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OCB Theory in Chinese Organizations

1) Lian proposes researching the applicability of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), organizational justice, and psychological contract theories to Chinese organizations. 2) The study would survey 200 employees at a cooperating Chinese company using established scales to measure the three theories and examine relationships between them. 3) Special considerations for conducting research in a Chinese cultural context include adapting scales for knowledge workers, examining impacts of culture and gender, and ensuring anonymity to obtain honest responses.

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34. Thanh Nhàn
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69 views7 pages

OCB Theory in Chinese Organizations

1) Lian proposes researching the applicability of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), organizational justice, and psychological contract theories to Chinese organizations. 2) The study would survey 200 employees at a cooperating Chinese company using established scales to measure the three theories and examine relationships between them. 3) Special considerations for conducting research in a Chinese cultural context include adapting scales for knowledge workers, examining impacts of culture and gender, and ensuring anonymity to obtain honest responses.

Uploaded by

34. Thanh Nhàn
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

CASE STUDY

‘Helpful but not required’: A student research proposal

Lian was a student from China. Lian was interested in the applicability of organisational
citizenship behaviour theory to Chinese workers. An abbreviated version of Lian’s research
proposal follows. It has been deliberately modified to allow you to evaluate and improve it by
working through the case study questions.

Title

The applicability of organisational citizenship behaviour theory to a Chinese


organisation.

Background

The early definition of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) viewed this as


discretionary behaviours by employees that were not recognised through the reward system
(Organ 1988; Organ et al. 2006). Partly because such behaviours could subsequently be
recognised through reward, OCB was redefined as ‘performance that supports the social and
psychological environment’ within which work occurs (Organ 1997: 95). It has been adopted by
researchers such as Bolino et al. (2002) to indicate situations where employees work beyond
contractual requirements to support one another, to subordinate individual interests to
organisational ones and to demonstrate organisational commitment. In this way OCBs may
contribute to organisational performance and potentially offer a source of competitive advantage.

Podsakoff et al. (2009) report finding over 650 published articles on OCB, mainly examining
the categories of behaviour that make up OCB (its dimensions), what causes employees to
engage in these behaviours (the determinants or antecedents of OCB) and how OCB is related to
these other variables. An early, influential study to identify its dimensions used interviews with
managers in a manufacturing company to ‘identify instances of helpful, but not absolutely
required job behaviour’ to help to define OCB (Smith et al. 1983). This and other early studies
led to the identification of five categories of OCBs (Organ 1988). These were labelled as
altruism (helping a co-worker with a workplace task); civic virtue (participating in the
organisation); conscientiousness (working beyond the minimum requirements for the job);
courtesy (considering how one’s own behaviour might affect others and acting to facilitate
harmony); and sportsmanship (not complaining even in less than ideal situations) (e.g. Organ
1988). Further research led to new dimensions of OCB being proposed (Organ et al. 2006),
although these five original categories have remained the most commonly tested.

However, continuing to use some of these dimensions of OCB and the measurement scales
associated with them (Organ 1988; Podsakoff et al. 1990) has been questioned for two important
reasons. Firstly, the nature of work has changed since the 1980s and 1990s. Manufacturing and
manual work is now less important in many economies while knowledge work is much more
important. Based on research, Dekas et al. (2013) developed an OCB scale for knowledge
workers that reflects the nature of knowledge-based work, such as working flexibly and taking
personal initiative. This new scale overlaps with some earlier OCB dimensions but replaces or
eliminates outdated items related to willingly obeying rules or regimented working practices.

Secondly, questions have been asked about the transferability of OCB scales to other
cultures. OCB studies may apply only to the cultural context within which they are conducted
(Choi 2009). The applicability of OCB to other cultural settings therefore requires further
research. Hui et al. (2004) examined the relationships between psychological contract constructs
and OCBs in China. They adopted the OCB scale developed by Podsakoff et al. (1990) (see
earlier) and, in part, found that that more research is required to understand how culture affects
the applicability of OCB. Farh et al. (1997) examined the relationships between organisational
justice theory and OCBs in China, using a Chinese OCB scale they developed. They found that
the relationships between organisational justice and OCB were moderated by cultural (attitudes
about either modernity or tradition) and gender factors. Some behaviour of Chinese employees
may be due to socialisation or broader cultural norms and be more personally focused than
organisationally related (Farh et al. 1997; Hui et al. 2004). This raises questions about the
applicability of OCB in China and whether organisational justice and psychology contract
constructs may be determinants or antecedents of OCB. In addition, Hui et al. (2004) point out
that organisational type may affect OCB; for example, they cite research saying that Chinese
employees may prefer working for a foreign-owned company rather than a state-owned
enterprise.
Research question and research objectives

The research question is:

To what extent are organisational citizenship behaviour, organisational justice and psy-
chological contract theories applicable to Chinese organisations and why?

The research objectives are:

1. To identify suitable measurement scales for each theory, to use in the case study Chinese
organisation.

2. To examine the relationship in the case study organisation between findings from the
organisational justice scale and findings from the organisational citizenship behaviour scale.

