10.1177/1059601104269107 GROUP & ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT Ng, Van Dyne / HELPING BEHAVIOR IN WORK GROUPS Antecedents and Performance Consequences of Helping Behavior in Work Groups A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS K. YEE NG Nanyang Technological University LINN VAN DYNE Michigan State University Our study examines two models of helping behavior in work groups. Our first model is a cross- level model and predicts that group-level cohesion, cooperative norms, and task conflict are related to individual helping behavior (peer-rated). Results support our hypotheses and further demonstrate that of the three group characteristics, cooperative norms have the strongest rela- tionship with individual helping behavior. Our second model is a group-level model and exam- ines the relationships among configural conceptualizations of group-level helping and group performance in conjunctive tasks. Results demonstrate that the least and the most helpful mem- bers in the group influence group performance in interesting ways. We conclude by discussing implications of our findings for practice and future research. Keywords: helping; multilevel; group characteristics; performance Helping other group members, such as sharing resources or assisting those who are behind in their work, is a form of discretionary behavior that has many potential benefits for the immediate work group and the organization (Anderson & Williams, 1996; Borman & Motowidlo, 1993; Organ, 1988; Van Dyne, Cummings, & McLean Parks, 1995). Today, the organizational benefits of helping are further accentuated by the increasingly interdepen- dent nature of jobs and team-based organizational structures (Ilgen & The authors thank David Hofmann for helpful comments on this research. Correspondence con- cerning this article should be addressed to Linn Van Dyne, Michigan State University, Depart- ment of Management, N475 North Business Complex, East Lansing, MI 48824-1122; phone: (517) 432-3512; fax: (517) 432-1111; e-mail: vandyne@msu.edu. Group & Organization Management, Vol. 30 No. 5, October 2005 514-540 DOI: 10.1177/1059601104269107 © 2005 Sage Publications 514