Employees with positive work relationships are significantly more likely to take proactive action, according to new research, which was conducted by researchers at Trinity Business School, Dublin City University Business School, Alliance Manchester Business School and ESSEC Business School.

The study shows that proactive behaviours, such as anticipating problems, preventing issues before they escalate, and improving day-to-day processes, are vital across workplaces but are often constrained when staff fear negative consequences for speaking up or stepping beyond their formal roles.

The research analysed data from 246 staff nurses nested in 35 units across four hospitals in Ireland. Nurses provided data on relational experiences and team relational coordination, while unit managers independently rated each nurse’s proactive behaviour, ensuring greater objectivity and reducing bias.

The study found that positive relational experiences boosted employees’ role-breadth self-efficacy, i.e. confidence to take on a wider range of responsibilities, with a meaningful effect. This shows that employees who have positive relationships at work, characterised by positive regard, mutuality, and vitality, can garner noticeable increases in their confidence to handle a wider range of tasks beyond their current role. This increased confidence was a key factor that, in turn, influenced whether staff engaged in proactive behaviours at work.

Timely, frequent, accurate and respectful communication within teams played a major role too. Indeed, relational coordination was positively and statistically significantly linked with psychological safety climate, with a large effect. This psychologically safe climate, involving employees feeling able to speak up and question things without being punished or humiliated in the team, in turn, positively influenced their willingness to engage in proactive behaviours at work.

Prof Steven Kilroy from Trinity Business School, together with co-authors, emphasised the central role of workplace relationships in shaping proactive behaviour. “Relationships are effectively the nervous system of an organisation, which affects how individuals think, feel, and act when they are at work,”. He added that “positive work relationships are important for encouraging proactivity because they endow individuals, through affirmation and more general positive reinforcement, with a sense of confidence in their own ability to engage in a broader range of tasks,” underscoring how everyday interactions directly influence whether staff feel able to step beyond their formal roles.

The findings highlight the value of investing in relational culture, not just leadership, to encourage proactive behaviour. By fostering strong connections and psychological safety, organisations can boost performance, reduce errors, and strengthen workforce resilience.