Moderation of Cohesiveness between Proactive Personality and Extra-Role Behaviors

This study utilized trait activation theory (TAT), social information processing theory, and the strong/weak situation hypothesis to examine the group-level effects of cohesiveness on relationships between proactive personality and voice/helping behavior. Two studies were conducted to test the research hypotheses. Study 1 used a multi-temporal point survey. Samples were drawn from questionnaires completed by 187 employees from 18 working groups. Study 2 used dyadic questionnaires, which were completed by 319 administrative school staff members and 48 of their supervisors from 29 high schools. Results of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) showed a moderating effect of group-level cohesiveness in both studies. Specifically, results indicated that a higher degree of task/interpersonal cohesiveness was positively associated with weaker relationships between proactive personality and voice/helping behavior. Based on the research findings, implications and suggestions for theories and practical implementations are discussed.