Personal initiative

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Personal initiative (PI) is self-starting and proactive behavior that overcomes barriers to achieve a goal.^[1] The concept was developed by Michael Frese and coworkers in the 1990s .

The three facets of PI – self-starting, future oriented, and overcoming barriers form a syndrome of proactive behaviors relating to each other empirically. Self-starting implies that the goals are set by an individual themselves and not by someone else.^[2][3] These self-started goals are often related to future orientation that involves having long-term focus and preparation for future demands and problems. Future demands can be met by proactive actions – 'pro' meaning preparatory or beforehand in Greek. Thus, a proactive approach attempts to get pre-signals signifying future obstacles and developing plans to prevent them. Implementation of long-term goals often leads to new setbacks. Initiative, therefore, implies that one will overcome these barriers actively and persistently.

PI stands in contrast to a passive approach, which is characterized by doing what one is told, giving up when faced with difficulties, and reacting to environmental demands. Proponents of PI have argued that it may become more important in future workplaces as they require a high degree of self-reliance.^[2]

PI is often conceptualized as the behavioral component of the general proactivity concept;^[4] it is also related but not identical to work engagement.^[5]