Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-cphqk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-09T00:49:39.116Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dissatisfied employees, diminished helping: Using psychological capital to buffer the damaging effects of job dissatisfaction on helping behaviours

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2019

Dirk De Clercq Open the ORCID record for Dirk De Clercq [Opens in a new window] ,
Inam Ul Haq  and
Muhammad Umer Azeem
Dirk De Clercq*
Affiliation:
Goodman School of Business, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada
Inam Ul Haq
Affiliation:
Lahore Business School, The University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
Muhammad Umer Azeem
Affiliation:
School of Business and Economics, University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Drawing from conservation of resources theory, this study considers how employees' job dissatisfaction might reduce their engagement in helping behaviour, whereas their psychological capital might enhance this behaviour. The negative relationship between job dissatisfaction and helping behaviour in turn might be buffered by psychological capital. Data from Pakistani organizations provide empirical support for these theoretical predictions. The findings indicate that organizations with employees who feel unhappy about their job situation can still enjoy productive helping behaviours, to the extent they develop adequate personal resources within their ranks.

Keywords

helping behaviourjob dissatisfactionpsychological capitalconservation of resources theory
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 29 , Issue 5 , September 2023 , pp. 968 - 982
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbas, M., Raja, U., Darr, W., & Bouckenooghe, D. (2014). Combined effects of perceived politics and psychological capital on job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and performance. Journal of Management, 40, 1813–1830.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Agho, A. O., Price, J. L., & Mueller, C. W. (1992). Discriminant validity of measures of job satisfaction, positive affectivity, and negative affectivity. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 65, 185–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Allen, D. G., Weeks, K. P., & Moffitt, K. R. (2005). Turnover intentions and voluntary turnover: The moderating roles of self-monitoring, locus of control, proactive personality, and risk aversion. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 980–990.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Avey, J. B., Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2010). The additive value of psychological capital in predicting workplace attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Management, 36, 430–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avey, J. B., Patera, J. L., & West, B. J. (2006). Positive psychological capital: A new approach for understanding absenteeism. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 13, 42–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avey, J. B., Reichard, R. J., Luthans, F., & Mhatre, K. H. (2011). Meta-analysis of the impact of positive psychological capital on employee attitudes, behaviours, and performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 22, 127–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avey, J. B., Wernsing, T. S., & Luthans, F. (2008). Can positive employees help positive organizational change? Impact of psychological capital and emotions on relevant attitudes and behaviours. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 44, 48–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bachrach, D. G., Powell, B. C., Collins, B. J., & Richey, R. G. (2006). Effects of task interdependence on the relationship between helping behaviour and group performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91(6), 1396–1405.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.Google Scholar
Baum, J. R., & Locke, E. A. (2004). The relationship of entrepreneurial traits, skill, and motivation to subsequent venture growth. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 587–598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borman, W. C., & Motowidlo, S. J. (1993) Expanding the criterion domain to include elements of contextual performance. In Schmitt, N. & Borman, W. C. (Eds.), Personnel selection in organizations (pp. 71–98). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Cabrera, E. F., & Cabrera, A. (2005). Fostering knowledge sharing through people management practices. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16, 720–735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, C.-H. V., & Kao, R.-H. (2011). A multilevel study on the relationships between work characteristics, self-efficacy, collective efficacy, and organizational citizenship behavior: The case of Taiwanese police duty-executing organizations. Journal of Psychology, 145, 361–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cheung, F. Y.-L., & Cheung, R. Y.-H. (2013). Effect of emotional dissonance on organizational citizenship behaviour: Testing the stressor-strain-outcome model. Journal of Psychology, 147, 89–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choi, B. K., & Moon, H. (2016). Prosocial motive and helping behaviour: Examining helping efficacy and instrumentality. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 31(2), 359–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chou, S. Y., & Stauffer, J. M. (2016). A theoretical classification of helping behaviour and helping motives. Personnel Review, 45, 871–888.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O. L. H., & Ng, K. Y (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 425–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dawkins, S., Martin, A., Scott, J., & Sanderson, K. (2013). Building on the positives: A psychometric review and critical analysis of the construct of psychological capital. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 86, 348–370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Clercq, D., & Belausteguigoitia, I. (2017). Mitigating the negative effect of perceived organizational politics on organizational citizenship behaviour: Moderating roles of contextual and personal resources. Journal of Management and Organization, 23, 689–708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Clercq, D., Rahman, Z., & Haq, I. U. (2019). Explaining helping behavior in the workplace: The interactive effect of family-to-work conflict and Islamic work ethic. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(4), 1167–1177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deckop, J. R., Cirka, C. C., & Andersson, L. M. (2003). Doing unto others: The reciprocity of helping behaviour in organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 47(2), 101–113.