Awe in the workplace promotes prosocial behavior.

In the existing literature on awe, many research findings indicate the positive impact of awe on prosocial behavior. However, very few studies have examined awe in organizational contexts, and researchers have neglected to investigate the effect of awe induced by workplace elicitors. In a between-subject experimental study (N = 264), we introduced awe elicited by work factors, and examined its effect on prosocial intention and behavior (as compared with the neutral emotion condition and pleasantness condition). The results showed significant differences between prosocial intention and prosocial behavior in the three conditions. Importantly, awe evoked by workplace elicitors has a significant positive effect on prosocial behavior, and prosocial intention mediates this relationship. This study is among the first to examine the impact of awe induced by workplace elicitors, the results of which suggest that managers should consider creating workplaces that inspire awe.