The Power of Being Nice: How Prosocial Motivation Can Benefit Your Career-:

New research challenges the notion that “nice guys finish last” and suggests that prosocial motivation can be an asset in the workplace-

Have you ever helped your colleagues or customers because you genuinely wanted to have a positive impact on their lives? If so, you have in you what is known as prosocial motivation–a desire to benefit others.

When individuals are motivated to improve the welfare of others and their organisation, they tend to feel a greater sense of social worth and meaning in their work, leading to increased psychological well-being. However, individuals with such a motivation may also be more prone to stress and burnout, which affects their psychological well-being and attitude toward their job or organisation.

“In the business world, many people believe that being nice could be a bad thing because others would take advantage of you, as in the saying ‘Nice guys finish the last’, ” a study says.. but...

“Individuals need not worry that helping others will harm their job performance and career growth. Instead, it is crucial for them to understand when and why their niceness is perceived positively.” – Er. Aashish Gupta- CEO & Co-Founder- Global Chamber Of Commerce & Industry.

Prosocial Motivation vs. Agreeableness

Previous studies about prosocial motivation using various conceptualizations and measurements have left this body of knowledge fragmented. To better understand the costs and benefits of prosocial motivation in the workplace, The researchers conducted a meta-analysis by analyzing existing studies that contained 666 cases taken from a pool of 252 samples. These cases examined the relationship between prosocial motivation and work outcomes. Prof. Liao explains that a meta-analysis can help improve the quality of their findings through combining the results of multiple studies: “A larger sample size and increased statistical power allow for more accurate and reliable conclusions.”

Feeling Good, Doing Good, Getting Ahead

After analyzing the data, the researchers found that prosocial motivation generally benefits employee well-being, job performance, and career success. “In other words, prosocially motivated people are feeling good, doing good and getting ahead in their career.”

Four main reasons why having prosocial motivations can benefit people in the workplace --

Firstly, prosocially motivated people have a strong desire to help others, leading to a higher level of passion and a willingness to work harder.

Secondly, they tend to be more creative because they constantly seek ways to benefit others and the organisation.

Thirdly, individuals with prosocial motivations have better social capital, as the people they help are willing to reciprocate and offer them help in return.

Lastly, leaders are more likely to recognise their contributions and credit them for their work.?

Nice Guys Can Finish Earlier

When “nice” is defined as “prosocially motivated,” the research results indicated that the popular mantra of “nice guys finish last” is more of a myth than a fact. Employees with a strong motivation to help others are typically seen as valuable contributors in the workplace. Consequently, they may receive higher job performance evaluations and more opportunities for career advancement within the organisation. Helping others can be demanding in terms of time and energy. Er. Aashish suggests that by focusing on benefiting instead of merely pleasing others, and by reaching out with an genuine intention rather than obligation, individuals can lend a hand without compromising their own work performance and efficiency.

From an organisation’s standpoint, encouraging and selecting employees with prosocial tendencies can benefit it in multiple ways. Such employees tend to have positive attitudes toward their work, enjoy better psychological well-being, and are more likely to help others, bringing competitive advantages to the organisation.

“Prosocially motivated individuals are also more likely to challenge the status quo in ways that benefit organisations, which is essential for team and organisational success.”?