Discretionary Behavior Research Articles

Impact of boredom on perceived inequity and discretionary behaviors: a latent growth curve approach

PurposeThis study seeks to examine the effect of work-related boredom and a perceived lack of external stimulation on benevolent and entitled employees' perceived inequity and discretionary workplace behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA total of 668 useable three-wave panel data were obtained via Amazon Mechanical Turk during a three-month period. The hypothesized model was tested using a latent growth curve modeling via EQS 6.4 for Windows.FindingsThis study finds the following results. First, benevolent employees who experience higher initial work-related boredom report positive inequity. Second, entitled employees who experience higher initial work-related boredom and a perceived lack of external stimulation report negative inequity. Third, increases in work-related boredom and a perceived lack of external stimulation result in a faster increase in entitled employees' perceived negative inequity. Fourth, entitled employees who perceive higher negative inequity at the initial measurement period report higher interpersonal deviance. Finally, increases in entitled employees' perceived negative inequity result in a faster increase in interpersonal deviance.Originality/valueThis study highlights how employees may assess their effort and rewards when experiencing boredom. This study also offers some practical recommendations that help human resource managers manage boredom in the organization effectively.

Extra-role service under pressure in the hospitality industry: The role of mindfulness

Extra-role service is currently the keystone that supports hotels' ability to compete. At the same time, extra-role service depends on the discretionary behavior of some employees who perform their duties in a context of stress. Our study investigates the effect of a stressor such as performance pressure on extra-role service, using employee engagement as a mediator and mindfulness level as a moderating variable. Through structural equation modeling, we analyze data from 300 frontline hospitality employees. The results show a negative effect of increases in performance pressure on employees extra-role service behavior through their engagement. We therefore suggest that performance pressure can turn into a threatening stressor in hospitality work environment. We also confirm that the employee's mindfulness level moderates this relationship, compensating for nearly the entire negative effect of this specific stressor on employee engagement. Managers will find key insights that help them to stimulate high-quality service in hospitality organizations.

Consequences of Change Championing (A)symmetry on Group- and Individual-Level Change Outcomes

The degree to which employees champion the change (i.e., discretionary behaviors used to promote change to others) is an important component of managing organizational change. The broader group context in which championing occurs has been largely absent from extant research on change championing. In this study, we adopt a multilevel perspective of change championing. 267 employees from 69 work groups undergoing an organizational change were surveyed at two points in time. We find that group championing asymmetry (i.e., the degree to which group members differ in their championing) reduces the positive effects of the average level of group championing on implementation effectiveness. We also shed light on the individual-level processes that underlie group championing dynamics. We find that individual championing asymmetry (i.e., the extent to which an individual differs in championing from the group’s championing level) influences an individual’s cognitive appraisal of (but not emotional responses to) change and later championing. This study contributes to the change championing literature by offering a multilevel perspective on championing dynamics between individuals and groups.

Tightness-Looseness and Perceived HR Strength Research: Results from a Meta-Analysis

Perceived HR strength—referring to employees’ understanding of HR within their organization—has been shown to mediate the relationship between bundles of HR practices and employee outcomes. However, we lack knowledge as to whether this mediating effect differs across cultures. In this paper, we examine the influence of the cultural dimension of tightness-looseness, which focuses on the strength of social norms and the degree of sanctioning across cultures, on the mediation effect of perceived HR strength for employee well-being and their discretionary behaviors. Results of a meta-analysis from 47 studies (comprising 70 samples and 31,229 unique participants) in 22 countries show that the mediating effect of perceived HR strength is stronger in tight cultures, even after controlling for the national cultural values of power distance, in-group collectivism and performance orientation. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

To Express or to Suppress? The Affective and Behavioral Consequences of Loneliness at Work

