Unpacking the role of proactive personality in enhancing safety behavior: a moderated mediation model in Turkish healthcare organizations
Wafaa Swieai, Ahmad Alzubi, Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani, Hasan Fehmi Topal
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study examines the impact of proactive personality on safety behavior among nurses in Turkey, focusing on the mediating role of safety attitude and the moderating effect of organizational politics. Drawing on trait activation theory (TAT), the research aims to understand how individual traits and organizational factors jointly influence safety outcomes in healthcare settings. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Data were collected from a sample of 449 nurses working in clinical settings, including emergency and intensive care units in Turkey, using a cross-sectional survey. The study applied moderated mediation analysis using the PROCESS macro in SPSS to evaluate the role of organizational politics and safety attitudes in the relationship between proactive personality and safety behavior. FINDINGS: The results reveal that proactive personality significantly influences safety attitudes, which in turn positively impact safety behavior among nurses. Additionally, the findings highlight that organizational politics moderates this relationship, where high levels of organizational politics weaken the effect of proactive personality on safety behavior. Safety attitudes were found to mediate the relationship between proactive personality and safety behavior, emphasizing the importance of fostering a positive safety culture in healthcare environments. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: This study extends existing research by applying TAT within the healthcare safety context, emphasizing the pivotal role of proactive personality in shaping safety behaviors. By integrating organizational politics as a contextual moderator, it advances understanding of how personal traits interact with workplace dynamics to influence safety outcomes. The introduction of a moderated mediation model provides context-specific insights into the dual influence of individual dispositions and organizational environments on safety behavior in nursing practice.