Questions: Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Question 1

An employee voluntarily mentors a new hire, stays late to help a struggling colleague, and attends optional company meetings. These behaviors are best categorized as...

• A. In-role behaviors because they contribute to organizational goals
• B. Organizational citizenship behaviors because they are discretionary and go beyond formal job requirements
• C. Counterproductive work behaviors because they take time away from assigned tasks
• D. Political behaviors intended to impress management

Answer: (B)

These are classic OCBs — voluntary, not explicitly required by the formal job description, and beneficial to the organization. Mentoring a new hire (altruism), staying late to help (altruism), and attending optional meetings (civic virtue) go beyond what the employee is contractually obligated to do. The key defining feature of OCBs is their discretionary nature — they are not enforceable through the reward system and their omission is not punishable.

Question 2

OCBs always benefit the employee who performs them because they lead to higher performance ratings and promotions.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

While some research shows that supervisors do factor OCBs into performance evaluations (even when they should not), OCBs can also have costs for the performer. Employees who engage in extensive OCBs may experience role overload, work-family conflict, and emotional exhaustion — a phenomenon called 'citizenship fatigue.' Additionally, OCBs are sometimes performed under social pressure rather than genuine willingness (compulsory citizenship behavior), which undermines the voluntary aspect that defines them and increases stress. The relationship between OCBs and personal outcomes is more complex than purely beneficial.

Question 3

How do OCBs contribute to organizational effectiveness even though they are not part of formal job descriptions?

Model answer: OCBs contribute by filling the gaps that formal systems cannot cover: helping new employees learn the ropes, facilitating coordination between units, maintaining a positive social atmosphere, volunteering for extra assignments, and representing the organization positively. No formal role description can anticipate every contingency, and OCBs provide the flexible, voluntary cooperation that keeps organizations functioning beyond the minimum specified by formal rules and compensation systems.

Organ argued that OCBs are the 'grease' of the organizational machine. Organizations are not perfectly designed systems — they rely on employees' willingness to cooperate in ways that cannot be prescribed. Research at the unit level shows that aggregate OCB levels predict unit-level performance, customer satisfaction, and efficiency — supporting the claim that these behaviors have tangible organizational consequences beyond the individual level.