In today's global economy, organizations must operate within complex environments that require rapid responses to changing external circumstances (Campbell, 2000). To succeed within these increasingly uncertain operating environments, in addition to adapting to changes, employees can proactively respond to challenges (Griffin et al, 2007) to improve the work environment or facilitate personal development.

For example, to respond to anticipated challenges and industry trends, employees can create, introduce and apply new ideas at work (for example, Kanter, 1988; Scott and Bruce, 1994; Janssen, 2000). Employees also can make constructive suggestions to improve the work environment (for example, LePine and Van Dyne, 1998; Ashford et al, 2009) when identifying problems or opportunities that may influence performance of their work units or organizations. In addition, when serving customers, employees can proactively provide their service by, for example, sharing information with customers, anticipating needs that customers might have and preparing solutions in advance (Rank et al, 2007). In terms of career trajectories, individuals can be proactive at different stages to improve their employment prospects. For example, starting from job search, individuals can proactively approach potential employers, prepare different job application and interview materials for different employers, or use available networks to maximize opportunities (Blau, 1994). As newcomers, individuals can actively build relationships with colleagues, seek information and feedback from supervisors about how to perform tasks well, or negotiate job content to fully utilize their skills and interests (Ashford and Black, 1996). When performing tasks, employees can actively seek feedback from supervisors or peers to learn whether they are on the right track and regulate their behaviour and performance accordingly (Ashford et al, 2016). They also can take the initiative in shaping their careers by consulting seniors and actively building relationships with experts in specific areas (Claes and Ruiz-Quintanilla, 1998). These are just some examples of how employees can be proactive in different situation to master the work environment and facilitate their career/personal development.

As we would expect, different forms of proactive behaviour have been found to produce individual and collective benefits, such as enhanced career and work success (for example, Fuller and Marler, 2009) and improved organizational effectiveness (for example, Raub and Liao, 2012), suggesting the desirability of employee proactivity.