47 Conceptualization and Measurement of Proactive Vitality Management at work. Furthermore, the goal-oriented behavioral aspect of proactive vitality management distinguishes the construct from concepts concerning (the recovery of) human energy in the work context. Previous research has provided valuable insights on the importance of physical and mental energy for various work outcomes (cf. Atwater & Carmeli, 2009; Baas et al., 2008; De Dreu et al., 2012; Fredrickson, 2001; Kark & Carmeli, 2009; Lykken, 2005). Moreover, scholars have argued and shown that such valuable resources may be replenished after (periods of) work (cf. Fritz et al., 2011; Sonnentag et al., 2017; Trougakos & Hideg, 2009). However, studies that examine the effects of such reactive processes on performance outcomes are scarce, and their results inconsistent (Sonnentag et al., 2017). The present research contributes to the literature, as we have developed a proactive construct and corresponding measurement instrument that incorporates a goal-oriented behavioral component. This approach aims to bridge energy management on the one hand, and performance outcomes on the other hand. Strengths and Limitations We have developed a reliable eight-item proactive vitality management scale, which facilitates efficient and convenient use of the scale in future research studies (cf. Zacher et al, 2014). In turn, the newly developed construct showed relationships with relevant constructs and outcomes that were in line with our expectations. The large number of people, both Dutch and American, from various organizations and sectors that participated in our studies allowed us to thoroughly examine the proactive vitality management construct and its nomological network, and increase the generalizability of our findings. Furthermore, we found the same relational patterns when investigating proactive vitality management on a general level and on a daily level, which suggests isomorphism and adds to the validity of our findings. The fact that we found proactive vitality management to be positively and significantly related to cognitive performance on an objective measure is an additional strength of the present research. However, the present research is not without limitations. First, we cannot infer causal relationships from the correlations that we have calculated. That is, the current findings do not specify whether proactively managing physical and mental energy actually results in higher performance or creativity. However, we deem it reasonable to assume that proactively managing physical and mental energy to promote work may predict work-related outcomes. The goal-oriented nature of proactive vitality management 2
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