When Values Spur Helping: Islamic Work Ethic, Despotic Leaders, and Gender Effects

What is it about?

This study examines whether employees with a stronger Islamic work ethic are more likely to engage in voluntary helping behaviors toward coworkers, and how this relationship changes under despotic leadership. Grounded in social exchange and attribution perspectives, the authors argue that faith-based work values encourage concern for others and duty to the collective—motivations that can translate into everyday helping at work. Using survey data from employees and their supervisors in Pakistan, the results show that Islamic work values positively relate to helping. Importantly, this link becomes stronger when employees face despotic leaders who exploit followers and treat them harshly: employees high in Islamic work ethic appear motivated to protect colleagues from leadership-induced hardship. The invigorating role of despotic leadership is especially pronounced for women, indicating a meaningful gender difference in how values are activated under strain. Implication: organizations can cultivate collegiality by recognizing and supporting value-driven motives, while also monitoring leader conduct. Even when despotic tendencies surface, teams with strong prosocial values—especially among female employees—may sustain helping, though preventing exploitative leadership remains essential.

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Photo by Oktavia Ningrum on Unsplash

Photo by Oktavia Ningrum on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is unique in showing that a religion-inspired work ethic not only promotes helping but can be triggered by adverse leadership, with gender further shaping the effect. By integrating employees’ values with contextual leadership cues, it explains when and for whom helping is most likely. It is timely for organizations operating in value-rich, high-pressure settings such as Pakistan, where leadership styles and moral norms intersect. The findings highlight a dual agenda: strengthen ethical, prosocial cultures and curb despotic leadership so that value-driven helping complements, rather than compensates for, healthy management practices.