Promoting concern for team members in Indian enterprises through personal interaction: mediating through a preference for teamwork and co-worker support

PurposeWhat motivates employees to show concern for their team or in-group members, and why is it vital to prefer teamwork and receive support from co-workers at the workplace? Given the significance of social relations in the workplace and drawing from social exchange theory, the present study seeks to examine the association between personal interaction with concern for team members by identifying preference for teamwork and co-worker support (CWS) mediating the relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 261 collected from employees working in varying public and private sector Indian enterprises were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Hayes PROCESS macro to investigate the multiple mediation analysis.FindingsThe findings showed a positive relationship between personal interaction and concern for the team member, which elaborates that increasing personal interaction among employees tends to display concern for their team members. Moreover, teamwork preference and CWS mediated the relationship, demonstrating that preferring teamwork and receiving support from co-workers, the propensity to concern for team members is influenced by personal interaction.Practical implicationsThis research pinpoints how personal interaction among members may develop a feeling of belongingness, leading to concern for their team members. With the inclusion of employees in teamwork and creating a cordial work environment, employees prefer working in groups and teams; they may feel responsible for their group and its members, ultimately helping improve the organization's human capital.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the employee and organizational development by unveiling how employees may develop cordial social relationships through personal interaction, preferring teamwork and CWS.