Citizenship under pressure: What's a “good soldier” to do?

TLDR

Organizational citizenship behaviors are discretionary actions that enhance organizational functioning, yet they are often informally encouraged and rewarded, creating pressure for employees to act as “good soldiers.” The study investigates how pressure to exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors influences employees’ OCB levels and associated work–family and job outcomes. Citizenship pressure is linked to higher OCB, especially among unmarried and less conscientious workers, but also to role overload, longer hours, work–family and work–leisure conflict, job stress, and higher quit intentions. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract

Abstract Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) are typically defined as discretionary behaviors that contribute to the effective functioning of organizations. Prior research has generally focused on instances in which employees willingly engage in such behaviors; however, because OCBs are often informally encouraged and rewarded, workers may experience pressure to be “good soldiers” within their organizations. Using a sample of 245 employees, our findings indicate that citizenship pressure is related to increased levels of OCB, particularly among unmarried and less conscientious employees. However, there appear to be negative consequences associated with citizenship pressure, even when controlling for OCB and other job demands, such as role overload and hours worked. In particular, citizenship pressure is associated with work–family conflict, work–leisure conflict, job stress, and intentions to quit. Implications of this study and some directions for future research are also discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.