Workplace loneliness is deleterious and on the rise, and as a phenomenon has recently captured the attention of organizational scholars and managers due to its potential effects not just on the lonely, but those around them. Yet despite its likely pervasiveness, there is still much to be understood of how those who experience loneliness feel and behave at work. To advance our understanding of how workplace loneliness manifests itself, we draw on the evolutionary theory of loneliness and the literature on emotion regulation to develop a model of how employees manage their emotions when they feel lonely. We examine how expressing positive emotions and suppressing negative emotions in response to workplace loneliness yields negative consequences for discretionary behaviors at work. We also suggest that a climate of authenticity—a work environment where employees feel they can display emotions authentically to others—may attenuate the maladaptive effects of workplace loneliness. Four complementary studies—an archival field study (Study 1A), a critical incident experiment (Study 1B), a vignette-based experiment (Study 2A), and an experience sampling field study (Study 2B)—largely support our model, highlighting the affective and behavioral responses employees have to feeling lonely at work.

Steadying the Ship after Rocking the Boat: the Effects of Voice Staging on Supervisor Hostility

Despite its prosocial nature and organizational benefits, voice may still challenge and threaten supervisors. Specifically, voice can destabilize the social hierarchy at work, motivating supervisors to reassert themselves to regain control. This research examines when and how voice, employees’ discretionary behavior to speak up with improvement-oriented communication, results in negative social consequences for voicers. Invoking theories on status motivation and status characteristics, we argue that subordinates who stage their voice in a way that threatens supervisor status in the organization become targets of supervisor hostility. We propose that public voice has an indirect effect on supervisor hostility targeted at the voicer through supervisor status threat, and that voicer’s lack of preparation is a cue for low status that strengthens these indirect effects. In two samples that employ a critical incident technique (Study 1) and experiential sampling methodology (Study 2), we found support for our model. Our findings highlight the role of supervisor’s relative status and voice staging to explain supervisors’ reactions to voice, shedding greater light on supervisor hostility as a means to “steady the ship” after voicers “rock the boat.”

Informal social accountability mechanisms for water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in childcare centres in Nairobi City County's informal settlements

Social accountability for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is a critical component to realising child rights to WASH services by the urban poor, more so in childcare centres. Despite the existence of discrete social accountability mechanisms (SAMs) in informal settlements, informal SAMs rarely form part of strategic approaches to addressing social accountability challenges in access to WASH services in childcare centres. The main objective of the study was to explore informal social accountability mechanisms for WASH in childcare centres in Korogocho and Viwandani informal settlements in Nairobi City County, Kenya. This qualitative study was an ethnography, where we administered governance diaries to 24 participants (parents and childcare managers) for 4 months. Data generated were analysed using a framework analysis derived from a principal-stewardship framework. Parents and centre managers, who are key actors for WASH services in childcare centres in informal settlements, relied on using informal SAMs. We identified three SAMs; (i) discretionary behaviours (rewards and sanctions, interpretation of rules and guidelines and peer mentorship); (ii) norms and values; and (iii) facilitative behaviours. The SAMs were interrelated and operated in synergy for access to WASH service by children in childcare centres. The SAMs for WASH used by parents and childcare owners in childcare centres encountered the following challenges; unrealistic expectations, negligence, conflicting expectations, conflicting agenda and administrative cultures, and tensions over performance standards and monitoring. Identified strategies for strengthening the SAMs included consistency in adhering to rules and guidelines for WASH service provision, and collaboration with strong WASH actors. Data from this study suggest it is valuable to examine and understand SAMs as this then offers clear pathways to mitigate problems and enact change in the WASH service delivery for improved global agenda of SDG 4 and SDG 6. Further, there is potential for joint advocacy for improved WASH services throughout the informal settlement. While SAMs are often conceptualised as a formal process or an intervention, this study shows that existing daily informal SAMs play an important role in promoting or maintaining WASH service delivery. Therefore, WASH stakeholders need to revisit, co-develop and evaluate informal SAMs for WASH service delivery.

