Autonomy and citizenship behavior: a moderated mediation model

Abstract

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating role of perceived organizational support (POS) in the relationships between job autonomy and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and the moderating role of organizational strategy in those relationships.Design/methodology/approach– The hypotheses were tested by a moderated mediation model using multilevel survey data that were collected in South Korea in 2008.Findings– This study found that POS mediated the relationship between autonomy and OCB regardless of organizational strategy, and that job autonomy was more strongly related to POS in companies with an analyzer strategy than with a defender strategy. The results also indicated that the indirect relationship between job autonomy and OCB via POS was stronger in companies with an analyzer strategy than in companies with a defender strategy.Research limitations/implications– This study provides a new mechanism in the relationship between job autonomy and OCB using social exchange theory. An analyzer strategy should not be treated as a hybrid of defender and prospector strategies.Practical implications– While all organizations may benefit from providing employees with job autonomy regardless of organizational strategy, companies with an analyzer strategy in particular should provide their employees with sufficient autonomy.Originality/value– The present study bridged the gap between the macro and micro approaches through multilevel analyses. This study is unique in that it examined the vertical fit between job autonomy and organizational strategy while focussing on individual employee outcomes.