The influence of organizational demography on customer-oriented prosocial behavior: An exploratory investigation

This research examines the relationship between two constructs that so Jar have been studied independently of each other: organizational demography an d prosocial organizational behavior (POB). Drawing on social psychology and organizational behavior literatures, we develop a conceptual framework tha t proposes how these constructs are interrelated The framework suggests two hypotheses. First, diversity variables high in job-relatedness and low in visibility will be positively related to customer-oriented POB. Second, div ersity variables low in job-relatedness and high in visibility will be nega tively related to such POB. In a field study, we conduct a preliminary test of these predictions. Specifically, we we company records and questionnair e data (from a firm in the nonalcoholic beverage industry) to compute assoc iations between demographic diversity and prosocial behavior in 223 work un its. Results provide preliminary support for our hypotheses. Consistent wit h the first prediction, functional background diversity has a significant p ositive association (beta = 0.26, p < 0.01) with the customer-oriented POB of work units, as does company tenure diversity (beta = 0.16, p < 0.05). Co nsistent with the second prediction, gender diversity has a significant neg ative association (beta = -0.13, p < 0.05) with customer-oriented POB; race diversity is also negatively related to POB (beta = -0.11), but at a margi nal significance level. These findings lend credence to our conceptual fram ework and suggest that further study of its components is warranted. (C) 19 99 Elsevier Science Inc.