Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Feeling Being Helped Today, but not Tomorrow? Receipt of Help Conceptualization, Scale Development, and Nomological Validation

  • Published:
Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Since its inception, interpersonal helping has been conceptualized predominantly from the helper’s perspective. Additionally, scales used to measure the extent of interpersonal helping provided have been developed, allowing scholars to assess the consequences of helping others. In this study, we synergize extant literature and conceptualize receipt of help as receipt of suitable help that the recipient depends on to improve task performance. Moreover, we perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using different sets of samples and establish a three-factor, 14-item scale for measuring the extent of help received. Furthermore, we test the nomological validity of the receipt of help scale. Evidence illustrates that the three-factor, 14-item scale demonstrates an adequate level of reliability and nomological validity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material:

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code Availability

Not available.

References

  • Alvarez, K., & van Leeuwen, E. (2011). To teach or to tell? Consequences of receiving help from experts and peers. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 397–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bachrach, D. G., Powell, B. C., Collins, B. J., & Richey, R. G. (2006). Effects of task interdependence on the relationship between helping behavior and group performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 1396–1405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bachrach, D. G., Wang, H., Bendoly, E., & Zhang, S. (2007). Importance of organizational citizenship behavior for overall performance evaluation: Comparing the role of task interdependence in China and the USA. Management and Organizational Review, 3, 255–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barasch, A., Levine, E. E., Berman, J. Z., & Small, D. A. (2014). Selfish or selfless? On the signal value of emotion in altruistic behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107, 393–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (2012). Specification, evaluation, and interpretation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 40, 8–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1988). Organizational applications of social cognitive theory. Australian Journal of Management, 13, 275–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2, 21–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnard, C. I. (1938). The functions of the executive. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Barroso Castro, C., Martín Armario, E., & Martín Ruiz, D. (2004). The influence of employee organizational citizenship behavior on customer loyalty. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15, 27–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolino, M. C., & Turnley, W. H. (2005). The personal costs of citizenship behavior: The relationship between individual initiative and role overload, job stress, and work-family conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 740–748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolino, M. C., Hsiung, H. H., Harvey, J., & LePine, J. A. (2015). “Well, I’m tired of tryin’!” Organizational citizenship behavior and citizenship fatigue. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 56–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butts, M. M., Lunt, D. C., Freling, T. L., & Gabriel, A. S. (2019). Helping one or helping many? A theoretical integration and meta-analytic review of the compassion fade literature. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 151, 16–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, M. E. (2013). Antecedents of instrumental interpersonal help-seeking: An integrative review. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 62, 571–596

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, G. W., & Wang, C. (2017). Current Approaches for Assessing Convergent and Discriminant Validity with SEM: Issues and Solutions. In G. Atinc (Ed.), Academy of Management Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.5465/ambpp.2017.12706abstract

  • Chou, S. Y. (2018). Is there any cost of being helped? A theoretical analysis of interpersonal helping behavior recipients in Chinese organizations. Asia Pacific Management Review, 23, 290–300

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, S. Y., & Chang, T. (2017). Being helped and being harmed: A theoretical study of employee self-concept and receipt of help. Journal of Happiness Studies, 18, 1573–1592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, S. Y., Chang, T., & Han, B. (2019a). In the eyes of the helper and recipient: A help-giving and help-receiving model in organizations. Journal of Managerial Issues, 31, 355–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Chou, S. Y., & Pearson, J. (2012). Organizational citizenship behavior in IT professionals: An expectancy theory approach. Management Research Review, 35, 1170–1186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, S. Y., Ramser, C., & Chang, T. (2019b). When is helping considered helping? The recipient’s view of helping during the stages of receiving help. International Journal Organization Theory and Behavior, 22, 79–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, S. Y., & Stauffer, J. (2016). A theoretical classification of helping behavior and helping motives. Personnel Review, 45, 871–888

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalal, R. S., & Sheng, Z. (2019). When is helping behavior unhelpful? A conceptual analysis and research agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110, 272–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deckop, J. R., Cirka, C. C., & Andersson, L. M. (2003). Doing unto others: The reciprocity of helping behavior in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 47, 101–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Clercq, D., Haq, U., I., & Umer Azeem, M. (2020). Threatened but involved: Key conditions for stimulating employee helping behavior. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 27, 271–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deelstra, J. T., Peeters, M. C. W., Schaufeli, W. B., Stroebe, W., Zijlstra, F. R. H., & van Doornen, L. P. (2003). Receiving instrumental support at work: When help is not welcome. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 324–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DePaulo, B. M., & Fisher, J. D. (1980). The costs of asking for help. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 1, 23–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan, J., Wong, M., & Yue, Y. (2019). Organizational helping behavior and its relationship with employee workplace well-being. Career Development International, 24, 18–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farh, J., Zhong, C., & Organ, D. W. (2004). Organizational citizenship behavior in the People’s Republic of China. Organization Science, 15, 241–253

