A Review of Prosocial Motivation Research: Focusing on Concept Definition and Application to Organizational Behavior Research

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to direct attention to prosocial motivation, which has been attracting increasing interest recently in organizational behavior research, as well as to examine how it has been applied and developed in organizational behavior research, while summarizing its conceptual development. Prosocial motivation was originally considered from interest in the factors that arouse prosocial behavior. Study has progressed since then, however, and it has developed as part of motivation research as the desire or motive to benefit others’ welfare—particularly in the field of organizational behavior research. From this background, the paper points out that differences in orientation and hierarchy are observed when the concept of prosocial motivation is compared in early research and in recent organizational behavior research, and it summarizes the conceptual differences. Furthermore, in empirical research in the organizational behavior field, prosocial motivation research is generated from interest in topics such as prosocial behavior in organizations and prosocial job design; research on the antecedents of prosocial motivation is also increasing. Finally, the paper discusses future research subjects based on this accumulation of research.