Declaring the chain mechanism between change events strength and proactive behavior: an observation for Chinese public sector

Purpose Research on civil servants' proactive behavior rarely focuses on the change context, yet such proactive support is key to change success. Based on event system theory (EST) and set in China's public sector reform context, this study explores the motivational mechanism behind public sector employees' proactive behavior. Design/methodology/approach Against the background of institutional reform, this study surveyed public sector employees in a county in China and collected 194 valid questionnaires for empirical analysis through two-time-point paired research of superiors and subordinates. Using cross-level structural equation analysis, the study tested the mediation mechanism between event intensity and proactive behavior and found that the chain mediation mechanism exists. Findings In the context of China's public sector reforms, this study designs a chained mediating mechanism model to test the formation process of proactive behaviors and proposes various mediating hypothesis tests (exploring effectiveness of different motivation mechanisms in proactive behavior motivation integrated theory), including hypotheses on three motivation types as separate mediators, two as continuous mediators and two simultaneous mediators plus one as a chained mediator – with all verified except those on public service motivation (PSM) and “can do” motivation as separate mediators. By introducing EST, the research deepens the situational boundary of change management; it also advances proactive behavior study by examining the validity of proactive motivation states from a cross-cultural perspective. Originality/value By systematically revealing the formation mechanisms behind individuals' proactive behaviors in public sector reforms, this study achieves three theoretical breakthroughs: it expands proactive behavior antecedents from micro cognitive factors to macro institutional-cultural systems, that is, uncovering drivers of behavioral heterogeneity under homogeneous change and broadening theoretical boundaries, and via Chinese-context empirical analysis, first identifies that high-intensity reforms cause dynamic depletion of PSM and finds a compensatory chain mechanism (“Can do motivation → Reason do motivation → Proactive behavior”) to advance public sector motivation research. The chained mediation mechanism validated here in differs from Western corporate context findings, emphasizing that proactive behavior formation in public sectors demands cross-cultural interpretation and theoretical exploration.