Discriminant validity, dimensionality, convergent validity, and reliability of Griffin, Neal & Parker’s (2007) Proactive Behavior Scale were investigated in Japanese workplaces. In the first survey, 516 participants completed the scale. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scale could discriminate proactivity from proficiency and adaptivity, and that proactivity consists of three dimensions: individual tasks, team membership, and organizational membership. Moreover, results of regression analysis indicated the convergent validity of the scale. Of the original sample, 312 respondents participated in the second survey conducted two months later. The coefficient alpha and test-retest reliability indicated sufficient internal consistency and acceptable stability of the subscales. Overall, the findings of this study confirmed the utility of the Proactive Performance Scale for use in the Japanese context.

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The purpose of this study was to empirically examine promoting factors of career self-reliance of corporate employees. A questionnaire was administered on a website to 669 corporate employees working in multiple companies. A path model of career self-reliance was developed based on the previous explorative study of psychological processes of career self-reliance as well as other related previous studies. The model proposed four variables; career transition experience, learning from work experience, leader-member exchange (LMX) and team-member exchange (TMX); which promoted career self-reliance. Analyses based on a structural equation modeling indicated that career transition experience, LMX and TMX promoted learning from work experience, and then learning from work experience promoted career self-reliance of employees.

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Most workers are asked for high quality performance on time while concurrently carrying out their job in a safe manner. To search for a solution of this conflict situation, we introduced the concept of occupational pride to construct a hypothetical model employing the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). After factor analysis of conducted surveys with factory workers, two factors were extracted from work motivation: workmanship-innovation (WI) and schedule-adherence (SA). Additionally, two factors were extracted from the safety attitude: safety depending on one’s own actions (SOA) and safety depending on the system (SS). Analysis using Structural Equation Modeling showed the following: (1) occupational pride facilitated the SOA attitude both directly and indirectly with mediations by enhanced WI motivation and by reduced SA motivation, and (2) the SOA attitude facilitated safety intention directly and indirectly with mediation by perceived behavioral control. The implication is that occupational pride would restrain unsafe behavior intention.

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We tested the relationship between transformational leadership and stress responses by using a twodimensional stressor framework. Results of a cross-sectional questionnaire (N = 318) showed that transformational leadership had a direct negative effect on stress responses. Meanwhile, transformational leadership had a positive relationship with challenge stressors, and a negative relationship with hindrance stressors. The positive relationship with challenge stressors had a positive effect on promoting work satisfaction, and gave meaning to the work of followers, however it also had a positive relationship with stress responses, which is a point that is usually ignored.

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Work-family conflicts (WFC) in university faculty members were investigated. WFC includes time conflicts, family-to-work conflicts, and work-to-family conflicts. Furthermore, energy input into family, work, and personal activities was examined from the perspective of the ideal and reality. A questionnaire survey was conducted with faculty members (N=1757, 1044 women and 713 men ), which inquired about their attributes, WFC, as well as real and ideal energy input into family, work, and personal activities. Results indicated that WFC in female faculty members was higher than in male faculty members, and that WFC in fulltime faculty members was higher than in part-time faculty members. Especially, WFC in female faculty members was significantly high. Moreover, WFC differed depending on the relative amount of energy input into work and family in real life. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that WFC in both male and female faculty members was affected by energy input into family and work in real life. Furthermore, in male faculty members, the effect of energy input in real life on WFC was modified by the expected ideal energy input. In female faculty members, WFC was unavoidable regardless of personal ideals, because energy input in their real life was heavier than in male faculty members. In other words, WFC in male faculty members was inhibited when they had high ideals, even if the energy input into the family increased in their real life.

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This study examined the moderating effect of outcome interdependence (individual or team rewards) on taking charge of prevention-focused employees. Employees focusing on prevention are relatively averse to taking charge because they are likely to be apprehensive about the risk involved in it. We hypothesized that even prevention-focused employees would engage in taking charge by working for team rewards, which would alleviate their anxiety about making mistakes. The following were the major findings: 1) When employees perceive the necessity for an organizational change due to a change in the external environment, those focused on prevention do not engage in taking charges; 2) However, if employees work toward team rewards, they do engage in taking charges. We discuss the implications of our research findings’ for the theory and practice of effective organizational management.

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