<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards . You can help . The discussion page may contain suggestions . (May 2012) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards . You can help . The discussion page may contain suggestions . (May 2012) </Td> </Tr> <P> In organizational behavior and industrial / organizational psychology, proactivity or proactive behavior by individuals refers to anticipatory, change - oriented and self - initiated behavior in situations . Proactive behavior involves acting in advance of a future situation, rather than just reacting . It means taking control and making things happen rather than just adjusting to a situation or waiting for something to happen . Proactive employees generally do not need to be asked to act, nor do they require detailed instructions . </P> <P> Proactive behavior can be contrasted with other work - related behaviors, such as proficiency, i.e. the fulfillment of predictable requirements of one's job, or adaptability, the successful coping with and support of change initiated by others in the organization . In regard to the latter, whereas adaptability is about responding to change, proactivity is about initiating change . </P>

Proactivity can be best defined as the fact that