Intergroup Conflict and Group Targets of Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Abstract

Conflict between groups in organizations is an undeniable facet of organizational life. With the growth of team-based organizations, it is important to know the effects of conflict between groups on intergroup relations, especially in terms of behaviours between groups. This study examines the relationship between two types of intergroup conflict (realistic conflict and relative deprivation) and the exhibition of organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) towards the outgroup in the conflict. Realistic conflict and fraternal relative deprivation were framed as threats to members' identification with their group and were hypothesized to decrease willingness to engage in OCB targeted towards the outgroup. A significant interaction effect was found for the two types of conflict, consistent with the hypothesis. However, hypothesized main effects of the two types of conflict were not significant, and the relationship between realistic conflict and OCB was opposite of the predicted direction. These results and possible explanations and implications are discussed.