From Help to Helpful Help: A Social Network Examination of Antecedents and Outcomes of Helpfulness

Utilizing a multilevel social network design, the current study demonstrates the importance of helpfulness, an understudied aspect of helping behavior, in predicting key individual outcomes (i.e., task performance, job satisfaction) and team outcomes (i.e., team satisfaction). Using a sample comprised of 416 nurses and 42 supervisors from a large hospital in Beijing, China, we distinguish between helping behavior frequency and helping behavior quality (i.e., helpfulness) and reveal that the latter is a stronger predictor than the former of all focal outcomes, at both the individual and the team level. In addition, we identify servant leadership as a crucial predictor of employee and team helpfulness. We discuss theoretical and practical implications associated with our findings and provide avenues for future research.