Relationships between proactive personality, networking, career satisfaction, and performance perceptions

This three part study investigated the effects of proactive personality on outcomes, such as career satisfaction, perceptions of task performance, and perceptions of contextual performance, with networking as a mediator. Study One was conducted to examine the differences between task performance and contextual performance, in order to confirm that they are two distinct variables, thus two different facets of job performance. Bott, Syvantek, Goodman and Bernal's (2003) Task Performance Items and a modified version of Motowidlo and Van Scotter's (1994) Contextual Performance Measure were used in this study. A sample of 173 individuals took the survey and the factor analysis results indicated that they are indeed two separate constructs.;Next, Study Two was conducted to gain additional information on Wolff and Moser's (2009) Networking Measure in U.S. based organizations, as the measure was originally developed in Germany. This qualitative study included interviews with 10 participants, who all agreed that the measure was indeed applicable to employees working in the United States. Finally, the purpose of the main study is to focus on the relationships between proactive personality, career satisfaction, perceptions of task performance, and perceptions of contextual performance, as partly mediated by networking. Personality was measured using Saucier's (1994) Five-Factor Mini-Markers; proactive personality was measured using Bateman and Crant's (1993) Proactive Personality Scale; career satisfaction or subjective career success was measured with Greenhaus, Parasuraman, and Wormley's (1990) Career Satisfaction Measure; objective career success was measured with items on number of promotions and percentage of salary increase; and task performance, contextual performance and networking was measured with the same instruments used in Study One and Study Two.;The results from the Main Study indicated that task performance and contextual performance were two distinct constructs; the six factor networking structure could be replicated in the United States and; proactive personality was different than the Five Factor Model (FFM) of personality. Furthermore, the findings also indicated that the relationship between proactive personality and perceptions of contextual performance was partly mediated by networking.