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When good citizens do bad things for their organization: examining the link between organizational citizenship
Fubin Xia1, Ping Lu2, Lifang Wang3
1School of Economics and Management, Hanshan Normal University, Chaozhou, China.
Introduction:
Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is generally regarded as a positive form of extra-role behavior that supports organizational effectiveness. However, engaging in OCB also requires self-regulatory effort, which may make employees more prone to unethical pro-organizational behavior. Drawing on the resource model of self-control, this study examines when and why OCB may have this unintended effect.
Methods:
A moderated mediation model was employed to investigate the impact of OCB on unethical pro-organizational behavior. The hypothesized framework was tested using two-wave survey data drawn from 376 employees in Chinese enterprises.
Results:
The results show that OCB has a significant positive effect on unethical pro-organizational behavior. Ego depletion partly explains this relationship, indicating that engaging in OCB consumes employees' self-control resources, which in turn increases the likelihood of unethical pro-organizational behavior. Moreover, this indirect relationship becomes stronger when job insecurity is high.
Discussion:
These findings reveal the paradoxical nature of OCB. Although it is generally regarded as beneficial, it may also entail ethical costs. The study therefore offers a more nuanced understanding of discretionary behavior and its potential ethical risks.
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