Introduction to Attachment Theory: Social Contexts and Changeability

The aim of this chapter is to introduce attachment theory in terms of context-specific attachment styles, and the stability and changeability of attachment style. An attachment relationship exists not only between children and parents, but also in other relationship contexts. Context-specific attachment relationships, such as attachment at work, are more proximal to influence behavior in the specific contexts. This theoretical proposition helps illustrate how relationships in organizations are important to shape employee proactivity. Attachment theory also suggests the changeability of attachment style as individuals’ prototype of attachment style and internal working models of self, others, and the broader social environment can be changed when they encounter different experiences.

Implications for Employee Proactivity Research

The aim of this chapter is to highlight implications of the proposed model and propositions in Chapter 4 and 5 for employee proactivity research. The chapter firstly discusses how attachment theory provides a different angle from alternative approaches to understand relational basis of employee proactivity. Then it elaborates how the attachment theory strengthens a dispositional approach to understand employee proactivity and the value of the proposed model in integrating the different conceptualizations and motivational mechanisms in proactivity research. Finally, the chapter indicates avenues for future research on employee proactivity specifically and elaborates how attachment theory can help us to understand work behavior broadly.

Introduction to Attachment Theory: Behavioural System and Individual Differences

The aim of this chapter is to introduce attachment theory to provide a knowledge background for applying the theory to understand employee proactivity. This chapter firstly introduces the concept of behavioral system in attachment theory and then specifically elaborates the development and operation of an attachment behavioral system, the central behavioral system that can shape operation of other behavioral systems. Finally, the chapter elaborates how the development of the attachment behavioral system shapes individuals’ internal working models of self, others, and the broader social environment which continuously guide an individual’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in later life.

Individual Differences in and Situational Impact on Employee Proactivity

The aim of this chapter is to look into individual and situational factors of attachment security to offer a relational perspective to explain why there are individual differences in employees’ proactivity and how managers and organizations can influence employees’ proactivity. The chapter firstly discusses how we can use the concept of attachment styles to explain individual differences in employee proactivity. The chapter than elaborates how an employee’s relationships with different targets at work (e.g., relationships with supervisors, work groups, and organizations) can influence her/his sense of attachment security at work and shape her/his proactivity at work.

A Behavioural System Model of Proactivity

The aim of this chapter is to build a behavioral system model of proactivity based on attachment theory and elaborate the role of attachment security in shaping the operation of the behavioral system. The chapter firstly indicates that proactive behavior, as a form to challenge the status quo, can be conceptualized as a form of exploration in which instigators aim to master their environment through self-directed change efforts. Next, building on the idea of exploration behavioral system from attachment theory, the chapter offers a behavioral system of proactivity specifically. As a behavioral system is operated in a goal-corrected manner, in which an individual regulates her/his behavior and goals in a feedback loop, the behavioral system of proactivity incorporates the process perspective of proactivity and the three identified motivational mechanisms of employee proactivity reviewed in Chapter 1. Finally, the chapter elaborates how attachment security can influence the operation of the behavioral system of proactivity, building a relational foundation for proactivity.

Employee Proactivity

The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of the current research on employee proactivity and indicate the need to unpack a relational basis of proactivity based on attachment theory. The chapter starts with phenomena to illustrate employee proactive behavior in organization. The chapter then provides a brief review on three different perspectives to conceptualize employee proactivity (i.e., individual differences, behavioral and process perspectives) and the three identified motivational mechanisms of proactive behaivor: whether individuals feel capable of being proactive, whether they have some sense that they want to bring about a different future, and whether they have positive affect to foster their proactive actions. The chapter is concluded by indicating the need to understand the role of social relationships in shaping individual proactive behavior and the value of using attachment theory to understand such influence.