Prosocial Orientation of an Organisation: The Preliminary Identification of Evaluation Criteria

Abstract

Prosocial orientation of an organisation consists in such organising of an activity, in which universal social values aretaken on as valuation criteria and evaluations of economic activities. In this case, a social dimension of economicactivities constitutes an important aspect of implementation of a strategy and improving competitiveness of anorganisation. Practical solutions including social aspects in an organisation’s activity are not satisfactory enough.Organisations do not have sufficient determinants for developing prosocial orientation facilitating economicrationality. The aim of the article is to present major signs of prosocial activity of an organisation and exemplificationresearch verifying those activities as determining and evaluating factors of a degree of prosocial orientation in anorganisation’s activity. On the basis of a review of the literature from the field of taking socially responsible actionsby an organisation, an author’s classification of prosocial actions has been formulated. Four areas of such actionshave been distinguished i.e.: 1. reliable implementation of qualitative requirements, 2. improvement of activitiesthrough elimination of losses, 3. axiological orientation of managers’ attitudes, 4. subjective treatment ofemployees.The method and results of research verifying presence of indicated activities in functioning of anexemplary organisation with market leadership in its sector have been presented. A high degree of prosocialinvolvement in the examined organisation and the relation between presented types of activities and general state ofprosocial engagement have been stated. “A participation” of the areas selected to examination has been initiallyconfirmed as really examining the prosocial orientation of an organisation. Thus, an initial justification forformulating overall evaluation of prosocial involvement on their basis has been obtained. A dominant role ofsubjective treatment of employees in development of analysed phenomenon and in taking all kinds of sociallyresponsible actions has also been confirmed.