Consequences of Employees’ “Giving Behavior” at Work

Abstract

Emerging research on values suggests that in response to widening opportunities of life, people increasingly place stronger emphasis on emancipative values often exhibited through more agentic and “giving behavior” at and beyond one’s work (Grant, 2012). These feelings and consequent behaviors have an important role in shaping people’s satisfaction with their work, careers and lives. While management research is increasingly responding to the shift with theories addressing proactive behavior, job crafting, and taking charge, these efforts in addressing the topic appear fragmented. This symposium aims to bring together research that specifically addresses giving behavior at work through humanitarian projects, participation in organizational change, leadership behavior and job crafting into one conversation. We aim to advance understanding of (a) why employees choose to engage in giving behavior at work, (b) what effects this behavior has on individual careers, and c) what effects this behavior has for employing organizations. With this symposium we aim to attract attention of Careers, OB and Social Issues in Management scholars to employees’ increasing need for giving behavior at work, and what it means for organizations and management at large.Hardship careers in the UN: What drives humanitarian workers on?Presenter: Michael Dickmann; Cranfield U.Presenter: Jean-Luc Cerdin; ESSEC Business SchoolExploring motivations and behaviors for job-crafting of younger and older employeesPresenter: Sabrine El Baroudi; U. of TorontoExploring individuals’ participation in organizational change through the prism of careerPresenter: Evgenia Lysova; VU U. AmsterdamWhy managers choose to lead?Presenter: Laura Guillen; ESMTPresenter: Konstantin Korotov; ESMTWhat does employees' volunteering offer to organizations?Presenter: Chen Fleisher; VU U. AmsterdamPresenter: Svetlana Khapova; VU U. Amsterdam