69 Proactive Vitality Management and Creative Work Performance vitality management, individuals may promote their own physical and mental state to achieve goals and performmore creatively at work (i.e., self-initiated and goal-oriented behavior). Such behavior may thus complement existing proactive approaches, such as job crafting (Tims & Bakker, 2010; Wrzesniewski & Dutton, 2001), voice (LePine & Van Dyne, 1998), and feedback-seeking behaviors (De Stobbeleir et al., 2011). Third, we combine the proactivity literature with studies that have already provided some indication that certain specific strategies may be helpful to restore physical energy at work (e.g., micro-breaks; Fritz et al., 2011; Zacher, Brailsford, & Parker, 2014), or to diminish fatigue after work (cf. recovery; Sonnentag & Fritz, 2015). While recovery activities and micro-breaks are mainly used to replenish resources in reaction to strain fromwork (i.e. a reactive process), we focused on a more anticipatory, proactive process in which individuals purposefully manage or boost their levels of vitality to improve subsequent work performance. Moreover, proactive vitality management refers to managing more than physical energy alone, as vitality also includes a mental component of feeling positive and cognitively alert (Ryan & Frederick, 1997), which is important for (creative) work performance as well. People may use proactive vitality management both during and outside working hours, and may choose to employ certain strategies based on individual and momentary needs (e.g., in anticipation of complex work tasks) and preferences (e.g., exercising vs. meditating; seeking solitude vs. inspirational colleagues, etcetera). Subsequently, as the current findings suggest, such behavior is associated with higher creative work performance, especially when people are more aware of their own state and when they feel supported by their social environment. Limitations and Future Research We have tested our hypotheses using a multilevel design including multiple, consecutive workweeks. This design allowed us to examine within-person fluctuations in proactive vitality management in relation to creative work performance, and the role of personal and contextual characteristics that may strengthen the proactive vitality managementcreative work performance relationship. The research sample consisted of a relatively heterogeneous group of participants, which promotes both the generalizability and the relevance or applicability of the findings. A limitation of the study is that we cannot infer causality from the current findings, even though we have been able to identify relevant 3
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