Individual, job and interpersonal predictors of prosocial organizational behavior: Understanding helping processes at work
Abstract
Through a review of previous organizational and social psychological research on helping behavior as a form of prosocial organizational behavior, three issues were identified as important for improving organizational research on helping. These three research objectives concerned (1) the need for an improved measure of helping behavior, (2) the need to examine help-seeking behavior and individuals' reactions to helping interactions, and (3) the need to consider the effects of the helper-helpee relationship on helping and help-seeking behavior. Thus, as a part of this research, several methods were used to produce a comprehensive survey measure of helping behavior that assessed a wide variety of helpful behaviors applicable to a work setting. Also, this study examined both helping and help-seeking behaviors at work among co-workers and their supervisors. A model of the helping process was developed for testing hypotheses relating several individual, job and interpersonal factors to both helping and help-seeking behaviors. Finally, a dyadic approach was used in that these behaviors were studied as they occurred within existing co-worker and supervisor-subordinate working relationships. Latent variable modeling was used to test the proposed model. The results indicated support for the effect of helpee perceptions of the costs of seeking help on help-seeking behavior, as well as the effect of help-seeking behavior on helping behavior. Also, the results supported the effect of relationship quality on helping behavior. There was not, however, support for the effects of job characteristics, empathy and normative beliefs on helping behavior. Implications for future research on helping, organizational citizenship behavior, and prosocial organizational behavior are discussed.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Williams, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Management|Occupational psychology
Off-Campus Purdue Users:
To access this dissertation, please log in to our
proxy server.