ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how proactive behaviour can be applied in midwifery education and practice and how it should be a prerequisite of shared decision-making between the woman and the midwife. It also discusses individual and contextual antecedents associated with proactive behaviour in midwifery. Midwifery educators have a key role in helping midwifery students develop resilience, providing them with the skills to handle both workplace and personal stressors. One way to help support student midwives and midwives is that the necessary antecedents, related to proactive behaviour, could be incorporated in the curricula of midwifery educational programs and workplace environment. The hospital organisational context, irrespective of its geographical location, within which team work however has a significant effect on the prevalence of team learning activities, which in turn is a prerequisite of proactive behaviour. Empowering leadership broadens the scope of the employees and therefore works more efficiently and tends to behave proactive.
