The management of professional employees: linking progressive HRM practices,cognitive orientations and organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract

The present research examines the relationships between progressive HRM practices and the organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) of professional employees. Drawing on recent HRM literature, our research model includes a perceived organizational support (POS)-commitment mediation hypothesis. Taking into account previous studies on professional employees, a job satisfaction-commitment pathway is also integrated. We tested both mediational pathways as part of a single structural equation model using a sample of 329 professional employees. Our results show that the relationship between recognition and OCB is mediated by the POS-commitment pathway, while the relationships between fairness of rewards, skills development and OCB are mediated by the job satisfaction-commitment pathway. The specificities of the HRM of professional employees related to their multiple cognitive orientations are discussed.     

Understanding the effects of political influence behaviors on informal performances

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of supervisors’ political influence behaviors on subordinates’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). As a subgoal of the study the effects of those political behaviors on organizational identification (OID) and affective commitment (AC) of subordinates have also been evaluated. Thereby OID and AC are also supposed to be the mediators in the relation between superiors’ political behaviors and subordinate’s OCB. Through convenience sampling method, 265 employees, who are all medical representatives, from 10 companies operating in Turkish pharmaceutical industry have been subjected to survey for this research. The reason of conducting the survey in one sector is to minimize the effects of internal and external environmental factors of different sectors. Data acquired through the questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 program. Through this program, hierarchical regression analyses have been implemented to reveal the independent variables’ effects on the dependent variable through the mediator variables. The main hypothesis of the study indicating the effects of the managers’ political behaviors on the employees’ OCB has been accepted. The sub-hypotheses which predicted the mediator effects of OID and AC in the model are also accepted.     

Human Resource Management and Fortune's Corporate Reputation Survey

This study investigates the relationship between human resource objectives and Fortune's corporate reputation score. Questionnaires were received from 83 human resource executives of companies measured in Fortune's survey. The questionnaire measured the degree to which the following HR objectives underlie HR activities: (1) treating employees fairly, (2) improving organizational performance, and (3) complying with the law. Results show that a significant, positive correlation exists between emphasis placed on the fairness objective and corporate reputation.     

Exploring Organizationally Directed Citizenship Behaviour: Reciprocity or ‘It's my Job’?*

ABSTRACT This study sets out to examine two explanations for why employees engage in organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). The first explanation views OCB as a form of reciprocation where employees engage in OCB to reciprocate fair or good treatment from the organization. The second view is that employees engage in OCB because they define those behaviours as part of their job. The research methodology consisted of survey data from 387 hospital employees on their perceptions of procedural and interactional justice, mutual commitment, job breadth and OCB. The results suggest that procedural and interactional justice are positively associated with mutual commitment that in turn, is related directly to OCB and indirectly through expanding the boundaries of an individual's job. These findings suggest that together the reciprocation thesis and ‘it's my job’ argument complement each other and provide a more complete foundation for our understanding of OCB. The difference between the two perspectives lies in the process by which individuals respond; that is, role enlargement and role maintenance. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

The linkage between profit sharing and organizational citizenship behaviour

The study investigated the effects of profit sharing (cash-based, stock-based and combined-total profit sharing) on organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). It also examined the mediating role of organizational commitment on the relationship between profit sharing and OCB. Data were collected from 426 employees of 35 information electronics companies in Taiwan. Results showed that whereas cash-based profit sharing had no effect on OCB, both combined-total profit sharing and stock-based profit sharing positively influenced OCB. We also found that organizational commitment mediated the relationship between profit sharing (stock-based and combined-total profit sharing) and OCB.     

The impact of employee perceptions of organizational corporate social responsibility practices on job performance and organizational citizenship behavior: evidence from the Chinese private sector

This paper examines the impact of employee perceptions of organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices on their job performance and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Hierarchical regression analysis on two-wave data from 184 supervisor/subordinate dyads from three organizations located in Zhejiang Province, South-East China, revealed that employee perceptions of CSR toward social and non-social stakeholders strongly influenced their OCB. However, employee perceptions of CSR toward employees, customers and government influenced neither their job performance nor OCB.     

The Costs of Exhibiting Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) has been associated with positive organizational outcomes and with higher managerial ratings of employee performance. However, concerns have been raised about the possible personal costs of performing such activities. This paper examines the relationship between OCB and emotional exhaustion and work‐family conflict and explores the moderating role of job performance in shaping those relationships. In a time‐lagged field study of customer‐contact center employees the research found that one particular dimension of OCB—conscientiousness—was associated with higher emotional exhaustion and with work‐family conflict. The study also revealed that conscientious employees who performed their in‐role job responsibilities at a high level experienced greater emotional exhaustion and work‐family conflict than conscientious employees who performed their in‐role job responsibilities at a low level. Our findings suggest that organizational pressures to increase the level at which both discretionary and formal role obligations are performed can carry negative consequences for employees. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Organizational Inducements and Employee Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Role of Perceived Insider Status and the Moderating Role of Collectivism