Dark personality in dark times: How Dark Triad personality interacts with injustice and politics to influence detachment and discretionary behaviours

AbstractUsing two‐wave time‐lagged multi‐source data in two studies, we examine how Dark Triad personality (DTP) interacts with contextual variables to influence psychological detachment and discretionary behaviours. In Study 1 (N = 288), we examine the combined effects of DTP and perceived injustice on psychological detachment and organizational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). In Study 2 (N = 461), we examine the combined effects of DTP and perceived organizational politics (POP) on counterproductive work behaviours (CWB) and psychological detachment. We found that Dark Triad personality was positively related to psychological detachment and CWBs and negatively related to OCBs. The effects of the DTP on psychological detachment, OCBs, and CWBs were stronger when perceived injustice and POP was high.

Job Embeddedness and Work Performance : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The present study employed systematic review and meta-analytic techniques to examine the literature on job embeddedness and work performance. Work performance was measured in terms of discretionary behaviors (i.e., organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive workplace deviance) and non-discretionary behaviors (i.e., task performance). Product – moment correlation coefficient (r) was the effect size for this study. From the results of 37 studies, statistically significant meta-analytic correlation was found between job embeddedness and organizational citizenship behavior and task performance. No relationship was found between job embeddedness and counterproductive workplace behavior. For heterogeneity, sub-group analysis was conducted. Implications, potential limitations, and future directions were also discussed.

Ethical leadership, organisational citizenship behaviours and social loafing: The mediating effect of perceived organisational politics

Purpose: The main objective of this study was to provide empirical evidence in order to enhance the understanding of how ethical leadership influences employees’ organisational citizenship behaviours and occurrence of social loafing through the mediating role of perceived organisational politics in the higher education sector. Design/methodology/approach: The respondents of the study were academics engaged in the education sector in North Cyprus. Structural equation modelling (SEM), regression analysis and bootstrapping technique were employed to test the model and the hypotheses. Findings/results: The statistical findings confirm that the presence of an ethical leader encouraged and motivated employees to develop a politically transparent environment, which in turn encouraged academics to develop organisational citizenship behaviours and reduce social loafing intentions in their workplace. Practical implications: The results demonstrated that organisations aiming to increase organisational performance through encouraging employee discretionary behaviours are recommended to hire and promote ethical leaders and develop strategies to measure perceived levels of organisational politics. Originality/value: This study fills a gap in the literature by asserting that the complete chain effects of an ethical leadership network enhance employee positivity and reduce negative discretionary behaviours. It also highlights that the effect of ethical leadership on organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) and social loafing was partially contingent on perceived organisational politics.

Intellectual structure of leadership studies in hospitality and tourism

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the intellectual structure of leadership research in the hospitality industry through citation, co-citation and heat map analysis.Design/methodology/approachSystematic bibliometric mapping was done using citation and co-citation analysis. This study covered journals from 1985 to 2020.FindingsAfter reviewing 172 published articles with 10,276 citations, results identified five main clusters.Practical implicationsHospitality managers can choose certain qualities (i.e. charisma, individualized consideration) or use servant leadership characteristics (i.e. selflessness) to direct employees toward more discretionary behavior.Originality/valueFormer holistic studies on leadership applied different approaches, such as review studies (i.e. systematic review and meta-analysis) or evaluative studies (e.g. productivity measures). It mainly focused on extending the understanding of different leadership types in tourism and hospitality. Nevertheless, relational studies (e.g. citation analysis, bibliographic analysis) remained untouched.

Organizational citizenship behavior in the military context: Are we missing the mark?

ABSTRACT Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), discretionary behavior that promotes organizational effectiveness, is a well-developed construct with great importance to the military. Despite its significance, few studies have examined OCB within the armed services. Those that have tended to use existing OCB scales without additional validation and only minimal adaptation to the military context. This is problematic because of the distinctive features of the American armed services, such as the substantial power leaders possess to compel behavior and the uniqueness of behaviors that create military value. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate five OCBs and a second-order OCB factor that are fully discretionary and produce unique and substantial value for the military. These military OCBs include sacrificing, providing positive word-of-mouth endorsement of the military, voluntary retention in the organization, voluntary participation in activities, and use of services that improve welfare and readiness. Some of these behaviors are so vital that the military could not achieve its mission without them. This study also seeks to understand and assess antecedents of military OCB. Using survey data from several Army populations and a series of validation analyses, the results reveal five military OCB factors, a second-order OCB construct, and four new military OCB antecedents. Opportunities and implications for the use of military OCBs are developed and the limitations of the study are examined.

