Effect of publicness on government control and organizational citizenship behavior: an empirical study from public organizations in Korea and Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study examines the effect of publicness on government control and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Based on the literature review, we develop hypotheses about how public servants’ cognitions about publicness, government control, and OCBs are interrelated. To test our hypotheses, we collected data using surveys of both Korean and Japanese public subway companies. The findings indicate that the publicness of subway companies affects OCB within an organization, such as altruism, courteous behavior, sportsmanship, conscientious behavior, civic virtue, and preference for public interest. By using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach, this study confirms that publicness influences OCB not only directly but also through government control. Studies on organizational publicness in Asian countries can provide policy implications for government control of public organizations and the promotion of OCB.