Giving and receiving help are essential aspects of organizational life, whether that’s providing career advice or soliciting a colleague’s input on a tricky technical problem that you just can’t solve. Through help exchange, individuals gain access to ideas, resources, and relationships that help them complete tasks more efficiently and effectively than when working alone.

However, a growing body of research has documented various ways in which people routinely fail to seek or offer help due to systemic misperceptions—namely, discrepancies in what help requesters and requestees believe is expected. Individuals could be reluctant to ask for help because they think they are bothering others, or fear being perceived as needy, entitled, or incompetent. People may also fail to provide assistance because they believe that offering unsolicited help may come off as insulting or presumptuous.

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