3. To examine the relationship in the case study organisation between findings from the
psychological contract scale and findings from the organisational citizenship behaviour scale.

4. To examine the relationship between findings in the case study organisation from the
organisational citizenship behaviour scale and findings in other national contexts from
organisational citizenship behaviour research.

5. To draw conclusions from the relationships observed in objectives 2, 3 and 4, to evaluate


the applicability of these concepts in a Chinese organisation.

Method

Research design

This research is designed to test the applicability of these theories in a case study, Chinese
organisation. The research will use a survey strategy incorporating existing scales from peer-
reviewed, high-quality academic journals. The research will be cross-sectional in nature.

Participants

The intended participants in this study work for [company name] in China. Its management
have agreed to grant me access to a representative sample of employees drawn from the different
grades and occupations and between males and females employed within the organisation [email
attached]. I am currently in correspondence with the manager of the human resource department
to finalise a stratified random sample to represent the characteristics of the organisation’s
workforce. It is envisaged that the sample size will be 200 employees.

Techniques

The scales for organisational citizenship behaviour, organisational justice and the
psychological contract will be incorporated into a questionnaire that will also collect data about
respondents’ demographic characteristics. This questionnaire will be administered in Chinese. It
will be checked for accuracy of translation and pilot tested by some of my fellow students.
Amendments will

be made where necessary. It will then be administered in paper form. My data will be
analysed quantitatively using IBM SPSS Statistics. A range of statistical techniques will be used
to analyse these data and the results from these will be used to identify relationships between the
concepts identified in the research objectives and to allow comparison with previously published
research.

Ethical considerations and procedures

I will compose a letter to be sent to members of the sample that informs them about who I am
and the purpose of my research project, and to assure them that their responses to each of the
questionnaire items will be seen and used only by me. Respondents will not be asked for their
name on the questionnaire. The questionnaire will ask for only limited personal data about each
participant [for example, whether they are male or female as previous research has found this to
be a significant factor in the applicability of organisational justice and organisational citizenship
behaviours in a Chinese context (Farh et al. 1997)].

Completed questionnaires will be posted into a sealed container that will be returned to me
to ensure respondent confidentiality and the anonymity of the data that they provide. These
questionnaires will be given an anonymous code and the data they contain entered into a
spreadsheet by me. Once I have input the data and it has been checked carefully to ensure
accuracy the questionnaires will be shredded by me.
Ensuring confidentiality and anonymity should mean that no harm should result from
participating in this research. Part of my covering letter will state that participation is entirely
voluntary and if an intended participant does not wish to take part, they are not under any
obligation to do so. Another matching employee will be sent a copy of my letter and asked if
they would like to receive a copy of my questionnaire. If he or she is willing to complete the
questionnaire, he or she will be informed to post it personally into the sealed container.

Timescale (please see Gantt chart)

Resources

I will be responsible for producing and copying the questionnaire. I will pay for the cost
of posting these to China. I also have access to IBM SPSS Statistics and am competent in the
analytical techniques required to analyse the data and interpret this analysis. The company has
kindly agreed to pay the costs of returning the completed questionnaires to me. Once I have
received these questionnaires I will be responsible for inputting the data into the software to
analyse it. There should not be any other resource requirements in order to be able to undertake
this research project.
References

Bolino, M.C., Turnley, W.H. and Bloodgood, J.M. (2002) ‘Citizenship behaviour and the
creation of social capital in organizations’, Academy of Management Review, Vol. 27, No. 4,
pp. 505–22.

Choi, J.N. (2009) ‘Collective dynamics of citizenship behaviour: What group characteristics
promote group-level helping?’, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 46, No. 8, pp. 1396–420.

Dekas, K.H., Bauer, T.N., Welle, B., Kurkoski, J. and Sullivan, S. (2013) ‘Organizational
citizenship behavior, version 2.0: A review and qualitative investigation of OCBs for knowledge

workers at Google and beyond’, Academy of Management Perspectives, Vol. 27, No. 3, pp. 219–
37.

Farh, J.L., Earley, P.C. and Lin, S.C. (1997) ‘Impetus for action: A cultural analysis of
justice and organizational-citizenship behaviour in Chinese society’, Administrative Science
Quarterly, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 421–44.

Hui, C., Lee, C. and Rousseau, D.M. (2004) ‘Psychological contract and organizational
citizenship behaviour in China: Generalizability and Instrumentality’, Journal of Applied
Psychology, Vol. 89, No. 2, pp. 311–21.

Organ, D.W. (1988) Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: The Good Soldier Syndrome.
Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Organ, D.W. (1997) ‘Organizational citizenship behaviour: It’s construct cleanup time’,
Human Performance, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 85–97.

