Proactive Personality Scale

What it measures

Measures the stable disposition to take personal initiative — to identify opportunities, show initiative, take action, and persevere until meaningful change is brought about. Proactive individuals scan for opportunities, are not constrained by situational forces, and act to change their environment. Proactive personality is a powerful predictor of job performance, career success, entrepreneurial behaviour, and leadership emergence. In consumer research, proactive personality predicts early technology adoption, proactive complaint behaviour, and user-generated content creation. Widely used in entrepreneurship, career management, and innovation diffusion research.

Representative items

• I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to improve my life.
• I feel driven to make a difference in my community and maybe the world.
• I tend to let others take the initiative to start new projects. (R)
• Wherever I have been, I have been a powerful force for constructive change.
• I enjoy facing and overcoming obstacles to my ideas.

Citation

Bateman, T.S., & Crant, J.M. (1993). The proactive component of organizational behavior: A measure and correlates. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 14(2), 103–119.