Organizational Citizenship and Work Behavior
Prepared By: Shahnam Taheri
March: 2006
Introduction
What are employers looking for employees in today’s job market? A few
years ago, knowledge was the prerequisite to employment in most
companies. Today, companies are seeking a new breed of employees: one
who has the knowledge required to do the job, flexibility and most important
the attitude as a citizen in organization.
“Organizational citizenship behaviours (OCB), are discretionary action that
265). Past two decades have seen increasing research in the broad area of
beneficial non-work activities of employees’ behaviour.
As Stephen P. Robbins and Nancy Langton write: “Successful organizations \
need employees who will go beyond their usual job duties, providing
performance that is beyond normal expectations. In today’s dynamic
workplace, where tasks are increasingly done in teams and where flexibility
is critical, organizations need employees who will engage in “good
citizenship” behaviours, such as making constructive statements about their
work group and the organization, helping others on their team, volunteering
extra job activities, avoiding unnecessary conflicts, helping others on their
team, volunteering for extra job activities, avoiding unnecessary conflicts,
showing care for organizational property, respecting the spirit as well as the
letter of rules and regulation, and gracefully tolerating the occasional work-
related impositions and nuisances. Organizations want and need employees
who will do those things that aren’t in any job description. And evidence
indicates that organizations that have such employees outperform those that
1-Organizational Citizenship and Non-task activities
The employment relationship is two-way. Without question, the
organization has responsibilities to the individual, but also the individual
has a responsibility to the organization.” A relationship is profitable for
either which both parties’, employees and employers, benefits are larger
than costs.” (John Newstorm and Keith Davis, 303)
The most obvious category of individual behaviours in the workplace is
those that support the organization’s objectives. Job description and duties
that support Organizational objectives are known as task performance. These
include both physical and mental activities leading to behaviours.
In organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) the employees are expected
to go beyond their job descriptions. Employees who are organizational
citizen act in organizations in a positive ways such as doing extra jobs,
helping the other colleagues, and creating a good relationship with the
customers and managers cooperatively. OCB refers to behaviours that
extend beyond the employees’ normal job duties such as helping others
where they are working.
2-OCB and Productivity
In OCB employees do more than their assigned task. This is a very
important factor for Productivity improvement and ability of companies to
compete in the markets. “According to a recent Canadian study, managers
don’t just rely on the task performance and organizational citizenship
behaviours to evaluate employees in performance reviews .Some also pay
attention to the employees’ counterproductive work behaviours. (CWBS)
CWBs are voluntary behaviours that potentially harm the organization by
directly affecting its functioning or property or by hurting employees in a
way that will reduce their effectiveness. Scholars have recently identified
five categories of CWBs: abuse of others (e.g. insults and nasty comments)
threats, work avoidance (e.g. tardiness), work sabotage (doing work
incorrectly), and overt acts (thefts). (Steven L.McShane, 40)
In an organizational citizenship environment, employees do more than their
normal duties in other words they “walk extra mile “by engaging in
increase.
3-Influential Factors on OCB
“A complex mosaic of individual, social, and organizational variables
determines organizational behaviours.” (Gregory Moorheed, 87) For
example, personality, attitudes, needs, Leadership style must be consistent
The social context of organization especially organization culture must be
recognizing, encouraging, and rewarding these types of behaviours.”
In addition, organizational citizenship may provide the key link between
satisfaction and performance. Recent research suggests that, when performance
is defined in terms of organizational citizenship behaviours, the correlation
between satisfaction and performance is much stronger. (Gregory Moorheed, 89)
We can mention the following items that could show OCB:
Attendance at workplace above norm
Gives advance notice if unable to come to work
Punctuality
Does not take extra breaks
Takes undeserved breaks
Does not take unnecessary time off work
Great deal of time spent with personal phone conversation. (
Helping co-workers
Protecting the organization
Making constructive suggestions
Developing oneself
Spreading goodwill ( Kumar Rajiv , 6 )
As Melissa Jewett and McNair Scholar mention: “Another link to OCB is social
exchange theory. This theory identifies the conditions under which people feel
obligated to reciprocate when they benefit from some person’s or some entity’s
actions. These actions include any benefits that a company offers to their
employees. Benefits could include child care, professional development, and workout
facilities , counseling, and tuition reimbursement.” (3)
4-Summary and Conclusion
OCB, is a type of work behaviour that in some way beyond the reach
of traditional measures of job performance but hold promise for long-term
organizational success and productivity, innovation and responsiveness to
changing external conditions.
loyalty, participation and involving to perform extra jobs for the success of
the company.
For achieving OCB in organization, we need a culture and conditions under
which employees feel comfortable and beneficial for them Employees’
commitment to their organization and equity in workplace are essential for
OCB.
There are positive relationships between organizational culture, Equity,
participative management and OCB.
WORKS CITED
Books
Gregory Moorhead, Ricky W. Griffin, P.Gregory Irving, and Daniel F. Coleman. “Organizational Behaviour: Managing People and organizations “, Nelson Thomson Learning, 2000.
Steven L.McShane. “Organizational Behaviour “, fifth edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2004.
Stevens P. Robbins and Nancy Langton “Organizational Behaviour “Third edition , Pearson,Printice Hall , Toronto , 2003.
Journals
Melissa Jewett and McNair Scholar, “Human Resource Management Influence on Organizational Citizenship Behaviors “, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee
Kumar Rajiv, “Organizational Citizenship Performance in
