Abstract
We already know that proactive employees are more creative (e.g., Li et al., 2020; Pan et al., 2018; Peng et al., 2020), but what are the psychological states behind this proactivity-creative behaviour relationship? This study’s primary contribution is its examination of how flow encourages proactive individuals to generate radically new ideas that disrupt the status quo (e.g., creative behaviour). Using social cognitive literature, we propose a theoretical model in which proactive employees are more likely to experience flow, which subsequently enhances their creative behaviour. The analyses are based on multisource data, including a three-wave field panel of 328 employees from both private and government organizations in the Indonesian forest products industry. Our moderated mediation results provide support for the model. Proactivity appears to positively impact creative behaviour through flow experience and the likelihood of this indirect relationship is contingent on recognition. This study contributes meaningful theoretical and practical insights into the interactive effects of proactivity, flow experience, recognition, and creative behaviour in organizations.