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OB Module 5

This document discusses organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), which refers to positive individual behaviors in a group setting that contribute to organizational effectiveness. It defines five common types of OCB originally identified by Dennis Organ in 1988: altruism, courtesy, sportsmanship, conscientiousness, and civic virtue. Examples of each type are provided in business contexts. The document suggests that exhibiting these positive behaviors in groups leads to greater productivity and effectiveness at work.

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Sabhaya Chirag
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25 views

OB Module 5

This document discusses organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), which refers to positive individual behaviors in a group setting that contribute to organizational effectiveness. It defines five common types of OCB originally identified by Dennis Organ in 1988: altruism, courtesy, sportsmanship, conscientiousness, and civic virtue. Examples of each type are provided in business contexts. The document suggests that exhibiting these positive behaviors in groups leads to greater productivity and effectiveness at work.

Uploaded by

Sabhaya Chirag
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Organization Behavior Module 5

Organization Citizenship Behavior

What is Organizational Citizenship Behavior?


Organizational citizenship behavior is the technical psychological term for what can be simply defined
as the compilation of individual behaviors in a group setting. Organizational citizenship behavior was
first defined by Dennis Organ in 1988 as "an individual behavior which is not rewarded by a formal
reward system ... but that, when combined with the same behavior in a group, results in
effectiveness." In the business world, organizational citizenship behavior has been linked to work
productivity, employee effectiveness, and other factors which can impact a business in the short or
long term. Common examples of business organizational citizenship behavior occur when employees
are grouped together, which may occur on a regular basis or a part of a special or temporary
assignment. For example, employees in the marketing department will display organizational
citizenship behavior on a regular basis because of they are co-workers in the same department;
employees who are put together for a temporary work assignment will also display organizational
citizenship behavior, albeit on a temporary basis.

Five Common Types of Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Dennis Organ's major 1988 study on organizational citizenship behavior defined the concept into five
common behaviors. Organ's study suggested that, when these common behaviors are exhibited in a
group setting, it will lead to effectiveness. In the context of business, this means that the five most
common organizational citizenship behaviors will lead to more productivity and more effective work.
Although today psychologists recognize dozens of other common positive organizational citizenship
behaviors, the five defined by Organ in 1988 are still considered to be the most significant. The five
most common behaviors, as defined by Dennis Organ, are: altruism, courtesy, sportsmanship,
conscientiousness, and civic virtue.

Altruism
Altruism is defined as the desire to help or otherwise assist another individual, while not expecting a
reward in compensation for that assistance. A common example outside of a business setting would
be someone who drives a neighbor to work when their car has broken down, while not expecting gas
money or favors in compensation. In a business setting, altruistic behavior is generally related to the

Dr. Ankit Gandhi


Organization Behavior Module 5

work or project that the business group is working on. Someone exhibiting altruistic behavior in a
group setting might volunteer to work on certain special projects, voluntarily helping or assisting other
employees with their work or with other tasks, and volunteering to do additional work in order to help
other employees reduce their own work load. Altruism in the workplace leads to productivity and
effectiveness because it encourages good inter-employee relations; it can also reduce the stress load
on other employees, such as those who are overwhelmed without a little bit of help, which will in turn
increase productivity.

Courtesy
Courtesy is defined as behavior which is polite and considerate towards other people. Courtesy
outside of a workplace setting includes behavior such as asking how someone's morning has been or
asking after the welfare of a neighbor's child. In a business context, courtesy is usually exhibited
through behaviors such as inquiring about personal subjects that a coworker has previously brought
up, asking if a coworker is having any trouble with a certain work related project, and informing
coworkers about prior commitments or any other problems that might cause them to reduce their
workload or be absent from work. Courtesy not only encourages positive social interactions between
employees, which improve the work environment, but they can reduce any potential stress that might
occur from employees who do not have the courtesy to inform their coworkers about issues such as
upcoming absences from work—and so on.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is defined as exhibiting no negative behavior when something does not go as


planned--or when something is being perceived as annoying, difficult, frustrating or otherwise
negative. Outside of a business context, sportsmanship is most commonly associated with sports and
games--poor sportsmanship, for example, might occur when a player on a soccer team swears
stomps and argues when their team loses a soccer game. In the context of business, good
sportsmanship is usually related to potential complaints about work or workloads in addition to
negativity surrounding work-related surprises. For example: Imagine an employee who submits their
proposal to their superior may be expecting it to be well-received and accepted—it is rejected,
instead, and the employee displays good sportsmanship by not complaining about the situation to

Dr. Ankit Gandhi


Organization Behavior Module 5

other coworkers or individuals who may report their behavior to others working for the business.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is defined as behavior that suggests a reasonable level of self-control and
discipline, which extends beyond the minimum requirements expected in that situation. In the context
of a business setting, conscientiousness is observed when an employee not only meets their
employer’s requirements—such as coming into work on time and completing assignments on time—
but exceeds them. Exceeding these requirements, and thereby showing conscientiousness, could be
observed—for example—by an employee planning ahead to ensure that they, and their coworkers,
do not become overwhelmed in their work.

Civic Virtue

Civic virtue is defined as behavior which exhibits how well a person represents an organization with
which they are associated, and how well that person supports their organization outside of an official
capacity. For example, how well someone represents their business and how they may support that
business are all examples of someone's civic virtue.

Examples of civic virtue in a business setting include speaking positively about the business to
friends, family and acquaintances; signing up for business events, such as charity walking events or
fundraiser parties; and generally supporting the business by always representing the business to the
best of their ability even when they are not working. Civic virtue encourages a sense of community
within a business setting, which has been shown to be linked to job performance and job satisfaction
in employees. Employees who feel a stronger connection with their place of employment are more
likely to be productive and effective workers, when compared to those who do not share a sense of
community.

Dr. Ankit Gandhi

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