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Enos, M. D., Kehrhahn, M. T., & Bell, A. (2003). Informal learning and the transfer of learning: How managers develop proficiency. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 14, 368–387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foote, D. A., & Tang, T. L.-P. (2008). Job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB): Does team commitment make a difference in self-directed teams? Management Decision, 46, 933–947.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frooman, J., Mendelson, M. B., & Murphy, J. K. (2012). Transformational and passive avoidant leadership as determinants of absenteeism. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 33, 447–463.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gooty, J., Gavin, M., Johnson, P. D., Frazier, M. L., & Snow, D. B. (2009). In the eyes of the beholder: Transformational leadership, positive psychological capital, and performance. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 15, 353–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gupta, M., Shaheen, M., & Reddy, P. K. (2017). Impact of psychological capital on organizational citizenship behaviour: Mediation by work engagement. Journal of Management Development, 36, 973–983.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hirst, G., Walumbwa, F., Aryee, S., Butarbutar, I., & Chen, C. J. (2016). A multi-level investigation of authentic leadership as an antecedent of helping behaviour. Journal of Business Ethics, 139, 485–499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources. A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44, 513–524.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resource theory. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 50, 337–369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobfoll, S. E., & Shirom, A. (2000). Conservation of resources theory: Applications to stress and management in the workplace. In Golembiewski, R. T. (Ed.), Handbook of organization behaviour (2nd ed., pp. 57–81). New York: Dekker.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. H., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. Intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Hoption, C. (2016). The double-edged sword of helping behaviour in leader-follower dyads. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 37(1), 13–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hui, C., Lam, S. S. K., & Law, K. K. S. (2000). Instrumental values of organizational citizenship behaviour for promotion: A field quasi-experiment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 822–828.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Imer, P. H., Kabasakal, H., & Dastmalchian, A. (2014). Personality and contextual antecedents of organizational citizenship behavior: A study of two occupational groups. Journal of Management & Organization, 20, 441–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jiang, B., Baker, R. C., & Frazier, G. V. (2009). An analysis of job dissatisfaction and turnover to reduce global supply chain risk: Evidence from China. Journal of Operations Management, 27, 169–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joo, B.-K., Lim, D. H., & Kim, S. (2016). Enhancing work engagement: The roles of psychological capital, authentic leadership, and work empowerment. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 37, 1117–1134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Korsgaard, M. A., Meglino, B. M., Lester, S. W., & Jeong, S. S. (2010). Paying you back or paying me forward: Understanding rewarded and unrewarded organizational citizenship behaviour. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 277–290.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kyei-Poku, I. (2014). The benefits of belongingness and interactional fairness to interpersonal citizenship behaviour. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 35, 691–709.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lemoine, G. J., Parsons, C. K., & Kansara, S. (2015). Above and beyond, again and again: Self-regulation in the aftermath of organizational citizenship behaviours. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100, 40–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liang, H.-Y., Shih, H.-A., & Chiang, Y.-H. (2015). Team diversity and team helping behaviour: The mediating roles of team cooperation and team cohesion. European Management Journal, 33(1), 48–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, C.-C., & Peng, T.-K. (2010). From organizational citizenship behaviour to team performance: The mediation of group cohesion and collective efficacy. Management and Organization Review, 6, 55–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Little, L. M., Nelson, D. L., Quade, M. J., & Ward, A. (2011). Stressful demands or helpful guidance? The role of display rules in Indian call centers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 79, 724–733.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lu, C.-J., Shih, Y.-Y., & Chen, Y.-L. (2013). Effects of emotional labor and job satisfaction on organizational citizenship behaviors: A case study on business hotel chains. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 5, 165–176.Google Scholar
Luna-Arocas, R., & Camps, J. (2008). A model of high performance work practices and turnover intentions. Personnel Review, 37, 26–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luthans, F. (2002). Positive organizational behaviour: Developing and managing psychological strengths. Academy of Management Executive, 16, 57–72.Google Scholar
