconstructing the Proactive Personality Construct: Exploring a Change-Control Circumplex Model

Our paper deconstructs the widely-studied proactive personality construct and introduces a trait-based model of individual change orientation. Researchers have used terms such as passive, reactive, and adaptive when discussing the polar opposite of proactive personality. Thus, the extant literature lacks clarity regarding what is means to be low in proactive personality. To provide a more refined view of proactive personality, we developed the change-control circumplex model. We developed conceptual definitions and items representing passive, adaptive personality, and change resistant-personality. Study 1 assessed content validity and refined our scales to assess the focal constructs. Study 2 validated the newly developed measures and provides evidence of their convergent and discriminant validity. Study 3 examined the theorized nomological network of the constructs in our model. Our theoretical model and measures offer a more refined trait-based view of proactivity.