BEYOND HELPING - DO OTHER-ORIENTED VALUES HAVE BROADER IMPLICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS

On the basis of H. A. Simon (1990), the value of concern for others is proposed to derive from a process whereby individuals accept social i nformation without carefully weighing its personal consequences. This value may thus reflect a sensitivity to social information that is unr elated to helping others. In 3 studies examining individuals' reaction s to performance feedback, the reactions of persons high in concern fo r others were less contingent than those of persons low in concern for others on the personal costs and benefits of accepting and responding to feedback. In contrast, persons low in concern for others were like ly to reject feedback that did not result in valued personal outcomes. Because many models of organizational behavior maintain that individu als act on the basis of their evaluation of personal consequences, thi s value may relate to a wide range of organizational phenomena.