What are the antecedents of Organization Citizenship Behavior (OCB)? How do personality, demographics, attitudes and contextual factors relate to OCB?Scholars have distinguished such organizationally functional behaviors into two categories - affiliative behaviors and challenging behaviors (Van Dyne et al, 1995). While affiliative behaviors, such as helping and civic virtues are interpersonal, cooperative and noncontroversial, challenging behaviors, such as voice and taking charge, are in contrast change oriented and focus on ideas and issues (Morrison & Phelps, 1999). While the former types of behaviors strengthen the relationships, the latter, being essentially challenging status quo, could hamper relationships through possible conflicts (Van Dyne & LePine, 1998).
It is on this intriguing construct of OCB that I seek to spend time to get a fundamental understanding, in particular, along three broad lines - One, individual personalities and demographic characteristics as predictors of OCBs; Two, individual attitudes as determinants of OCBs; And three, organizational contextual factors influencing the OCBs.
According to Trait theory, an approach to study human personality, individual's personality traits are relatively stable over time, differ across individuals and influence behaviors (Costa and McCrae, 1989). The linkage between personality and OCB seems possible when one looks at Big Five factors (OCEAN acronym) of personality - Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism (Barrick and Mount, 1991). While conceptually it seems logical that those individuals who are more agreeable in personality would demonstrate higher affiliative OCBs and those who are extroverts are more likely to speak up (voice), I am yet to understand the empirically backed studies linking personality and OCBs.
Attitude, defined as evaluation of the entity in question, is found to be related to behaviors. It is shown that people's actions are found to be systematically related to their attitudes when the nature of the attitudinal predictors and behavioral criteria are taken into consideration (Icek Ajzen and Martin Fishbein, 1977). In particular, constructs such organizational commitment, job satisfaction and self-concept seem to be predictors of OCBs. One study demonstrates positive links between psychological ownership for the organization, and employee attitudes and organizational citizenship (Van Dyne and Pierce, 2004). As again I am to come to speed with the literature on this relationship.
Interestingly recent studies have shown that highly committed employees may not necessarily demonstrate high citizenship behaviors (Graham and Van Dyne, 2006; Joireman, Kamdar et al, 2006; Burris et al, 2008). This suggests that looking at the organizational context is also an important dimension in understanding the antecedents of OCBs. For example, it is shown that in more centralized organizations silence will be more pervasive (Morrison and Milliken, 2000). Another study points that fear of being viewed or labeled negatively, and as a consequence, damaging valued relationships have perceived consequences on voice OCB (Milliken et al, 2003). Leader-Member Exchange (another fascinating construct that I came across) is also shown to effect OCBs - particularly helping and voice (Van Dyne, Kamdar et al, 2008).
So for now I have to get beyond the intriguing glimpses of employee discretionary behaviors. Well miles to go before I sleep!
Organ, D. W. “The Motivational Basis of Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Research in Organizational Behavior 12, no. 1 (1990): 43–72.
Burris, E.R., J.R. Detert, and D.S. Chiaburu. “Quitting Before Leaving: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Attachment and Detachment on Voice.” Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 4 (2008): 912.
Van Dyne, L., and J. L Pierce. “Psychological Ownership and Feelings of Possession: Three Field Studies Predicting Employee Attitudes and Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 25, no. 4 (2004): 439–459.
Morrison, E. W, and C. C Phelps. “Taking Charge at Work: Extrarole Efforts to Initiate Workplace Change.” Academy of Management Journal (1999): 403–419.
Van Dyne, L., and J. A LePine. “Helping and Voice Extra-role Behaviors: Evidence of Construct and Predictive Validity.” Academy of Management Journal (1998): 108–119.
Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1989). The NEO-PI/NEO-FFI manual supplement. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Barrick, M. R, and M. K Mount. “The Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job Performance: a Meta-analysis.” Personnel Psychology 44, no. 1 (1991): 1–26.
Ajzen, I., and M. Fishbein. “Attitude-behavior Relations: A Theoretical Analysis and Review of Empirical Research.” Psychological Bulletin; Psychological Bulletin 84, no. 5 (1977): 888.
