Collaboration, empathy, and prosociality among professors

un análisis en el contexto de la UEMG Campanha

Abstract

This article analyzes the relationship between empathy, prosocial behavior, and collaboration among professors on a public university campus in the countryside of Minas Gerais, Brazil, seeking to grasp how these subjective dimensions support collective practices in institutional contexts marked by structural constraints. Using a theoretical-empirical approach, this study deals with contemporary literature on empathy, reciprocity, and organizational environment, interconnecting it to the reality of a small campus with strong regional insertion. Methodologically, a mixed-methods research strategy has been adopted, combining a structured questionnaire with Likert-type scales and open-ended questions, applied to 15 out of the 17 eligible professors on the campus (response rate of 88.2%), whose data were examined by using descriptive statistics and categorical content analysis. The results highlight the presence of a robust collaborative culture, anchored primarily in interpersonal bonds, affinities, and shared values, while also revealing persistent barriers such as work overload, lack of time, and insufficient institutionalization of mutual support practices. It is concluded that empathy, in its affective and cognitive dimensions, works as a resilience factor and compensatory mechanism in face of organizational weaknesses, contributing to the maintenance of faculty engagement and the quality of academic activities. This study provides means for the design of institutional policies aimed at strengthening cooperation among peers, appreciating socio-emotional skills, and building healthier, more inclusive university environments that are consistent with the public mission of Higher Education