Theorizing about the deviant citizen: An attributional explanation of the interplay of organizational citizenship and counterproductive work behavior

We present an attribution-based explanation about how helpful organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and harmful counterproductive work behavior (CWB) are positively related under some circumstances. Attributions concerning controllability and locus of causality are important factors. Controllability attributions for OCB-eliciting demands, such as coworker lack of performance, organizational constraints, or supervisor expectations, can lead to CWB. Conversely, controllability and internal attributions for one's own CWB can lead to OCB.