Need satisfaction and organizational citizenship behaviour towards the organization. A process-oriented approach

Abstract

Although citizenship behaviours can vary for each individual over the course of months, weeks, or even days, research has predominantly looked at this concept through a static lens. In this paper, we combine a between- and within-person level approach in examining the circumstances under which people engage in organizational citizenship behaviours towards the organization (OCBO). Drawing from conservation of resources theory, we tested how fluctuations in resources, represented by need satisfaction, relate to fluctuations in OCBO at three different levels: between individuals, within individuals, as well as over time. Seventy-three volunteers working in holiday camps filled out a daily diary study for eight consecutive working days, measuring OCBO and need satisfaction (N = 439). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that individuals who were on average higher in need satisfaction performed on average more OCBOs. At the within-person level, higher momentary levels of need satisfaction related to higher levels of OCBO, whereas over time, changes in need satisfaction were positively associated to changes in OCBO. Our focus on the evolvement of OCBOs over individuals and over time gives us a more complete account of not only who engages in OCBO but also under which circumstances, an understanding that comes with important implications both for theory and practice.