The Effects of Engaging in Rapport-Building Behaviors on Productivity and Discretionary Effort

ABSTRACT

A commonly held belief among business professionals is that rapport-building activities in the workplace can enhance organizational outcomes and employee satisfaction. However, limited research has evaluated the effects of rapport-building behaviors on productivity and discretionary effort. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine the effects of engaging in rapport-building behaviors on productivity and discretionary effort in comparison to a control group in an analogue setting. Participants in the present study consisted of 48 undergraduate students who were assigned to either the rapport-building behaviors group or the control group. Participants completed a check-processing task to evaluate productivity and were asked to complete an optional survey to evaluate discretionary effort. The results indicated that rapport-building behaviors group had higher levels of productivity and engaged in more discretionary effort than the control group.

KEYWORDS:

• Rapport
• discretionary effort
• performance
• familiarity
• relationships

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.