ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to clarify the concept of proactiveness and, in particular, to describe it in the context of the firm’s behavior. It begins with a look at the firm-environment relationship in light of open systems and contingency theories. Reactive and proactive modes of behavior are then considered separately, with particular focus on proactiveness. However, as the two concepts form a continuous rather than dichotomous construct, the reactiveness-proactiveness continuum is presented next. The chapter ends with a description of a proactiveness pattern that is composed of the firm’s positions along various reactiveness-proactiveness continuums.
