Organizational citizenship behavior encompasses the unseen and unrecognized actions of employees within the workplace, extending beyond the routine tasks they perform to fulfill their job responsibilities.
In this blog article, we’ll discuss the details of what organizational citizenship behavior is, its importance, types, key elements, and benefits. As an employee, a manager, or a business owner, you’ll want to sit tight as we take this journey together.
What is organizational citizenship behavior?
Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) refers to the different voluntary and, in most cases, unnoticed and unrewarded actions that members of a company or an organization take that are outside their job descriptions.
They go beyond what they are paid for to partake in activities that ensure that the company’s goals are met.
These actions are not necessarily forced or demanded, but they will contribute to the effective running of the organization.
Activities such as volunteering to do additional tasks, helping coworkers, promoting a healthy work environment, help members show organizational citizenship behavior.
Why is organizational citizenship behavior important?
Beyond what job descriptions alone can provide, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is important because it helps organizations perform better, create stronger cultures, and achieve long-term success.
Collaboration improves and work goes more easily when individuals voluntarily assist others, share expertise, and step in without being asked. Also, productivity naturally increases as a result of this increased effort because activities are completed more quickly without constant oversight or rewards.
Over time, these routine behaviors such as being polite, devoted, and proactive create a healthy work environment where morale and trust flourish.
Hence, businesses that support OCB frequently witness increased staff and customer satisfaction, and improved overall performance, giving them a genuine and long-lasting competitive advantage.
What are the Key Elements of Organizational Citizenship Behavior?
There are key elements that contribute positively to an organization’s culture and effectiveness. Let’s take a look at five of them:
1. Altruism
Altruism refers to the willingness to assist someone sincerely without expecting a reward.
According to Wayne Visser, a sustainability expert,
“Altruism is the ultimate display of true human kindness. It comes without expectations or conditions, without judgment or bias.”
Beyond the formal duties that are expected of employees, a true show of organizational citizenship behavior is in the things they could do without expecting any reward.
When employees show acts of kindness to their coworkers and are willing to help each other and the organization, that’s truly an altruistic effort.
2. Sportsmanship
Sportsmanship speaks of “attitude.” It describes the positive reactions that employees give when they are in unfavorable situations. It is maintaining a positive attitude and behavior in the face of negative situations without complaining or making negative remarks.
Although displaying sportsmanship may not be part of the job description of employees, it does have a great impact on their work environment.
In the words of Lou Holtz, American football coach,
“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
By showing sportsmanship towards their organization, employees can actively participate in achieving the goals of the organization.
3. Courtesy
This is a show of respect to one another within an organization, from executives to members of staff.
Although being courteous may not be part of an employee’s job description, it’s an element of organizational citizenship behavior that makes the experience at the workplace better.
Beyond just words, courtesy is a behavior that everyone should have and show to others as humans, even in a work environment.
Moreover, it goes a long way to show the level of respect and citizenship behavior that exists and expressed in that organization.
4. Civic virtue
Civic virtue refers to employees’ active involvement or participation in the various activities of an organization.
By participating, they can actively contribute to the success and growth of the organization. They can also volunteer for committees or improvement initiatives that have a direct impact on the success of the organization.
As Maya Angelou, an American author and poet, rightly puts it,
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
She’s making emphasis on the need for employees not to always be on the receiving end but also to be contributors to their organizations. When civic virtue influences how employees operate, their organizational goals will be achieved without hitches.
5. Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness involves employees who take it upon themselves to do their jobs beyond what’s expected of them, showing how reliable they are.
Such employees always believe in excellence, whether or not they’ll be recognized. They take the initiative to make things happen, irrespective of their job description.
As Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, points out,
“There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.”
Employees who are conscientious are part of the first category, and this accounts for positive citizenship behavior.
What are the Types of Organizational Citizenship Behavior?
There are different types of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and these types are based on the nature and target of the behavior. Let’s take a look at them:
1. OCB-O (OCB directed towards the organization)
This type of OCB is directed towards making the organization better. It involves different behaviors, like participating in meetings, volunteering for tasks, etc., that employees can show towards the success of their organization.
This sums up the individual efforts or behaviors of employees in actively contributing to achieving company goals.
2. OCB-I (OCB directed towards individuals)
This refers to the different kinds of behavior that employees can show one another that’ll be most beneficial to them.
Activities like helping coworkers complete a task or filling in for an absent employee really show good organizational citizenship behavior.
It also reflects the behavior that’s directed towards another person based on what that individual considers assistance.
3. OCB-A (OCB directed towards the environment)
Most times, it is not stated in an employee’s job description that he or she should keep the environment clean through recycling and so on. However, it’s very important that an employee does that instead of being found causing harm to the environment and to others.
Every behavior that can be directed towards making the work environment safer, cleaner, and healthier for everyone is termed good organizational citizenship behavior. When organizations promote these behaviors, they’ll not only positively influence their immediate work environment but others too.
4. OCB-C (OCB directed towards customers)
Businesses take seriously how their staff relate to their customers. They usually have this mantra of “customers are always right” or “customers first, always.”
This is very true, but beyond the company informing their employees about this mantra, employees who put customers first without being coerced will be most effective with customer relations.
They also act in ways that are most beneficial to their customers. Some of such acts include going the extra mile to meet customer needs, offering excellent customer service, and resolving customer complaints as fast as possible. All these make the customer journey more seamless and memorable.
How does Organizational Citizenship Behavior Benefit Employees and Employers?
Organizations that promote citizenship behavior directed at both internal and external targets have a great deal to gain. Some of the benefits include:
1. Improved employee relationship
An organization that promotes OCB among its employees will invariably improve the working relationship among them. When employees connect among themselves and with management members, there will be ease of communication. This can lead to building trust, which is very important in achieving the best from employees.
2. Increase in job satisfaction
Employees always seek satisfaction in the job they do. They can get satisfaction from their jobs when they feel like they are part of the organization. This is something that organizational citizenship behavior can give to employees.
By participating in meetings, tasks and making an active contribution to the organization, employee input can be seen, and this-on most occasions-brings satisfaction to employees.
Without doubt, the more organizations promote OCB, the better the chances are that employees will gain satisfaction from their jobs.
Read also: Employee participation: A complete guide
3. Improved organizational performance
Organizations with effective employees are usually effective in themselves. It is a cause-and-effect cycle. By promoting OCB, employees will be more open to working together as a team.
And by cooperating together, there will be an increase in productivity, innovation, creativity, efficiency, and effectiveness in the organization.
Read also: High performance management: principles and implementation guide
Conclusion
Organizational citizenship behavior remains one of the active “ingredients” that spices up the work environment. Organizations can achieve so much by making it a part of their mode of operation.
By promoting OCB, employees, managers, and supervisors alike can clearly communicate their ideas, build trust among themselves, and ultimately bring about the peak performance of the organization.