Asking for Help: A Relational Perspective on Help Seeking in the Workplace

Autor/inn/en	van der Rijt, Janine; Van den Bossche, Piet; van de Wiel, Margje W. J.; De Maeyer, Sven; Gijselaers, Wim H.; Segers, Mien S. R.
Titel	Asking for Help: A Relational Perspective on Help Seeking in the Workplace
Quelle	In: Vocations and Learning, 6 (2013) 2, S.259-279 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1874-785X
DOI	10.1007/s12186-012-9095-8
Schlagwörter	Help Seeking; Employees; Interpersonal Relationship; Social Networks; Expertise; Trust (Psychology); Vertical Organization; Employment Level; Work Environment + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Help-seeking behavior; Help-seeking behaviour; Hilfe suchendes Verhalten; Employee; Arbeitnehmer; Beschäftigter; Interpersonal relation; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonelle Beziehung; Zwischenmenschliche Beziehung; Social network; Soziales Netzwerk; Expert appraisal; Beschäftigungsgrad; Arbeitsmilieu
Abstract	In the context of the complexity of today's organizations, help seeking behavior is considered as an important step to problem solving and learning in organizations. Yet, help seeking has received less attention in organizational literature. To increase the potential impact of help seeking on learning, it is essential to understand which mechanisms affect help seeking. The present study questioned whether the characteristics of the relationships that employees have in the workplace are related to help seeking behavior. This study draws on a social network perspective to investigate the employees' relationships within their professional network. In particular, the role of accessibility, awareness of expertise, trust, and hierarchy in help seeking was explored. Results indicated that the perceptions of the help provider's expertise, accessibility and trust were positively associated with the likelihood to seek help, frequency by which help is sought, and perceived quality of the help. Moreover, employees seem more likely to seek help upward from higher status individuals and less likely downward from lower status individuals. Employees perceived the help of higher status individuals as more useful and constructive. These results highlight the importance of investing in the strength of relationships, ensuring the accessibility of expertise and fostering a work environment, in which employees trust and respect each other. Furthermore, the results suggest valuable and promising avenues for future research and practice. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10