Prosocial Behaviors: Their Motivations and Impacts on Organizational Culture

According to the International Corrupt Perceptions Index 2017, more than six billion people are living in countries that are plagued by corruption (International Corrupt Perceptions Index, 2017). In an altruistic model of leadership, leaders act with the express intent of helping other people (Johnson, 2015). Within this model, good works manifest themselves as prosocial behaviors or “voluntary behavior(s) intended to benefit another and consisting of actions that benefit others or society” (Schminke, Arnaud, & Taylor, 2014, p. 730). These prosocial behaviors can create collaborative and inspirational environments (Axelsson & Axelsson, 2009), facilitate collectivism (Clarkson, 2014), and contribute to the long-term sustainability of an organization (Furnham, Treglown, Hyde, & Trickey, 2016). Leaders can nurture an altruistic environment in their organizations by motivating employees to participate in prosocial behaviors (Mallén, Chiva, Alegre, & Guinot, 2014). This article introduces the altruistic approach to leadership, explores prosocial behaviors, examines motivations for prosocial behaviors, and investigates how leaders can nurture benevolent cultures in their organizations by encouraging employees to demonstrate altruism and prosocial behaviors. Specifically, this article explores the impacts of prosocial behaviors on organizational culture.