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, J. K., MacCallum, R. C., & Tait, M. (1986). The application of exploratory factor analysis in applied psychology: A critical review and analysis. Personnel Psychology, 39, 291–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, J. M., & Jones, G. R. (1997). Organizational spontaneity in context. Human Performance, 10, 153–170

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, S. A., & Svyantek, D. J. (1999). Person-organization fit and contextual performance: Do shared values matter. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 55, 254–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grodal, S., Nelson, A., & Siino, R. M. (2015). Help-seeking and help-giving as an organizational routine: Continual engagement in innovative work. Academy of Management Journal, 58, 136–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

    Google Scholar 

  • Halabi, S., Nadler, A., & Dovidio, J. F. (2011). Reactions to receiving assumptive help: The moderating effects of group membership and perceived need for help. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41, 2793–2815

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., Harvey, J., & Bolino, M. C. (2009). Too engaged? A conservation of resources view of the relationship between work engagement and work interference with family. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 1452–1465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halbesleben, J. R. B., & Wheeler, A. R. (2015). To invest or not? The role of coworker support and trust in daily reciprocal gain spirals of helping behavior. Journal of Management, 41, 1628–1650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hinkin, T. R. (1998). A brief tutorial on the development of measures for use in survey questionnaires. Organizational Research Methods, 1, 104–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hom, P. W., & Griffeth, R. W. (1991). A structural equation model of the process of employee turnover: Cross-sectional and longitudinal tests. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 350–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J., & Liden, R. (2011). Antecedents of team potency and team effectiveness: An examination of goal and process clarity and servant leadership. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96, 851–862

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, L., & Bentler, P. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelloway, E. K. (1998). Using LISREL for structural equation modeling: A researcher’s guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

    Google Scholar 

  • Koopman, J., Lanaj, K., & Scott, B. A. (2016). Integrating the bright and dark sides of OCB: A daily investigation of the benefits and costs of helping others. Academy of Management Journal, 59, 414–435

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korman, A. K. (1970). Toward a hypothesis of work behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 54, 31–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korman, A. K. (1976). Hypothesis of work behavior revisited and an extension. Academy of Management Review, 1, 50–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, F. (1997). When the going gets tough, do the tough ask for help? Help seeking and power motivation in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 72, 336–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K., & Allen, N. J. (2002). Organizational citizenship behavior and workplace deviance: The role of affect and cognitions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 131–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, T. W., Holtom, B. C., McDaniel, L. S., & Hill, J. W. (1999). The unfolding model of voluntary turnover: A replication and extension. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 450–462

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leiter, M. P., & Schaufeli, W. B. (1996). Consistency of the burnout construct across occupations. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 9, 229–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, F. (1997). Helping behaviors and the perception of helping intentions among Chinese students. Journal of Social Psychology, 137, 496–501

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, W., Koopmann, J., & Wang, M. (2020). How does workplace helping behavior step up or slack off? Integrating enrichment-based and depletion-based perspective. Journal of Management, 46, 385–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moorman, R. H., & Blakely, G. L. (1995). Individualism-collectivism as an individual difference predictor of organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16, 127–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mossholder, K. W., Richardson, H. A., & Settoon, R. P. (2011). Human resource systems and helping in organizations: A relational perspective. Academy of Management Review, 36, 33–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadler, A. (1997). Autonomous and dependent help seeking: Personality characteristics and the seeking of help. In B. Sarason, I. Sarason, & R. G. Pierce (Eds.), Handbook of personality and social support (pp. 258–302). New York: Plenum Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadler, A., & Chernyak-Hai, L. (2014). Helping them stay where they are: Status effects on dependency/autonomy-oriented helping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 106, 58–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadler, A., & Fisher, J. D. (1986). The role of threat to self-esteem and perceived control in recipient reaction to help: Theory development and empirical validation. In L. Berkowitz (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 81–122). San Diego, CA: Academic Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadler, A., & Halabi, S. (2006). Intergroup helping as status relations: Effects of status stability, identification, and type of help on receptivity to high-status group’s help. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 97–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Netemeyer, R. G., Bearden, W. O., & Sharma, S. (2003). Scaling procedures: Issues and applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, K. Y., & Van Dyne, L. (2005). Antecedents and performance consequences of helping behavior in work groups: A multilevel analysis. Group and Organization Management, 30, 514–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, C. L., & Ensley, M. D. (2004). A reciprocal and longitudinal investigation of the innovation process: The central role of shared vision in product and process innovation teams (PPITs). Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 259–278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peer, E., Vosgerau, J., & Acquisti, A. (2014). Reputation as a sufficient condition for data quality on Amazon Mechanical Turk. Behavior Research Methods, 46, 1023–1031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, J. P. (1981). Construct validity: A review of basic issues and marketing practices. Journal of Marketing Research, 18, 133–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., Ahearne, M., & MacKenzie, S. B. (1997). Organizational citizenship behavior and quantity and quality of work group performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82, 262–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., & MacKenzie, S. B. (1994). Organizational citizenship behavior and sales unit effectiveness. Journal of Marketing Research, 31, 351–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rioux, S., & Penner, L. (2001). The Causes of Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Motivational Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(6), 1306–1314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosopa, P. J., Schroeder, A. N., & Hulett, A. L. (2013). Helping yourself by helping others: Examining personality perceptions. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28, 147–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, M. E., Major, B., Luhtanen, R., & Crocker, J. (1996). Social stigma and the potential costs of assumptive help. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 201–209

