Procedia Economics and Finance 3 ( 2012 ) 381 – 386
2212-6716 © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Selection and peer review under responsibility of Emerging Markets Queries in Finance and Business local organization. doi: 10.1016/S2212-5671(12)00168-2
Emerging Markets Queries in Finance and Business
Organizational Citizenship Behavior
Activity Leverage Optimization in Virtual Enterprise
Alexandra Mihaela Popescu
,*, Daniel Frantz Fistung
b, Teodor Popescu
Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest 010374, Romania
bCentre of Industry and Services Economics of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest 050711, Romania Centre of Industry and Services Economics of the Romanian Academy, Bucharest 050711, Romania
Abstract
Virtual enterprise, concept that knows multiple social, economic, engineer and informatics approaches, is without a doubt, the enterprise of the future. Links analysis between Organizational Citizenship Behavior and virtual enterprise may mark out new action directions in order to optimize its activity. Members of virtual teams are situated, most of the times, at big distance one from another. Working together by computer networking they must have, despite specialized competences in the field approached, a competitive Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).
The importance of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) at virtual enterprise level came, in our opinion, from its specific strokes the absence of a center and of an organization chart, without hierarchy or vertical integration and based on mutual trust of its members. In this article authors try to emphasize a series of interesting aspects that appear in relationships between virtual enterprise members, during a limited period of its existence, relationships interpreted on OCB basis. At the same time, this paper aims to realize, by experiment, the optimization of partner's selection that will form the virtual enterprise, by analyzing their Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).
JEL Classification A19
© 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the Emerging Markets Queries in Finance and Business local organization
Keywords: virtual enterprise; organizational citizenship behaviors; economy; trust culture
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* Corresponding author: Tel.: +4-074-005-5111; fax: +4-021-423-4625. E-mail address:amihaela.popescu@yahoo.com
© 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
1. Introduction
development of the New Economy appears new paradigms which will govern the future economical development. Virtual organization of the industrial enterprises and the economy based on knowledge are definitely elements of the economical development in XXI century. Nowadays, virtual organizations are answers for the exacerbated competition on the market. Between virtual enterprises development and organizational citizenship behavior is a concentrated link.
2. Theoretical aspects
This paper examines the relation between the performance of a virtual enterprise and its members, based on OCB components. Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), concept at the interface between Economics, Psychology and Civic Culture was first defined by Organ, 1988
not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system, and that in the aggregate promotes the effective fu pp. 4. Later, Organ deconstructed the dimension of general compliance and added additional dimensions of OCB. This deconstruction resulted in a five-factor model consisting of altruism, courtesy, conscientiousness, civic virtue and sportsmanship.
As the civism is for the citizens of a country the awareness via a company with a particular culture, OCB is the most desired form of its member's behavior. This concept was subsequently developed in studies/papers written by MacKenzie, S. B., Podsakoff, P. M., and Fetter, R., 1991, Graham, J. W., 1989. Klein, K. J. and Kozlowski, S. W. J., (Eds.), 2000, Podsakoff, P.M., Scott B., MacKenzie, Julie Beth Paine, and Daniel G. Bachrach, 2000 and so on.
As a result of subsequent studies there have been highlighted two more components personal development and endurance.
Regarding virtual enterprise, the first works that refer to this are those written by Handy, 1994 and Bird, 1996. According to them a virtual enterprise
skills or core competencies and resources in order to better respond to business opportunities, and whose Different researchers looked out to redefine the concepts, as well as Raffaini, 2001, did, but in principle all of these definitions indicate some common characteristics summarized as: boundary crossing, complementary core competencies, geographical dispersion, complementary nature of the partners, participant equality, the hierarchy nonexistence, the organizational chart nonexistence, lack of juridical statute, extensive use of information and communications technology, temporary and no creation of a new legal entity.
The two concepts appeared by the need of economic activity effectiveness. Organizational Citizenship Behavior is an important factor for the growth of organizational economic performance. Organizational Citizenship Behavior is vital for the organization due to personal contribution to achieve the desired performance is defining. At the same time, virtual enterprise is a progress organizational culture, because the participants mobilize easily in order to achieve the desired goals, participants values being in line with action, change, development and so on. Virtual enterprise is capable to adapt rapidly to market demand/need and to
minimize the costs and maximize the profit. ken apart, may
contribute to grow of enterprise efficiency. Acting together, we consider that it can be obtained a synergy effect, that should bring new valence to economical activity, thus obtaining, finally a significant economical efficiency growth.
components highlight human capital level within the enterprise.
