The mediating effects of organizational conflict on the relationships between workplace ostracism with in-role behavior and organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract

Purpose– This study aims to examine the mediating effects of organizational conflict on the relationships between workplace ostracism with in-role behavior and organizational citizenship behaviors. The workplace is a social context where many individuals spend a great amount of their time. Frequently being excluded or ignored is a common experience within all social contexts, and the study emphasizes how those feelings can affect organizational members. The current study extends research, as prior empirical studies have focused mainly on the direct consequences of workplace ostracism.Design/methodology/approach– The study was longitudinally designed, as data were collected using a two-wave self-reported survey. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted to test the study’s hypotheses.Findings– The study found workplace ostracism to be positively related to coworker conflict, supervisor conflict and task conflict. Coworker conflict was found to fully mediate the relationships between workplace ostracism with in-role behavior and organizational citizenship behaviors.Research limitations/implications– As the study was conducted in Korea, the results cannot be generalizable and should be tested in Western cultures. Although the study was longitudinally designed, the first-wave survey measured the independent variable, while the second-wave survey measured the mediating and dependent variables. Also, self-reported surveys are always of concern; thus, multiple sources should be considered to strengthen the research model’s relationships.Practical implications– Organizations and managers need to continuously address the quality of interpersonal relationships among all organizational members. As studies reveal that being “out of the loop” is quite a common phenomenon, individual and organizational performance can be greatly affected, as work is becoming more interdependent and team work is frequently implemented within organizations.Social implications– Individuals interact in numerous social contexts and as the workplace is an important context where many individuals spend a lot of their time and interact with other organizational members, the quality of the relationships at work can have spillover effects that can affect interpersonal relationships outside of the workplace.Originality/value– The study explores and empirically tests the mediating effects of organizational conflict on the relationships between workplace ostracism with in-role behavior and organizational citizenship behaviors. The study extends research on the consequences of workplace ostracism and helps further understand how workplace ostracism can affect workplace attitudes and behaviors.