The role of moral elevation in the workplace

Justin Anthony, Spray (2024) The role of moral elevation in the workplace. Doctoral thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.

Abstract

This thesis aims to examine the measurement and application of moral elevation, one of the other praising emotions, in the workplace. It argues that while relatively little research has been conducted involving moral elevation in the workplace, it offers the potential to contribute to addressing issues relating to prosocial behaviour and wellbeing at work. To address the aims of this thesis, two studies were conducted. The first study was a systematic literature review (n = 6) which examined the application and measurement of moral elevation. Despite the limited research, these studies suggest that moral elevation may be elicited in work contexts and could be associated with prosocial behaviour and wellbeing. However, conceptual and methodological challenges undermine the validity of the findings, and the review recommends more rigorous future research to address these limitations. The second study was empirical research which built on the learnings of the systematic literature review. The study investigated the impact of sustained exposure to videos depicting acts of kindness on prosocial intentions, the specific prosocial behaviour of knowledge sharing at work, and general wellbeing. In an experiment involving 227 participants, individuals were repeatedly exposed to either (a) videos showcasing exceptional acts of kindness or (b) nature video stimuli over an 11-day period. The findings, at odds with the systematic literature review studies, indicated that extended exposure to videos depicting acts of kindness does not directly affect participants' prosocial intentions, prosocial behaviour, or general wellbeing. However, it was found that videos portraying acts of human kindness could indirectly enhance prosocial intentions, with this effect mediated through the experience of moral elevation. Synthesizing the findings from both the systematic literature review and empirical study, we cannot definitively conclude the existence of relationships between moral elevation, prosocial intentions, prosocial behaviour, and wellbeing. However, the evidence underscores the importance of paying attention to the details and specifics of the context in which elevating experiences are occurring, as well as maintaining clear definitions of concepts.

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