What is Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)?
The concept of organizational citizenship behavior was developed in the 1980s. It refers to actions that are discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and carried out at least partially outside prescribed roles (Organ, Podsakoff, & MacKenzie, 2006). OCB is a style of behavior that contributes to the maintenance and development of social relationships in the workplace. In other words, individuals engage in OCB for the good of the organization as a whole rather than just themselves or their job responsibilities.
Who does OCB effect and how does it affect them?
OCB is positively related to both satisfaction and performance, suggesting that employees who engage in more OCB tend to be happier as well as more productive.
How can we explain the relationship between OCB and important organizational outcomes?
One explanation for this connection was developed by Organ (1988, p. 693) Beyond its intended effects on the organization’s performance, their findings also suggested that organizations might benefit from knowing “how to get more of what they already have in the form of performance from their employees.” In other words, OCB may have an effect on job satisfaction and performance that goes beyond the impact of any direct rewards that are received.
Does gender play a role in OCB? If so, how do we explain the difference.
Organizational citizenship behavior has been documented as being more prevalent among men than women, with particularly high levels of citizenship behavior typically found among male employees.
One possible explanation for this phenomenon is status and role theory: Status and role theory suggests that women are more likely to be evaluated based on their social obligations and roles than men (Eagly, Karau, & Makhijani, 1995). As such, women may feel that engaging in OCB is expected of them, and therefore they are less likely to engage in OCB.
Another possible explanation for gender differences in OCB is stereotype threat: Stereotype threat occurs when a person who belongs to a group that is stereotyped as performing poorly at a particular task experiences anxiety or fear that their performance will confirm the stereotype of their group (Merei, 2012).
This anxiety can cause people to underperform on tests or tasks because of the fear that they will confirm a negative stereotype about their group. Due to stereotypes regarding women being more communal than men, females are more likely to experience stereotype threat in work-related situations requiring interpersonal interactions. For example, a female employee may feel anxious about asking for a raise out of the fear that she will confirm her coworkers’ stereotype that women aren’t assertive.
How can we improve OCB?
One way in which companies may be able to encourage employees to engage in more OCB is by providing rewards and recognition specifically for OCB.
Researchers suggest that “providing employees with incentives to perform OCB, such as bonuses for general performance, increases the likelihood of observing OCB at work”.
Another alternative is to increase an employee’s job satisfaction. According to Hackman and Oldham (1974), increasing an employee’s job satisfaction will increase their OCB. Job satisfaction can be increased by giving employees more autonomy over their job tasks, providing them with opportunities to work in teams, and increasing the variety of tasks they engage in throughout the day.
What is a major difference between organizational citizenship behavior and organizational deviance?
Organizational citizenship behavior differs from organizational deviance because OCB is related to job satisfaction and productivity, while organizational deviance relates negatively to both of these outcomes.
OCB & job satisfaction.
OCB has a direct impact on job satisfaction and performance. It can also have an effect on how satisfied employees are in their work environment. If the employee is not performing OCB they may not feel like they can be counted on and may feel that no one values their success. This lack of value may make the employee feel less satisfied with their job.
Organizational citizenship behavior is more likely to be found in male employees. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is status and role theory: Status and Role Theory suggests that women are more likely to be evaluated based on their social obligations and roles than men . As such, women may feel that engaging in OCB is expected of them, and therefore they are less likely to engage in OCB. Another possible explanation for gender differences in OCB is stereotype threat: Stereotype threat occurs when a person who belongs to a group that is stereotyped as performing poorly at a particular task experiences anxiety or fear that their performance will confirm the stereotype of their group.
OCB has been shown to positively affect job satisfaction.
The way in which organizations can improve OCB is by providing rewards and recognition specifically for OCB. Researchers suggest that “providing employees with incentives to perform OCB, such as bonuses for general performance, increases the likelihood of observing OCB at work”. Another alternative is to increase an employee’s job satisfaction. According to Hackman and Oldham (1974), increasing an employee’s job satisfaction will increase their OCB. Job satisfaction can be increased by giving employees more autonomy over their job tasks, providing them with opportunities to work in teams, and increasing the variety of tasks they engage in throughout the day.
OCB & performance.
OCB is also positively related to performance. Increased OCB can lead to increased employee performance, quality of work output, and accuracy. This is because employees feel that they are involved in the group’s processes, which enhances motivation and effort.
What are some gender differences regarding OCB?
There are some gender differences regarding OCB. For example, research shows that women perform OCB more than men.
Researchers suggest this is because society has socialized women to be more communal and caring (Eagly et al., 1995). This research also found that women have a greater tendency to engage in helping behaviors than men. Therefore, it may be more difficult for researchers to detect OCB when examining a mixed-sex workgroup since women are already predisposed to perform OCB.
In terms of the relationship between OCB and job satisfaction, research shows that males are more likely to experience this relationship (Williams & Anderson, 1991). Researchers explain that job satisfaction is related to OCB primarily for men because men typically engage in OCB primarily for instrumental purposes; they feel satisfied when their workgroup functions well under the assumption that the group will reciprocate by helping them. For women, however, job satisfaction is correlated with OCB due to more affective reasons, such as the pleasure they feel when performing OCB. This research suggests that women primarily engage in OCB for affective reasons, rather than instrumental ones.
However, “research has suggested that an overemphasis on gender differences may mask similarities in behaviors between men and women”. For example, although women typically engage in OCB more than men do overall, this research finds that there is little difference between the number of OCBs between genders when examining specific behaviors. For example, both genders show similar levels of informational support and personal assistance.
What are some antecedents of OCB?
In terms of antecedents of OCB, Organ et al. (2006) identify the following characteristics in an employee: inclusiveness, trustworthiness, unselfishness, and respectfulness. Employees who are inclusive possess “a willingness to listen to others’ ideas without discrediting any thoughts and feelings”. Employees who are trustworthy “demonstrate a desire for fair and equitable treatment”. When employees demonstrate unselfishness they “think of the group as a whole rather than just their own individual contribution”. Organ et al. (2006) define respectfulness as “the ability to resist acting on impulses that would undermine the morale and motivation of other individuals”.
What are some consequences of OCB?
There are both positive and negative consequences associated with OCB.
Positive aspects of OCB
There are many positive aspects of performing OCB. First, OCB is positively related to employee satisfaction. When employees perform more OCB, they tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and enjoy working in the organization.
Another positive consequence of OCB is that it may foster greater feelings of trust between employees and their superiors.
In fact, OCB is positively related to perceptions of supervisory support and help received from supervisors.
Negative aspects of OCB
One negative consequence of OCB is that it may be viewed as an indirect attempt to receive rewards or recognition. For example, employees who perform more OCBs are more likely to expect a reward for their good deeds. Although this is not always the case, if supervisors do not recognize and reward employees who engage in OCB, employees may become discouraged and their OCB behaviors will decrease. Another reason why supervisors may not recognize OCB is that they are not always aware of the extent to which their subordinates help them.