Organ, D.W., Podsakoff, P.M. and MacKenzie, S.B. (2006) Organizational Citizenship
Behaviour: Its Nature, Antecedents, and Consequences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Podsakoff, P.M., MacKenzie, S.B., Moorman, R.H. and Fetter, R. (1990) ‘Transformational
leader behaviours and their effects on followers’ trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational
citizenship behaviors’, Leadership Quarterly, No. 1, pp. 107–42.
Podsakoff, N.P., Whiting, S. W., Podsakoff, P.M. and Blume, B.D. (2009) ‘Individual and
organizational level consequences of organizational citizenship behaviors: a meta-analysis’,
Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 94, No. 1, pp. 122–41.

Smith, C.A., Organ, D.W., and Near, J.P. (1983) ‘Organizational citizenship behavior: Its
nature and antecedents’, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 68, No. 4, pp. 653–63.

Questions

1) Using the information in the ‘Background’ section of Lian’s proposal, what concerns
may be raised about the proposed ‘Research design’, ‘Title’, ‘Research question and research
objectives’?

2) What further information would be helpful to know in the ‘Participants’ section?

3) Drawing on your responses to questions 2 and 3, how would you re-draft the ‘Title’,
‘Research question and research objectives’ and the ‘Research design’?

Common questions

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The evolution from manufacturing to knowledge work poses challenges because traditional OCB scales focus on tasks and behaviors relevant to structured, rule-based, and manual work environments. As knowledge work emphasizes flexibility and initiative, older OCB dimensions, such as willingly obeying rules, become less applicable. The new scale developed by Dekas et al. (2013) reflects these changes by including behaviors pertinent to knowledge-based work, thus addressing the outdated nature of previous scales .

New OCB scales for knowledge workers are necessary because traditional scales focus on behaviors applicable to rote, rule-based tasks, which do not capture the intrinsic motivations and flexible working styles of knowledge workers. These new scales emphasize personal initiative, adaptive learning, and flexible collaboration, reflecting the less structured, more autonomous nature of knowledge work environments. This evolution addresses the gap where traditional dimensions like adherence to strict rules fall short in capturing modern work behaviors .

Methodological considerations include ensuring cultural relevance of measurement scales, such as adapting or developing new scales that reflect the cultural context of Chinese organizations. The study design should also account for variables such as organizational type (state-owned vs. foreign-owned), as well as gender and cultural attitudes which may impact OCB expression. Ensuring language accuracy in survey instruments and maintaining cultural sensitivity throughout data collection and analysis are also essential .

The findings by Hui et al. (2004) suggest that psychological contract constructs and OCB in China may not be directly generalizable from Western contexts due to cultural differences. These constructs must be adapted to fit Chinese cultural norms and values to accurately reflect employee behaviors. The research implies that psychological contracts in China might emphasize different aspects of work relationships, necessitating culturally tailored scales and interpretations when assessing OCB .

Cultural differences influence the applicability of OCB scales because these scales might not align with cultural norms or values prevalent in non-Western contexts. For example, Farh et al. (1997) found that in China, OCB expression can be moderated by cultural attitudes towards modernity and tradition. Moreover, behaviors considered as OCB in the West may be driven by socialization or cultural norms in China, rather than organizational motivations, implying that cultural contexts deeply influence both the perception and expression of OCB .

In Chinese organizations, cultural factors such as attitudes towards modernity versus tradition can moderate the relationship between organizational justice and OCB. For instance, individuals with a more traditional outlook might perceive justice differently and therefore engage in OCB as a reflection of personal values rather than organizational goals. Gender also plays a role, as societal norms about gender can influence the types of OCB that are considered appropriate or expected, thus affecting the manifest relationship between justice perceptions and OCB engagement .

Organizational type influences OCB applicability by impacting employee attitudes and behaviors towards their work environment and expectations from their employers. In China, working for a foreign-owned company might offer different incentives, hierarchies, and workplace cultures compared to state-owned enterprises, where traditional and bureaucratic methods might prevail. These differences can lead to distinct expressions of OCB, influenced by varying degrees of perceived organizational justice and psychological contract fulfillment .

Gender differences influence the expression and perception of OCB in Chinese organizational settings by modulating role expectations and acceptable behaviors. Societal expectations about gender roles can lead to different types of OCB being valued or performed by men and women, affecting both the content and extent of such behaviors. Understanding these dynamics is essential for accurately capturing gender-specific experiences and interpretations of OCB within a cultural framework .

When conducting OCB research in multinational contexts, ensuring confidentiality is crucial by anonymizing responses and using secure data collection methods. It is also critical to emphasize voluntary participation through clear communication that involvement is optional, without any repercussions for non-participation. Respecting cultural norms and obtaining informed consent in participants' native languages strengthens the ethical foundation of the study by fostering trust and ensuring compliance with global ethical standards .

The psychological contract can significantly influence OCB by shaping employees' expectations and perceptions of their organizational relationship. In different organizational settings such as state-owned versus foreign-owned companies, the psychological contract might differ in terms of loyalty or job security expectations. These differentiated expectations can lead to variations in how employees exhibit OCB, as they align their behaviors with perceived reciprocal obligations unique to each organizational setting .

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