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The Bright Side of Being Prosocial at Work, and the Dark Side, Too: A Review and Agenda for Research on Other-Oriented Motives, Behavior, and Impact in Organizations
Abstract
More than a quarter century ago, organizational scholars began to explore the implications of prosociality in organizations. Three interrelated streams have emerged from this work, which focus on prosocial motives (the desire to benefit others or expend effort out of concern for others), prosocial behaviors (acts that promote/protect the welfare of individuals, groups, or organizations), and prosocial impact (the experience of making a positive difference in the lives of others through one's work). Prior studies have highlighted the importance of prosocial motives, behaviors, and impact, and have enhanced our understanding of each of them. However, there has been little effort to systematically review and integrate these related lines of work in a way that furthers our understanding of prosociality in organizations. In this article, we provide an overview of the current state of the literature, highlight key findings, identify major research themes, and address important controversies and debates. We call for an expanded view of prosocial behavior and a sharper focus on the costs and unintended consequences of prosocial phenomena. We conclude by suggesting a number of avenues for future research that will address unanswered questions and should provide a more complete understanding of prosociality in the workplace.
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“These commonalities indicate that prosocial motives and behaviors (Bolino & Grant, 2016, for a review) are shared across ethical and servant leadership.”
From Taking Stock of Moral Approaches to Leadership: An Integrative Review of Ethical, Authentic, and Servant Leadership (2019) · cites this paper as Bolino & Grant, 2016
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bolino, M. C., & Grant, A. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Venue
- Academy of Management Annals
- Publisher
- Academy of Management
- Published
- 2016-01
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 599-670
- ISSN
- 1941-6067 (ISSN-L)
- 1941-6520
- OpenAlex
- W4246718271
- Cited by
- 682
- References
- 336
- Citations by year
- 2026: 94 · 2025: 82 · 2024: 71 · 2023: 93 · 2022: 82 · 2021: 75 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 45 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 5
- FWCI
- 73.18
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Academy of Management Annals (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Ethics in Business and Education
- Keywords
- prosocial behavior, prosocial motivation, prosocial impact, unintended consequences, helping behavior, organizational behavior
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