Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the proactive behavior of young Japanese workers. Early socialization studies were limited because newcomers were often portrayed as passive or reactive. However, recent studies addressed these limitations by conceptualizing the newcomers as active participants who, during their induction period, are continually engaging in an individual adaptation process, characterized by patterns of proactivity. Proactive behavior is very important for organizational adaptation among young workers, but there is very little research into this topic in Japan. This, then, is the focus of this study, based on two research questions: first, what are the effects of proactive behavior on organizational adaptation among young workers; second, what are antecedents of young workers' proactive behavior. Through an analysis of quantitative data obtained from 165 young workers in a Japanese department store, we are able to understand both the effects and antecedents of proactive behavior. This study derives a lot of knowledge from a small sample of proactive behavior in Japan.
