The determinants of helping behavior in teams

This paper studies the antecedents of helping behavior in teams by looking at performance based compensation and autonomy. Given that previous literature has mainly examined each determinant separately, I aim at developing a complex perspective that considers their effect simultaneously. Drawing from agency theory, social exchange theory and the theory of cooperation, I predict that piece rates and individual productivity payments decrease cooperation while and empowerment, at both individual and team level, leads to more helping behavior. Using a cross-sectional dataset of European employees, results yield support for the majority of the hypotheses confirming that managers could control their employees through either the compensation system or through autonomy in order to determine them to assist others.