Employees’ mood, perceptions of fairness, and organizational citizenship behavior

ABSTRACT

Previous research findings concerning employees’ perceptions of fairness and positive mood as predictors of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) have been equivocal. Explanations for this inconsistency may be related to the varying types of manipulation techniques adopted and samples tested. To address these issues, the present study adopted the mood and fairness manipulation techniques of Bachrach and Jex (2000, Journal of Applied Psychology, 30(3), 641–663) to investigate their effect on OCB amongst a sample of 138 employees from five large service organizations. The findings revealed that employees’ perceptions of fairness affected their likelihood to perform organizational citizenship behaviors. One implication of this finding is that employees’ perceptions of fairness may have a more enduring effect, in comparison to their mood, on increasing their extra role work behaviors. However, a close evaluation of the mood manipulation technique suggests that further research is needed before any firm conclusions can be made on the relative effect of empolyees’ perceived fairness and positive mood on OCB.

Appendices

Appendix A

Fair Scenario

The following scenario depicts a true work situation within an organization. Please read the following description carefully and place yourself in the situation and imagine what this would be like for you.

Please imagine that you are a full-time staff member working in an office of medium size, where three other staff members started at the same time as you. Staff members are typically paid an average of $13.00 an hour for a 40-hr workweek. You have worked in this position at the company for almost 11 months, and, as a result of your performance, the company pays you $14.50 an hour for doing the job. Of all the other people who started working at the same time as you, you are paid the highest hourly wage, due to the system of raises. Your immediate supervisors usually give you the space you need to do your job, and they generally treat you fairly while you are at work. They take into consideration that you have worked there for 11 months, and so let you do a lot of work without direction, keeping out of your way unless you ask for help or run into a problem. You are given opportunities by the head of the office to have input about work policy, pay raises, performance evaluation, and training. Your input about office policy is taken seriously by the office manager. You are evaluated for regular raises every 3-1/2 months, and the amount of each raise is dictated by the performance evaluations you receive from your immediate supervisor as well as the office manager during that period. Your supervisor is very conscientious and honest, and your performance evaluations are a very fair indicator of how well you do your job. During the day, you are entitled to have one 40-min lunch break, and two 15-min breaks. You can take these breaks at any time during your day. You receive full pay for all three of these breaks. If you decide not to take the breaks, you can accumulate extra holiday hours.

Unfair Scenario

The following scenario depicts a true work situation within an organization. Please read the following description carefully and place yourself in the situation and imagine what this would be like for you.

Please imagine that you are a full-time staff member working in an office of medium size. Staff members are typically paid an average of $13.00 an hour for a 40-hr workweek. You have worked in this position at the company for only 11 months, and so the company pays you $11.50 an hour for doing the job. Of the other people who started working at the same time as you, your hourly wage is the lowest. Your immediate supervisors usually don’t give you the space you need to do your job comfortably, and are constantly telling you what to do and not letting you work out anything for yourself, even though you have already been at the position for 11 months. You are not given the same space that some of your co-workers get, even though you work just as hard. In general, your supervisors don’t treat you very professionally or fairly while you are at work, and don’t give you the recognition you deserve. You really do not have a chance to give your input about office policy, because suggestions that you make are never taken seriously by the head of the office or implemented by senior staff members. The suggestions of some other of your co-workers, however, are implemented. Every 4-1/2 months, raises are supposed to be given based on performance evaluations by supervisors during that period. However, based on your work and that of co-workers, it is obvious that there is extreme favoritism going on. Your supervisor does not report honestly how well you do your work and all the energy you put into your job, and so your raises are not in accordance with how you perceive your performance. Some people you work with seem to get raises, however, for doing nothing except run errands for the head of the office. During your 8-hour shift, you are given only one break; it’s a 30-minute break, which you must take at noon. You are not paid for this break.

Appendix B

Instructions for ‘baseline’ OCB: “Use the scale below to rate how likely you are to perform the following behaviors”.

Instructions for the ‘state’ OCB: “Use the scale below to rate how likely you are to perform the following behaviors given this workplace situation”.