The Importance of OCB

 

Within each work group there are innumerable actions of cooperation, without which the system would collapse (Katz and Kahn, 1966). These daily activities are taken for granted, and only a few of them are included in the formal list of requirements for each function. For example, when an employee points out that his machine has become jammed or goes to help a colleague when he has a problem. Smith et al. (1983) explain that these actions that relate to gestures of good will and altruism are examples of what is known as 'good citizenship'. Thus, it can be said that in order to make the system viable, and to improve organisational functioning, many spontaneous actions of cooperation are required.OCB expresses the spontaneous contribution of employees in the work environment without their demand for direct rewards in return (Organ. 1988; Chattopadhyay, 1999). In a practical sense these behaviours facilitate the performance of the organisation's objectives and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation (Organ, 1988, 1990; George and Bettenhausen, 1990 ; Karambayya, 1990; MacKenzie et al., 1991; MacKenzie, Podsakoff and Fetter, 1993; Podsakoff and MacKenzie, 1994, 1997) and of the work group (Podsakoff et al., 1997), because of their contribution to changes in resources (transformations, innovations and adaptability) (Organ, 1988; Williams and Anderson , 1991; Kidwell, Mossholder, and Bennett, 1997; Chattopadhya, 1999; Carmeli and Freund, 2002).Thus, these behaviours provide the operational flexibility necessary for the organisation and its members to cope more successfully with its objectives and with changes and challenges in conditions of uncertainty (Vigoda, 1999a) and also with other situations of mutual interdependence (Smith et al. 1983) while remaining able to react to a variety of informal expectations regarding the work (Owen, Pappalardo and Sales, 2000). Podsakoff and MacKenzie (1997) described this aspect of OCB's well, saying that they 'lubricate the social machinery of the organisation, reduce friction and/or increase efficiency' (p. 135).

 

 

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