Beyond The Good Soldier: A Structural Equation Model Examining The Relationships Between Procedural Justice, Leadership, Job Satisfaction, And Organizational Commitment On Extra-Role Work Behavior

Author

Emily Neuhoff, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2020

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Komarraju, Meera

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between organizational variables (procedural justice, transformational leadership, job satisfaction, identification with leader, organizational commitment) and prosocial behaviors (Organizational Citizenship Behaviors) as well as harmful behaviors (Counterproductive Work Behaviors). Previous research treats OCB and CWB as two ends of a spectrum, with the assumption that individuals that engage in one kind of behavior refrain from the other. However, the present study aimed to examine intricate relationships between organizational variables to show that individuals can engage in both types of behavior, even in the same day. This is due to the intentionality and direction of targeted behaviors. Specifically, OCBs and CWBs can be targeted at individuals or at the organization as a whole. A structural equation model was used to explain the complex relationships between these variables. Specifically, it was hypothesized that procedural justice is positively related to job satisfaction and organizational commitment, which in turn influence both OCB and CWB. Additionally, transformational leadership was hypothesized to be positively associated with job satisfaction, identification with leader, and organizational commitment. Approximately 300 participants were recruited from two sources (one public health and one online panel) to participate in the online web survey. Findings from the present study indicate that both identification with leader and organizational commitment mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB. Organizational commitment also mediated the relationship between procedural justice and OCB. Finally, similar to the OCB outcomes, identification with leader mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and CWB; however, unlike the outcomes with OCB, organizational commitment did not predict CWB. Results from this study identify key factors such as transformational leadership, identification with the leader and organizational commitment on which organizations could focus in predicting the behaviors they desire and discouraging behaviors that are harmful.