Do fights prohibit helping? The influence of task interdependence and conflict norms on helping behavior during task conflict

摘要

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of group conflict norms and taskrninterdependence on individuals' willingness to help others under conditions of task conflict to betterrnunderstand how group characteristics influence individual helping behavior.rnDesign/methodology/approach - A total of 81 university students participate in a scenario study.rnThe scenario has a 2 (task interdependence: high vs low) × 2 (group conflict norm: open vs avoiding)rndesign.rnFindings - The results suggest that in groups characterized with open conflict norms and high-taskrninterdependence members are less willing to help than members in groups with avoiding conflictrnnorms and high-task interdependence.rnResearch limitations/implications - This research implies that helping behavior in high-taskrninterdependent workgroups is highest when groups have an avoiding conflict norm. Limitationsrninclude amongst others discussing the explicit request for help coming from the group used in thisrnstudy and the external validity of scenario studies.rnPractical implications - The findings suggest that managers or supervisors can help to providerncircumstances in which task conflict does not prohibit helping behavior.rnOriginality/value - The paper offers a first step to experimentally investigate how individuals reactrnto intragroup task conflict and the consequence for constructive behavior.