Prosocial Behavior and Organizational Wellness

Why organizational wellness is dependent on prosocial behaviors.

by Kathy Miller

Prosocial behaviors are socially accepted actions that benefit other individuals or communities. They can be motivated by many factors such as empathy, altruism, or one’s value system in how a person focuses on others. They can also stem from more practical considerations such as being a recipient of positive behaviors through a system of reciprocity. Prosocial behaviors not only benefit the individuals at the receiving end, but in the workplace, human-centered approaches can lead to improved business results.

An example of prosocial behavior that can help organizations achieve and sustain peak business performance is building a culture that is psychologically safe for all team members regardless of their status or role in the organization. Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership at Harvard Business School, describes psychological safety as a perception that speaking up will not have repercussions for the person raising the concern. She also points out that psychological safety facilitates learning from failures, which is a behavior that benefits organizational performance.

Organizations can also engage in prosocial behaviors by providing equitable opportunities for people of all genders. Psychological safety is enhanced when minority members of the team do not feel as though they must act or behave differently than the majority due to persistent stereotypes. Leaders, in particular, can help break down persistent stereotypes through their actions and what they deem socially acceptable as they go about their daily responsibilities. Thus, they can enable more diversity of thought, which can also lead to enhanced performance.

Numerous studies have been conducted that correlate prosocial missions to improved performance results. Mirco Tonin, UniCredit Foscolo Europe Fellow at the Economics Department of the Central European University, and Michael Vlassopoulis, University of Southampton, School of Social Sciences, witnessed a 13% productivity rise when workers became aware that their services were benefiting incarcerated individuals in positive life changes. Gosnell et al., National Bureau of Economic Research, found a 6.5% in job satisfaction when Virgin American pilots had contributions made to charities on their behalf when meeting their fuel emission targets.

As the leader of a rubber part manufacturer, my team certainly had more palpable energy when they knew how the parts they were molding were being used by our customers to make the world a better place. This, combined with valuing their input on various issues that had previously been reserved for only a small number of leaders, led to record productivity in the facilities.

Lower turnover intentions have also been associated with employees of organizations that offer the opportunity to participate in serving others through work, according to Rolf Van Dick, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, as it facilitates a meaningful shared identity with the employing organization and increases trust. In leading large manufacturing organizations over multiple decades, I have found trust to lead to better business results as people focus their energy in productive ways that enhance organizational culture and waste less energy on fact-checking and speculation about the intentions of others with whom they interact.

Organizations can also capitalize on creating prosocial missions to attract talent. According to the 2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends, a global survey of more than 11,000 Human Resource and business leaders, a fundamental change is underway in which companies are judged on the relationship with their workers, customers, and community. I have certainly experienced this trend as my interviews have shifted over the years to members of younger generations who are much more conscious about how the hiring organization supports the community in which it operates.

If your business is looking to improve operational performance, I recommend engaging your team members to determine what prosocial behaviors and activities would be motivational to the workforce. There is no doubt that a human-centered approach for attraction and retention of talented people that feel safe to contribute can lead to improved business results.

I have spent over three decades as a senior executive in four large, publicly-traded global companies where I was responsible for enterprise business transformation. Through my experience leading successful programs in various industries and advanced degrees in business and applied positive psychology, I am excited to join Five to Flow’s Advisory Board to bring my passion for creating inclusive cultures of trust, respect, and accountability to prepare the next generation of leaders. I help others get results through science-based principles that help them flourish.