Cai Zijun

He holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Management from Renmin University of China and a Doctorate in Management from the University of Western Australia. His research focuses on various aspects of employee initiative, including initiative personality and personal career development. He is particularly interested in exploring the dynamic interaction between individuals and their work environment, such as teams and leaders.

His valuable contributions to the field of management research are evident through his publications in esteemed journals like the Journal of Vocational Behavior and the Journal of Career Development. Additionally, he actively participates in the academic community by serving as an anonymous reviewer for the Journal of Vocational Behavior and the Journal of Career Development, providing valuable insights and feedback to fellow researchers.

In recognition of his expertise and contributions, he received the prestigious Best Reviewer award at the annual meeting of the International Association for Chinese Management Research (IACMR) in 2016. Furthermore, his exceptional reviewing skills were acknowledged by the Professional Research Department of the Academy of Management (AOM) in the United States, where he was awarded the Best Reviewer distinction in 2017. These accolades highlight his dedication to scholarly excellence and his commitment to advancing the field of management.

Education Experience

• University of Western Australia
  Business School, Ph.D. Candidate, Organizational Behavior (2015-2018)
• Renmin University of China
  School of Labor and Human Resources, M.S., Management (2012-2014)
  School of Agricultual Economics and Rural Development, B.A., Management (2008-2012)

Research Interests

• Employee proactivity
• Career development

Publication

• Zhu, F., Cai, Z., Buchtel, E. E., & Guan, Y. (2019). Career construction in social exchange: a dual-path model linking career adaptability to turnover intention. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 112, 282-293. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2019.04.003

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., Chen, Z., & Lam, W. (2019) How does the social context fuel the proactive fire? A multi-level review and theoretical synthesis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40, 209-203. doi: 10.1002/job.2347

• Guan, Y., Wang, Z., Gong, Q., Cai, Z., Wang, Y., Chen. S., & Tian, L. (2018) Parents’ career values and adaptability as predictors for university students’ career adaptability. The Counselling Psychologist, 46, 922-946. doi: 10.1177/0011000018808215

• Guan, Y., Zhuang, M., Cai, Z., Ding, Y., Wang, Y., Huang, Z, … Lai, X. (2017). Modelling dynamics in career construction: Reciprocal relationship between future work self and career exploration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 101, 21-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2017.04.003

• Cai, Z., Guan, Y., Li, H., Shi, W., Guo, K., Liu, Y., ... Hua, H. (2015). Self-esteem and proactive personality as predictors of future work self and career adaptability: An examination of mediating and moderating processes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 86-94. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2014.10.004

• Liu, L., Bond, M.H., Guan, Y., Cai, Z., Sun, J., Yu, Q., ... Wang, Z. (2015). Parents’ music training motivation and children’s music learning achievement: An investigation in the Chinese context. Psychology of Music, 43, 661-674. doi:10.1177/0305735614532703

• Guan, Y., Guo, Y., Bond, M. H., Cai, Z., Zhou, X., Xu, J., ... Ye, L. (2014). New job market entrants’ future work self, career adaptability and job search outcomes: Examining mediating and moderating models. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 85, 136-145. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2014.05.003

• Tian, L., Guan, Y., Chen, S. X., Levin, N., Cai, Z., Chen, P., ... Zhang, S. (2014). Predictive validity of career decision-making profiles over time among Chinese college students. Journal of Career Development, 41, 282-300. doi: 10.1177/0894845313495590

• Guan, Y., Deng, H., Sun, J., Wang, Y., Cai, Z., Ye, L., ... Li, Y. (2013). Career adaptability, job search self-efficacy and outcomes: A three-wave investigation among Chinese university graduates. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 83, 561-570. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2013.09.003

Working Paper

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., Chen, Z., & Cheung, S. Y. When you bite off more than your team can chew: The misfit effect of individual and team proactivity on core task performance. Final Manuscript. Target journal: Journal of Applied Psychology

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., & Chen, Z. Rocking the strategic boat: Testing three-way interaction effect of empowering leadership, role clarity, and proactive personality on strategic scanning. Manuscript. Target journal: Journal of Applied Psychology

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., & Chen, Z. The social consequences of being proactive: How and when proactivity leads to peers’ supportive behavior. Data Collecting. Target journal: Journal of Applied Psychology

Conference Presentations

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., & Chen, Z (2017, August). Rocking the strategic boat: Testing threeway interaction effect of empowering leadership, role clarity, and proactive personality on strategic scanning. Paper presented at Academy of Management Annual Meeting symposium “Rock the Boat! Fostering Employees’ Strategic Behaviors of Better Organizational Performance”, Atlanta, GA, USA

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., & Chen, Z (2017, June). Rocking the strategic boat: Testing three-way interaction effect of empowering leadership, role clarity, and proactive personality on strategic scanning. Paper presented at Industrial and Organisational Psychology Conference symposium “Social context and proactive behavior” (Organizer), Sydney, NSW, AUS

• Cai, Z., Parker, S. K., Chen, Z., & Cheung, S. Y (2017, May). When you bite off more than your team can chew: The misfit effect of individual and team proactivity on core task performance. Paper presented at symposium "The consequences of proactive behaviors for individual and team performance", Dublin, LEN, IRL

Award

• AOM Career Division Outstanding Reviewer (2017)
• IACMR Best Reviewer (2016)
• National Outstanding Master Scholarship (2014)
• Second-Prize University Scholarship for Undergraduates (2012)

Community Contribution

• Invited reviewer for Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Occupational and
• Organizational Psychology, and Journal of Career Development