helping

As even Snow White knew, good moods in the workplace are to be encouraged.  It is not news, either to Walt Disney or to organizational psychologists, that positive moods not only feel good, but also improve task performance.  What is not fully understood is why that is so.  Why is it that positive mood generally improves performance?  Tsai, Chen, and Lieu think that it is a combination factors both intrapersonal (motivational) and interpersonal (giving help to and receiving help from co-workers) that provide the key link.

We assume that doing a better job will, in a fair universe (and workplace), result in a higher appraisal from one’s supervisor. What has been less obvious to researchers is whether you can also influence that appraisal by voluntarily helping coworkers with their workplace problems and/or speaking up with innovative suggestions for change.

Steven Whiting and his colleagues have moved passed mere correlation to the world of causation and have concluded that “helping” and “voice” behaviors have an independent, significant impact on the boss’s performance evaluation, above and beyond mere task performance.

So, work hard, be helpful, and speak up (helpfully) if you want a raise.