68 Chapter 3 DISCUSSION The present study suggests that people may take control over their creative work outcomes by proactively managing their levels physical and mental energy. We examined weekly fluctuations in proactive vitality management behavior and creative work performance, within the context of more stable personal and environmental influences on this process. Our findings suggest that people may unleash their creative potential by proactively working on their levels of vitality. This process is facilitated when individuals are aware of their own state (i.e., self-insight), and when their social work environment supports them. Contributions The present study advances existing knowledge in various ways. First, the findings may contribute to our understanding of the creative process. People who engage in proactive vitality management may reach a state of mind, physically and mentally, in which they can perform (more) creatively. Such behavior is conceptually closer related to the outcome than traditional predictors of creativity, such as personality traits and work characteristics (Anderson et al., 2014). Because people personally undertake action when they feel the need to or when the task at hand asks for it, proactive vitality management may complement these more distal and often relatively stable factors that have been linked to creativity (e.g., job autonomy or work climate). Moreover, proactively managing vitality may enable optimal use of such favorable conditions. To illustrate, when an intelligent, open-minded individual works in a resourceful environment but fails to manage their physical andmental energy in a certain week, the chances of coming up with new and useful ideas during that week are likely to become smaller. In addition, as the current findings suggest, personal and environmental factors may facilitate the creative process by boosting the influence of proactive vitality management on creative work performance. Second, proactive vitality management may complement the literature on proactivity, commonly defined as “self-initiated and future-oriented action that aims to change and improve the situation or oneself” (Parker, Williams, & Turner, 2006, p. 636). So far, proactive perspectives have primarily focused on (improving) the job or the work environment, and to a lesser extent on directly promoting the self. Through proactive
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