Purpose: Helping others is a classic virtue and a positive behavior advocated by organizations and society at large in accordance with social norms. Based on social information processing theory, this study examines the mechanisms by which social exchange relationships influence individual helping behavior.
Patients and methods: Chinese General Social Survey data from 2015 (CGSS 2015) is applied, and regression analysis and bootstrapping methods are adopted.
Results: The findings indicate that leader-member exchange and team-member exchange are positively and significantly related to employees’ helping behavior. Affective commitment and job satisfaction play mediating roles between both leader-member exchange and team-member exchange and helping behavior.
Conclusion: Leader-member exchange and team-member exchange have different effects on helping behavior. Compared with team-member exchange, the effect of leader-member exchange on helping behavior is stronger via affective commitment and job satisfaction. These results serve as a starting point for boosting the proactive behaviors of employees, thereby establishing a harmonious organizational climate.
Keywords: helping behavior, leader-member exchange, team-member exchange, affective commitment, job satisfaction