Luthans, F., Avey, J. B., Avolio, B. J., & Peterson, S. J. (2010). The development and resulting performance impact of positive psychological capital. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 21, 41–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luthans, F., Avey, J. B., & Patera, J. L. (2008). Experimental analysis of a web-based training intervention to develop positive psychological capital. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 7, 209–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J., & Norman, S. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60, 541–572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luthans, F., Norman, S. M., Avolio, B. J., & Avey, J. B. (2008). The mediating role of psychological capital in the supportive organizational climate–employee performance relationship. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 29, 219–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mazzetti, G., Guglielmi, D., Chiesa, R., & Mariani, M. G. (2016). Happy employees in a resourceful workplace: Just a direct relationship? A study on the mediational role of psychological capital. Career Development International, 21, 682–696.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nahapiet, J., & Ghoshal, S. (1998). Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23, 242–268.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naseer, S., Raja, U., Syed, F., Donia, M. B. L., & Darr, W. (2016). Perils of being close to a bad leader in a bad environment: Exploring the combined effects of despotic leadership, leader member exchange, and perceived organizational politics on behaviours. The Leadership Quarterly, 27, 14–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newman, A., Ucbasaran, D., Zhu, F., & Hirst, G. (2014). Psychological capital: A review and synthesis. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 35, S120–S138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2012). Employee voice behaviour: A meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources framework. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 33, 216–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ng, K. Y., & Van Dyne, L. (2005). Antecedents and performance consequences of helping behavior in work groups: A multilevel analysis. Group & Organization Management, 30(5), 514–540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Organ, D. W. (1988). Organizational citizenship behaviour: The good soldier syndrome. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Payne, G. T., Moore, C. B., Griffis, S. E., & Autry, C. W. (2011). Multilevel challenges and opportunities in social capital research. Journal of Management, 37, 491–520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peng, A. C., & Zeng, W. (2017). Workplace ostracism and deviant and helping behaviours: The moderating role of 360 degree feedback. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 38, 833–855.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Podsakoff, P. M., Ahearne, M., & MacKenzie, S. B. (1997). Organizational citizenship behaviour and the quantity and quality of work group performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(2), 262–270.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Podsakoff, N. P., Whiting, S. W., Podsakoff, P. M., & Blume, B. D. (2009). Individual-and organizational-level consequences of organizational citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94, 122–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pooja, A. A., De Clercq, D., & Belausteguigoitia, I. (2016). Job stressors and organizational citizenship behaviour: The roles of organizational commitment and social interaction. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 27, 373–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quinn, R. W., Spreitzer, G. M., & Lam, C. F. (2012). Building a sustainable model of human energy in organizations: Exploring the critical role of resources. Academy of Management Annals, 6, 337–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raja, U., & Johns, G. (2010). The joint effects of personality and job scope on in-role performance, citizenship behaviours, and creativity. Human Relations, 63, 985–1007.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rayton, B. A., & Yalabik, Z. Y. (2014). Work engagement, psychological contract breach and job satisfaction. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25, 2382–2400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rehman, S. U., Qingren, C., Latif, Y., & Iqbal, P. (2017). Impact of psychological capital on occupational burnout and performance of faculty members. International Journal of Educational Management, 31, 455–469.Google Scholar
Rispens, S. (2009). Do fights prohibit helping? The influence of task interdependence and conflict norms on helping behavior during task conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 20, 158–172.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, S. J., Scherer, L. L., & Bowyer, C. J. (2011). Job stress and incivility: What role does psychological capital play? Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 18, 449–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P. (1998). Learned optimism. New York: Pocket Books.Google Scholar
Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13, 249–275.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spector, P. E. (2006). Method variance in organizational research: Truth or urban legend? Organizational Research Methods, 9, 221–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sun, L.-Y., & Pan, W. (2008). HR practices perceptions, emotional exhaustion, and work outcomes: A conservation-of-resources theory in the Chinese context. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 19, 55–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tang, T. L.-P., Sutarso, T., Wu Davis, G. M.-T., Dolinski, D., Ibrahim, A. H. S., & Wagner, S. L. (2008). To help or not to help? The Good Samaritan effect and the love of money on helping behaviour. Journal of Business Ethics, 82, 865–887.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C., & Gelfand, M. J. (1998). Converging measurement of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 118–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VandeWalle, D., Brown, S. P., Cron, W. L., & Slocum, J. W. (1999). The influence of goal orientation and self-regulation tactics on sales performance: A longitudinal field test. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 249–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van Gelderen, B. R., Konijn, E. A., & Bakker, A. B. (2017). Emotional labor among police officers: A diary study relating strain, emotional labor, and service performance. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28, 852–879.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wayne, S. J., Shore, L. M., & Liden, R. C. (1997). Perceived organizational support and leader-member exchange: A social exchange perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 40, 82–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wei, Y.-C. (2012). Person-organization fit and organizational citizenship behavior: Time perspective. Journal of Management & Organization, 18, 833–844.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, L. J., & Anderson, S. E. (1991). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship and in-role behaviours. Journal of Management, 17, 601–617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhu, Y., & Akhtar, S. (2014). How transformational leadership influences follower helping behaviour: The role of trust and prosocial motivation. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 35(3), 373–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar