This PhD project will focus on the management of employee proactive behavior and on how proactivity at work affects different stakeholders including management, colleagues, and the organization itself. The candidate should be interested in exploring the desirable and undesirable effects of proactive behavior at work from a managerial and a psychological perspective. Proactive behavior such as solving problems, generating innovative ideas or anticipating and acting on the needs of the organization can contribute to the performance and success of organizations and employees. For example, research suggests that proactive employees perform better and show higher job and career satisfaction. However, employees’ proactive behavior is not always appropriate or appreciated. While employers expect and even pressure employees to behave proactively and affect change, employees may also be punished if initiatives do not align with the values and interests of the organization or leader. Proactivity in organizations is not easily ‘controlled’ by management and often takes a different form than what leaders want or see as useful. For instance, voicing concerns can be perceived as wasting time and initiatives can increase tension with others who do not want to change. However when and why these potential downsides of proactivity in organizations occur has not received much research attention. How does proactive behavior on the part of the employee affect other stakeholders in the organization such as management or colleagues? How does proactive behavior change the structure of an organization in intended but also unintended ways? What types of leadership can stimulate desired forms of proactivity and which forms of leadership do not? These types of questions on leading proactive behavior are asked in this project and tested in a series of experimental lab and survey-based field studies. This quantitatively oriented research will require the ability to access and acquire data as well as the development of strong academic writing and methodological skills.

Requirements

• A Master’s degree (MSc, MA, or drs) in the area of business (business studies, business administration, management, HRM) or applied psychology (work and organizational psychology) with excellent grades and a demonstrable interest in the area of organizational behaviour and/or human resources management;
• Interest (and preferably experience) in field research, including studies focusing on organisations;
• Well-developed analytical skills, creativity, precision, and perseverance;
• The drive to publish in top-level academic journals in the field of management and organizational behavior;
• Mastery of both written and spoken English.

Further information

This project is part of ABS’ research initiative on corporate governance, which involves senior and junior researchers from various disciplines. The supervisors of this project will be Prof.dr. Deanne Den Hartog and Dr. Frank Belschak. Requests for information should be directed to or Dr. Frank Belschak (E: f.d.belschak@uva.nl; T: +31 (0)20 525 4027) or Prof.dr. Deanne Den Hartog (E: d.n.denhartog@uva.nl; T: +31 (0)20 525 4287).

The UvA is located in the centre of Amsterdam. For more information on the Amsterdam Business School and its HRM-OB section, please visit our website (see te 'Refer To'-section below)

Appointment

The appointment will initially be for 1.5 years, to be extended to a total of 4 years upon excellent performance (two evaluations will be held, one after 10 and one after 14 months). The salary will be in accordance with the University regulations for academic personnel, and will range from €  2,042 (first year) up to a maximum of € 2,612 (final year) gross per month. The collective employment agreement of the Dutch universities will be applicable. The PhD thesis should be finalized within four years. In this period, the candidate will also be expected to do some teaching (20% of the time). Targeted starting date is 1 September 2012.

Job application

Applicants should send their CV and a covering letter to applications-feb@uva.nl. Please include the job reference number.

The closing date for applications is 28 February 2012.