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How do proactive career behaviors translate into subjective career success and perceived employability? The role of thriving at work and humble leadership

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 December 2023

Xinling Jiang Open the ORCID record for Xinling Jiang [Opens in a new window] ,
Jinzhao Qu ,
Meng Lei Open the ORCID record for Meng Lei [Opens in a new window]  and
Wenxia Zhou
Xinling Jiang*
Affiliation:
School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
Jinzhao Qu
Affiliation:
School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Meng Lei
Affiliation:
School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
Wenxia Zhou
Affiliation:
School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
*
Corresponding author: Xinling Jiang; Email: jiangxinlingjane@163.com
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Abstract

While individuals’ proactive career behaviors (PCBs) are critical to sustainable career outcomes, knowledge of how and when PCBs translate into these outcomes is limited. Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory and the socially embedded model of thriving, this study examines the psychological process through which PCBs translate into two sustainable career outcomes (i.e., subjective career success and perceived employability). Based on data collected from 228 participants in a Chinese company, our findings reveal that PCBs positively predict subjective career success and perceived employability by fostering thriving at work. Furthermore, the indirect association between PCBs and perceived employability via thriving at work is strengthened when participants’ perception of humble leadership is high. This study extends our knowledge by identifying a psychological mechanism that explains how employees’ PCBs translate into sustainable career outcomes and enriches our understanding of the boundary conditions of PCBs by identifying humble leadership as an important factor.

Keywords

proactive career behaviorsthriving at worksubjective career successperceived employabilityhumble leadership
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , First View , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management

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