Possible virtual enterprise members evaluated before the project start, based on Organizational Citizenship Behavior components may bring quality to the team, thus creating performance growth premises of Virtual Enterprise.
Between Virtual Enterprise and its members is a constant biunivocal link, its quality being a determinant factor of the two components evolution. Virtual Enterprise adaptability degree to permanent challenges increases towards civic behavioral features of its members. At the same time, Virtual Enterprise may be a supportive environment for a valuable civic behavior develop, being the ideal place where its members can prove their personal civic competences, competences acquired in the previous period of their entry into the organization. In a Virtual Enterprise made up of people with a good quality of Organizational Citizenship Behavior, are being created the premises for the expression of high-level people professional skills and implicitly, increase the efficiency of the Virtual Enterprise and of the chances to achieve the goal for which was created.
Building a performance virtual team is a major challenge for its leadership. The leader, being an initiator of the project, is the person that has from the start an overview of the project and of its goals. He also chooses Virtual Enterprise team members. Achieving the goal for which the virtual team is created, depends, in great measure, on its psychological features, and by the Organizational Citizenship Behavior that they show into the team. In this context, the authors consider appropriate that the business initiator should achieve an approach, on OCB basis, by the degree in which possible future team members correspond, by psycho-social, with work specific in a virtual team. Choosing team members on these bases, the probability to achieve the proposed goal grows significantly, developing although Virtual Enterprise efficiency grow. The human capital level is decisive for the approach success, in achieving the goal of which a Virtual Enterprise in created. Virtual Enterprise team members are basic e
Further is shown the authors vision over the way in which OCB components act in a Virtual Enterprise. Description order fit in with the degree to which OCB components influence the Virtual Enterprise performances.
In opinion, the main OCB component that must be found in a higher level at virtual team members is civic virtue. In Virtual Enterprise, its specifics, characterized by bringing together into a single team of people from different cultures, with different mentality, that may never know each other but have the same goal, should work together efficiently only if each of them has as main behavioral trait the civic virtue.
Civic virtue is characterized by loyalty and personal initiative in solving all organizational problems is the main feature needed by a Virtual Enterprise member. The nonexistence of a hierarchy and of subordination relationships in a Virtual Enterprise, prescribe the existence of relationships based on mutual trust in virtual teams.
Expression mode of interpersonal relationships between virtual team members may achieve the desired level, only if there is a high level of civic virtue, at each member. Adaptability degree of the members to permanent challenges to which Virtual Enterprise is subjected, grow at the same time with civic behavioral traits. Civic behavioral traits of enterprise members are being determined by biological (age, gender, state of health) and social (standards, values/virtues, educational level and so on) factor. Is interesting to remark that being a part of a virtual enterprise team, may determine by specific relationships between its members, the civic competences development of Virtual Enterprise members. We want to highlight the existence of a direct relationship between civic virtue of the members of Virtual Enterprise and its efficient activity.
than in classic enterprises cooperation will is needed. Only in this way, the main entity to Virtual Enterprise project members can provide all their competence, so the final result should be the expected one. Partner trust highlights p resources. Having special trust one in each other, Virtual Enterprise participants communicate between them without obstacle/hindrance, which determine easy appearance of innovator ideas.
Endurance is the Organizational Citizenship Behavior element that highlights stress resistance. A high level of endurance in needed in a Virtual Enterprise because of the high speed of goals achievement. Work stress positive attitude, without minimizing stress and without considering this an unsolvable problem.
Personal development is a desirable element in any kind of organization and much more among the members of a Virtual Enterprise, mainly because of virtual communication infrastructure rapid pace of development and of high level of professional competence that Virtual Enterprise members should have. Being a voluntary team members action, with relevant involvement over reaction speed at economic field challenge in which Virtual Enterprise proceed, tendency to continuous personal development may be an important element for its efficiency growth. Focusing best competences of Virtual Enterprise members determine a synergistic effect that initiate a quick answer to market demand because of the high degree of flexibility of this kind of enterprise.
Courtesy is characterize by ambition, benevolent attitude and can be define as being a mutual respect between the same group members, following the prevention of general conflict mode generated by the relationships between virtual team members. Courtesy expressed between virtual team members is an important element in increasing the confidence into the team, confidence that is vital into Virtual Enterprise.