The organizational inducement model proposed in this study seeks to examine the mediating role of perceived insider status (PIS) and the moderating role of vertical collectivism on the relationship between organizational inducements and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Among a sample of Chinese employees, the authors find that the organizational inducements of perceived supervisor support and participation led to higher levels of PIS, which in turn enhanced OCB. Furthermore, vertical collectivism moderated the relationship between PIS and OCB, such that their relationship grew stronger when collectivism was high. These findings have notable implications for theory and practice. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The roles of OCB and automation in the relationship between job autonomy and organizational performance: a moderated mediation model

This study examines the mediating role of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in the relationship between job autonomy and organizational performance in the manufacturing industry. The study also investigates the moderating role of automation in those relationships. Although it is well known that job autonomy has an intimate relationship with employees’ attitudes at the individual level, no studies have yet elucidated the relationships of job autonomy with OCB and organizational performance at the organizational level. Moreover, no research has investigated the role of automation in an OB discipline, although automation constitutes an important contextual variable. Using a moderated mediation model, this study found that OCB mediated the relationship between job autonomy and performance, and that these relationships were stronger in less automated organizations. The findings offer implications regarding how job autonomy can improve organizational performance and which organizations benefit more from job autonomy.     

Cultural differences in organizational citizenship behavior: a comparison between Chinese and American employees

The present study examined the differences in the perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) between Chinese and American employees. Survey responses concerning the presence of OCB in their organizations were collected from a total of 393 employees. Analyses showed that Chinese and American employees reported similar levels of personal support and conscientious initiative in their organizations, but Chinese employees reported higher levels of organizational support in comparison with American employees. In addition, results indicated that perceptions of personal support, organizational support, and conscientious initiative were a function of job/hierarchical level such that management reported lower levels on all three dimensions of OCB. Finally, the results showed that country and job/hierarchical level do not interact to influence perceptions of organizational citizenship behavior. Implications and directions for future research on cultural differences in organizational citizenship behavior are discussed.     

Citizenship ambivalence: Its nature,causes and consequences

Early research on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) indicated that such actions were beneficial to organizations and employees. In contrast, more recent work has suggested that there are also some negative consequences associated with these behaviors as well. However, research has yet to examine how employees who recognize both positive and negative aspects of OCB navigate this reality. To better understand this phenomenon, we define a new construct, citizenship ambivalence, which occurs when employees feel torn as to whether they should engage in or refrain from engaging in a specific act of OCB. We discuss the likely sources of citizenship ambivalence and employee responses to citizenship ambivalence, focusing particular attention on how citizenship ambivalence relates to the quantity of OCB performed, the quality of OCB performed, and citizenship fatigue. After discussing the causes and consequences of citizenship ambivalence, we conclude with a discussion of the implications for human resource management and directions for future research.     

促进还是阻碍:实践职业召唤对员工组织公民行为的影响机制研究

以往管理研究大多认为职业召唤对组织具有积极作用,但是实际工作中常常可以观察到有的员工实践职业召唤程度高而组织公民行为却低的现象,职业召唤究竟促进还是阻碍组织公民行为有待进一步探究。为了解释这一分歧,本研究基于自我调节理论下的多目标视角和自我决定理论,探索了实践职业召唤对组织公民行为的影响机制,深入分析了二元工作激情在实践职业召唤和员工组织公民行为中所起的中介作用和双向作用,揭示了职业召唤对组织公民行为正负交织的作用路径。基于分阶段收集的280份有效数据的研究结果表明:(1)实践职业召唤对和谐式激情和强迫式激情有显著的正向影响;(2)和谐式激情显著正向影响个人指向和组织指向的组织公民行为,而强迫式激情显著负向影响个人指向的组织公民行为;(3)和谐式激情在实践职业召唤与个人指向、组织指向的组织公民行为的关系中起到中介作用,而强迫式激情只在实践职业召唤与个人指向的组织公民行为之间起到中介作用。本文的研究发现可以为管理者全面认识职业召唤的积极和消极影响并进行合理运用提供启示。     

The impact of socially responsible human resource management on employees' organizational citizenship behaviour: the mediating role of organizational identification

Based on insights from social exchange and social identity theories, this paper examines the influence of three dimensions of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM), namely legal compliance HRM, employee-oriented HRM and general CSR facilitation HRM, on employees' organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Structural equation modelling of dyadic data collected from Chinese employees and their direct supervisors in three phases revealed that whilst organizational identification fully mediated the relationship between employee-oriented HRM and employee OCB, general CSR facilitation HRM had a direct effect on employee OCB. In contrast, legal compliance HRM neither influenced employee OCB directly, nor indirectly through organizational identification. The findings highlight the important but complex role played by SR-HRM in eliciting positive employee work outcomes, and contribute to our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this relationship.     

Employment security and employee organizational citizenship behavior: does an ‘iron rice bowl’ make a difference?

