AI Insight
This longitudinal study examined the conditions under which employees sustain interpersonal helping behavior in the workplace over time, using a two-phase mediated-moderation model grounded in social exchange theory. Results from 620 paired employee responses showed that helping behavior in Phase-1 significantly predicted helping behavior in Phase-2, indicating temporal persistence. Perceived team-member exchange strengthened this continuity, and perceived coworker support both independently reinforced continuity and fully mediated the moderating effect of team-member exchange on the relationship between the two phases of helping behavior.
Why it matters
Understanding what sustains prosocial workplace behavior can help organizations design better team structures and interpersonal environments that encourage lasting cooperative conduct. Managers can use these findings to foster coworker relationships that reinforce positive behavioral cycles among employees.
To explore the conditions for the continuity of employees’ interpersonal helping behavior, this paper constructs a dynamic mediated-moderating model of the two phases of organizational citizenship helping behavior, perceived team-member exchange, and perceived coworker support based on social exchange theory. This paper conducts longitudinal research on corporate employees and finally obtains 620 paired data for the two phases. Empirical analyses show that organizational citizenship helping behavior in Phase-1 is significantly and positively associated with organizational citizenship helping behavior in Phase-2, which suggests that organizational citizenship helping behavior tends to be persistent at the time level; perceived team-member exchange is related to stronger helping behavior continuity; and perceived coworker support is associated with stronger helping behavior continuity and fully accounts for the moderating role of perceived team-member exchange in the association between the two-phased helping behavior. This study helps advance the exploration of coworker relationship in organizations, sheds light on how employees internalize perceived interpersonal relationship into an integrated adjustment mechanism, and provides theoretical insights and practical guidelines for corporate managers on how to optimize coworker relationship and employee behavior.