Van Dyne, L., and J. L Pierce. “Psychological Ownership and Feelings of Possession: Three Field Studies Predicting Employee Attitudes and Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 25, no. 4 (2004): 439–459.
Graham, J. W, and L. Van Dyne. “Gathering Information and Exercising Influence: Two Forms of Civic Virtue Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 18, no. 2 (2006): 89–109.
Joireman, J., D. Kamdar, D. Daniels, and B. Duell. “Good Citizens to the End? It Depends: Empathy and Concern with Future Consequences Moderate the Impact of a Short-term Time Horizon on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors.” Journal of Applied Psychology 91, no. 6 (2006): 1307.
Burris, E.R., J.R. Detert, and D.S. Chiaburu. “Quitting Before Leaving: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Attachment and Detachment on Voice.” Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 4 (2008): 912.
Morrison, E. W, and F. J Milliken. “Organizational Silence: A Barrier to Change and Development in a Pluralistic World.” Academy of Management Review (2000): 706–725.
Morrison, E. W, and F. J Milliken. “Speaking up, Remaining Silent: The Dynamics of Voice and Silence in Organizations.” Journal of Management Studies 40, no. 6 (2003): 1353–1358.
Van Dyne, L., D. Kamdar, and J. Joireman. “In-role Perceptions Buffer the Negative Impact of Low LMX on Helping and Enhance the Positive Impact of High LMX on Voice.” Journal of Applied Psychology; Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 6 (2008): 1195.
Burris, E.R., J.R. Detert, and D.S. Chiaburu. “Quitting Before Leaving: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Attachment and Detachment on Voice.” Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 4 (2008): 912.
Van Dyne, L., and J. L Pierce. “Psychological Ownership and Feelings of Possession: Three Field Studies Predicting Employee Attitudes and Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 25, no. 4 (2004): 439–459.
Morrison, E. W, and C. C Phelps. “Taking Charge at Work: Extrarole Efforts to Initiate Workplace Change.” Academy of Management Journal (1999): 403–419.
Van Dyne, L., and J. A LePine. “Helping and Voice Extra-role Behaviors: Evidence of Construct and Predictive Validity.” Academy of Management Journal (1998): 108–119.
Costa, P. T., Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1989). The NEO-PI/NEO-FFI manual supplement. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Barrick, M. R, and M. K Mount. “The Big Five Personality Dimensions and Job Performance: a Meta-analysis.” Personnel Psychology 44, no. 1 (1991): 1–26.
Ajzen, I., and M. Fishbein. “Attitude-behavior Relations: A Theoretical Analysis and Review of Empirical Research.” Psychological Bulletin; Psychological Bulletin 84, no. 5 (1977): 888.
Van Dyne, L., and J. L Pierce. “Psychological Ownership and Feelings of Possession: Three Field Studies Predicting Employee Attitudes and Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 25, no. 4 (2004): 439–459.
Graham, J. W, and L. Van Dyne. “Gathering Information and Exercising Influence: Two Forms of Civic Virtue Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal 18, no. 2 (2006): 89–109.
Joireman, J., D. Kamdar, D. Daniels, and B. Duell. “Good Citizens to the End? It Depends: Empathy and Concern with Future Consequences Moderate the Impact of a Short-term Time Horizon on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors.” Journal of Applied Psychology 91, no. 6 (2006): 1307.
Burris, E.R., J.R. Detert, and D.S. Chiaburu. “Quitting Before Leaving: The Mediating Effects of Psychological Attachment and Detachment on Voice.” Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 4 (2008): 912.
Morrison, E. W, and F. J Milliken. “Organizational Silence: A Barrier to Change and Development in a Pluralistic World.” Academy of Management Review (2000): 706–725.
Morrison, E. W, and F. J Milliken. “Speaking up, Remaining Silent: The Dynamics of Voice and Silence in Organizations.” Journal of Management Studies 40, no. 6 (2003): 1353–1358.
Van Dyne, L., D. Kamdar, and J. Joireman. “In-role Perceptions Buffer the Negative Impact of Low LMX on Helping and Enhance the Positive Impact of High LMX on Voice.” Journal of Applied Psychology; Journal of Applied Psychology 93, no. 6 (2008): 1195.