Empirical evidence linking employment security to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is equivocal. Limited research has considered the effect of employment status. Using data from 217 subordinate–supervisor dyads in a large state-owned enterprise in China as basis, our research found significant association between overall perceived employment security and employee OCB. However, this relationship may vary depending on employment status. Further analysis suggested a curvilinear relationship for permanent employees with an ‘iron rice bowl’ (lifetime employment) and a linear relationship for contractual employees without an ‘iron rice bowl’. Our study contributes to a thorough understanding of the relationship between employment security and positive behaviors in terms of OCB by integrating the literature on social exchange, psychological contract, and proactive behavior.     

The roles of tacit knowledge and OCB in the relationship between group‐based pay and firm performance

Researchers have suggested various mechanisms through which group‐based pay may affect firm performance, but few have provided direct empirical field tests of these mechanisms. In this paper, we argue that group‐based pay systems lead to more organisational citizenship behaviours (OCB) and facilitate the sharing and creation of tacit knowledge among core employees. OCB and tacit knowledge in turn enhance firm performance. Regression results show that group‐based pay is positively related to firm performance and that the relationship is partially mediated by core employees' OCB. We discuss implications for compensation theory and research.     

Leader–Member Exchange and Relational Quality in a Singapore Public Sector Organization

An objective of Singapore’s ongoing public sector reform (PS21) requires agencies to focus on getting the best out of its employees. One way of doing this is by creating a positive leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship, enabling supervisors to motivate their subordinates towards the development of organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). This article reports the extent of LMX and relational quality in a public sector agency experiencing PS21 reform and high staff turnover. In addition, we examined the effects of organizational justice perceptions and job satisfaction towards a subordinates’ OCB. A path model was developed to examine the relationships between LMX, organizational justice, job satisfaction, and OCB and tested by applying LMX theory. The path analysis results showed that LMX mediates the relationship between organizational justice perceptions and OCB. The results also showed that one’s job satisfaction led to higher level of OCB. The study findings have implications for theory and practice which have been presented in the discussion section.     

Improving corporate biodiversity management through employee involvement

This paper presents an empirical examination of the role of employee involvement in the internalization of corporate biodiversity management. A qualitative study in natural resource companies was conducted, based on semi‐directive interviews with managers, consultants, and experts in this area. The findings show that employee involvement is essential to improve biodiversity practices in natural resource companies, which largely rely on organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment. The role of tacit knowledge, voluntary initiatives, and prevention of harmful behaviors in the workplace are highlighted. The main obstacles to the internalization of biodiversity issues include their complexity, the lack of corporate commitment, the externalization of initiatives, and the lack of training for employees. The contributions to the literature on corporate environmental management, internalization of new practices, and organizational citizenship behaviors for the environment are explained. Managerial implications and avenues for future research are also provided.     

Work motivation and organizational citizenship behaviors

This study tested the relationship between employees' sources of work motivation and their display of organizational citizenship behaviors. Two hundred thirty‐nine employees from 38 locations of four companies in the agricultural industry completed the Motivation Sources Inventory and were rated by their leaders in organizational citizenship behaviors. Results showed significant positive relationships between individuals' self‐concept internal motivations and organizational citizenship behaviors. Results also showed significant negative relationships between instrumental and self‐concept external motivations and organizational citizenship behaviors. A hierarchical regression with each of the significant covariates accounted for 12% of the total variance in organizational citizenship behavior. These results indicate that employees' sources of motivation offer some explanation of their organizational citizenship behaviors. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Role Breadth: A Meta‐Analytic and Cross‐Cultural Analysis

We provide a meta‐analysis of the empirical literature concerning role breadth, defined as the degree to which employees consider organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) to be an inherent part of their job. Results based on a combined sample size of 9,222 showed: (a) Confucian Asians consider OCB as part of their job to a greater extent than do their Anglo counterparts; (b) affiliative kinds of OCB (e.g., helping, conscientiousness, and courtesy) are more likely to be considered part of one's job than are change‐oriented OCB (e.g., voice, taking charge, and initiative); and (c) OCB‐inclusive role breadth correlates strongly with OCB (r_c = .43). The implications of these findings for human resources practice, such as competency modeling, employee selection and training, organizational rewards, and employee‐employer/supervisor relations, are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

High-performance HR practices and OCB: a cross-level investigation of a causal path

This study investigates the relationships between high-performance human resource (HR) practices and individual outcome variables from a cross-level perspective. It also identifies the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between psychological climate and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Drawing on a sample of 576 employees from 11 manufacturing plants in Taiwan, our results show that psychological climate perceptions are positively and significantly associated with job satisfaction and OCB, and job satisfaction mediates the relationship between psychological climate perceptions and OCB at the individual level. At the plant level, high-performance HR practices have a positive and significant relationship only with job satisfaction. The theoretical and managerial implications and contributions of these findings are discussed.