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, J. T., & Navarro, M. (2019). A conceptual replication examining the risk of overtly listing eligibility criteria on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 49, 239–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. A., Organ, D. W., & Near, J. P. (1983). Organizational citizenship behavior: Its nature and antecedents. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68, 653–663

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Somech, A., & Drach-Zahavy, A. (2000). Understanding extra-role behavior in schools: The relationships between job satisfaction, sense of efficacy, and teachers’ extra-role behavior. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 649–659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Somech, A., & Drach-Zahavy, A. (2013). Organizational citizenship behavior and employee’s strain: Examining the buffering effects of leader support and participation in decision making. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22, 138–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Susskind, A. M., Kacmar, K. M., & Borchgrevink, C. P. (2003). Customer service providers’ attitudes relating to customer service and customer satisfaction in the customer-server exchange. Journal of applied psychology, 88, 179–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics. Boston: Pearson Education

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, I. I., & Ibrahim, A. H. S. (1998). Antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior revisited: Public personnel in the United States and in the Middle East. Public Personnel Management, 27, 529–549

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ten Brummelhuis, L. L., van der Lippe, T., & Kluwer, E. S. (2010). Family involvement and helping behavior in teams. Journal of Management, 36, 1406–1431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai, W., Chen, C., & Liu, H. (2007). Test of a model linking employee positive moods and task performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1570–1583

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uy, M. A., Lin, K. J., & Ilies, R. (2017). Is it better to give or receive? The role of help in buffering the depleting effects of surface acting. Academy of Management Journal, 60, 1442–1461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Dyne, L., & LePine, J. A. (1998). Helping and voice extra-role behaviors: Evidence of construct and predictive validity. Academy of Management Journal, 41, 108–119

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanyperen, N. W., Van Den Berg, A. E., & Willering, M. (1999). Towards a better understanding of the link between participation in decision-making and organizational citizenship behavior: A multilevel analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 72(3), 377–392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, N., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). When helping helps: Autonomous motivation for prosocial behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98, 222–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiting, S. W., Podsakoff, P. M., & Pierce, J. R. (2008). Effects of task performance, helping, voice, and organizational loyalty on performance appraisal ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93, 125–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X. A., Cao, Q., & Grigoriou, N. (2011). Consciousness of social face: The development and validation of a scale measuring desire to gain face versus fear of losing face. Journal of Social Psychology, 151, 129–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dillard College of Business Administration, Midwestern State University, 3410 Taft Blvd, 76308, Wichita Falls, TX, USA

    Shih Yung Chou & Charles Ramser

Authors
  1. Shih Yung Chou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charles Ramser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Shih Yung Chou and Charles Ramser. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Shih Yung Chou and Charles Ramser. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shih Yung Chou.

Ethics declarations

Conflicts of interest/Competing interests

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Ethics approval

The questionnaire and methodology for this study was approved by the Human Subject and Review Committee at Midwestern State University (Approval number: 18032701).

Consent to participate

Written informed consent was obtained prior to research participation.

Consent for publication

The participant has consented to the submission of the report to the journal.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

Final Receipt of Help Scale Items.

Measures

Suitability of Provided Help

I receive the help that I need when my colleagues offer to help.

I receive help from my colleagues at work that I regard as the right help.

I receive the exact help that I need from my colleagues.

I receive help from my colleagues whom I am willing to request help from.

I receive help from my colleagues that increases the likelihood of completing my tasks.

I receive help from my colleagues that is useful to me.

Dependency on Provided Help

I rely on my colleagues to help me resolve my task-related issues.

I lean on my colleagues’ assistance to rectify my task-related problem.

I rely on my colleagues to find an alternative to my task-related problems.

I depend on my colleagues to solve my task-related problems.

Performance Improved by Provided Help

I receive help from my colleagues that allows me to learn something that I did not know before.

I receive help from my colleagues that improves my job outcomes.

I receive help from my colleagues that corrects my work-related errors.

I receive help from my colleagues that adds to my effectiveness at completing my tasks.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Chou, S.Y., Ramser, C. Feeling Being Helped Today, but not Tomorrow? Receipt of Help Conceptualization, Scale Development, and Nomological Validation. Employ Respons Rights J 35, 161–187 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-022-09405-6

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-022-09405-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation