Helping Others Most When They Are Not Too Close: Status Distance as a Determinant of Interpersonal Helping in Organizations

Abstract

This paper examines the role of status distance (i.e., the magnitude of status differences between coworkers) in understanding interpersonal helping in organizations. Results from an experiment and a field study show a curvilinear relationship between status distance and helping, with less help provided to those at relatively small and large status distances from oneself, and relatively more help offered to those at moderate status distances. Although prior work on status differences has primarily considered status ordinally (i.e., rank ordering of individuals), or in terms of direction (i.e., whether someone is higher or lower status), the current work takes a more exacting look at status differences, providing insights into the relationship between status and helping that would have been overlooked if relying solely on the traditional ordinal approach to social hierarchy. These findings offer an empirical basis and theoretical motivation to consider status distance as a critical variable in future work examining the effects of status differences on interpersonal dynamics. Importantly, this work also offers a relevant and timely perspective for managers debating the costs and benefits of various hierarchical arrangements in organizations.