Organizational conformism conscientiousness
is an Organizational Citizenship Behavior part, less applicable into Virtual Enterprise. We make this statement on work specifics bases into a Virtual Enterprise, enterprise in which it does not exist subordinate elements, organizational chart, rules, procedures (inner order rulebooks, job description and so on). In a common enterprise organizational conformism define seriously and properly behavior of an employee. This will lead to a good end an in-role behavior (an individual task) and will do more than respect the job description demand. This Organizational Citizenship Behavior feature identifies at the same time the internalization and rules, bylaw and procedures acceptance.
The only element that suites to virtual team members, relates to the fact that each member of the team will lead to a good ending an in-role behavior (an individual task).
Helping behavior generally relates to wanted help voluntary given to mates, when those face a huge volume of work and to attempting the prevention of organizational problems by taking team/fellow work when they are absentee. Highlights the desire to help others in work problems, even
explicit/clearly. In Virtual Enterprise this Organizational Citizenship Behavior element may appear rare, mainly because the high degree of Virtual Enterprise members specialization.
Based on what we gave shown above, we will try by experiment to demonstrate de link between Organizational Citizenship Behavior elements and Virtual Enterprise performances. Our example aims the partner selection optimization that will form the Virtual Enterprise, by its OCB analysis.
3. Case study
6 of the OCB components around the value 4, which indicates that there is more than one decisive factor that influences the decisional processTable1.
Table1. Organizational Citizenship Behavior factors which determine the best candidate selection
Current Number Factor Importance (between 2-6)
1 Civic virtue 5,70
2 Fairness 4,60
3 Endurance 4,53
4 Personal development 4,50
5 Courtesy 4,33
6 Organizational conformism 3,78
7 Helping behavior 3,66
Next, we determined the scores matrix, of the decisional alternatives for a specific criteria set of a specific decisional problem and of the nature of criteria depending on which the desired person selection is made, thus obtaining the scores for the 10 candidates on the basis of the replies made on questionnaires applied. Going through the following steps of Fuzzy Method we finally established using Optimal Technique (Leonid Hurwicz), the best candidate that will be part of the Virtual Enterprise. (Figure1.)
The result of our analysis shows that, due to Optimal Technique, the best candidate that will be part of the Virtual Enterprise is the first one.
4. Conclusions
The Virtual Enterprise Organizational Citizenship Behavior development is different in comparison with other situations appeared in classic enterprise. All starts from elements that define Virtual Enterprise, which makes many Organizational Citizenship Behavior features to reduce their content and meanings, elements that
Figure1. Establishing the optimal candidate as a result of applying the Optimal Technique
5.20 5.40 5.60 5.80 6.00 6.20 6.40 6.60 6.80 7.00
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10
Candidate
Sc
o
Classical Enterprise, have. We consider that Virtual Enterprise personnel selection using as additional criterion OCB (Organizational Citizenship Behavior) components is an important step in Virtual Enterprise activity optimization.
In perspective, we will develop applications by OCB components and in our future researches we will show new relevant aspects of OCB components effects on enterprises efficiency activity.
References
Bird, J., 1996. pp. 62 64.
Graham, J. W., 1989. Organizational citizenship behavior: Construct redefinition, operationalization, and validation. Unpublished working paper, Loyola University of Chicago, Chicago.
Handy, C., 1994, October. A Glimpse of the Invisible Organization, Director, p. 101.
Klein, K. J. and Kozlowski, S. W. J., (Eds.), 2000. Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organizations: Foundations, extensions, and new directions, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology Frontiers Series, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
MacKenzie, S. B., Podsakoff, P. M., and Fetter, R, 1991. Organizational citizenship behavior and objective productivity as determinants of managerial evaluations Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50: 123 150. Organ, D. W., 1988. Organizational Citizenship behavior: The good soldier syndrome. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Podsakoff, Scott B. MacKenzie, Julie Beth Paine, and Daniel G., 2000. Bachrach Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: A Critical Review of the Theoretical and Empirical Literature and Suggestions for Future Research, Journal of Management, Vol. 26, No. 3.
Raffaini, Maurizio, 2001. Virtual Enterprise Legal Framework, in Bidsaver Project (IST 10768), Bruxelles.
Raffaini, Maurizio, 2001. The Virtual Organisation, in Proceedings of the 7 th International Conference on Concurrent Enterprising,
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