Powerful, high-performing employees and psychological entitlement: The detrimental effects on citizenship behaviors

We extend the performance literature by moving beyond a focus on antecedents of employees' job performance. Rather, we consider the effects of employees' high performance on their subsequent psychological states and behaviors. We adopt a social exchange approach to explain why powerful, high-performing employees may feel psychologically entitled (i.e., a belief that they are owed more than what is typical from the organization), which then prevents them from engaging in organizational citizenship behaviors (i.e., discretionary behaviors that contribute to the effective functioning of the organization). We first establish internal validity by testing our theoretical model using an experimental study design. We then establish external validity by testing our theoretical model using multi-source field data from university employees in the United States. Both studies provide support for our theoretical model in that psychological entitlement mediates the negative indirect relationship between employees' performance and OCB when employee power is higher versus lower. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Examining the Foundation of Islamic Organisational Citizenship Behaviour in Jordanian Organisations

The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that religion plays in the working lives of Muslim employees, by exploring the influences of Islamic values on employees Organisational Citizenship Behaviour. This is a largely quantitative study conducted in Jordanian organisations. The study introduces a theoretical model drawing parallels between Organisational Citizenship Behaviour and Islamic Work Ethics. The participants, comprising of employees of Jordanian public and private sectors, have been randomly invited to express their views on the possible penetration of Islamic values in the workplace. A Partial Least Squares approach alongside a bootstrapping technique was used to analyse the data. The validity of the measurement model was tested using the Fornell and Larcker criterion. Findings indicate that Islamic values do influence the citizenship behaviour, organisational commitment and loyalty to the organisation of employees. Motivated by religion employees are more likely to adopt discretionary citizenship-alike behaviours in the workplace and be loyal to their organisation. The scope of this study is limited by its primary focus of developing an Islamic perspective within the domain of Organisational Citizenship Behaviour, which utilises the Islamic Work Ethics framework rather than being grounded in Islamic holy texts. This paper not only provides a useful insight into the link between religious motivation, citizenship behaviour, and organisational commitment and loyalty, but also notes the influence of religion in the workplace.

Influence of Autonomy, Skills, and Knowledge: Role Efficacy on Discretionary Effort of Indian Retail Managers

The purpose of this study was to explore the relation among role efficacy, discretionary effort, autonomy and skills, and knowledge. A structured questionnaire was administered to 480 retail store managers from Bengaluru City. The proposed research hypotheses were evaluated using the PLS-SEM model. Role efficacy was significantly linked to discretionary effort. In addition, the evaluation of discretionary effort reported a significant positive impact of autonomy and skills and knowledge. The study empirically supports the impact of role efficacy on discretionary effort of retail store managers. Further, there is a practical utility of the findings in support that clear definition of role will spontaneously evoke discretionary behavior, which is further supported by manager’s skills and knowledge, and autonomy they experience at work.

Organizational compassion, person-organization fit and discretionary behaviours in non-governmental organizations: a moderated model

PurposeThe authors proposed that Organizational Compassion and Person-Organization-Fit dimensions interactively predict Discretionary Behaviours among employees in the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) sector in Uganda.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ structural equation modelling to test hypotheses. The research was carried out in two studies; the second one was done six months after the first study. Two samples of respondents were drawn from NGOs operating in West Nile and Kampala regions, respectively.FindingsDiscretionary behaviours were significantly related to the cross-sectionally assessed predictors including organizational compassion and supplementary fit. Complementary fit did not significantly predict discretionary behaviours. Both supplementary fit and complementary fit moderated the association between organizational compassion and employee discretionary behaviours among both rural and urban setting placed NGOs.Practical implicationsIn order to boost employee exhibition of discretionary behaviours, leaders of NGOs should always endeavour to find viable organizational compassion-supplementary fit and organizational compassion-complementary fit blend that can add value to NGOs in Uganda.Originality/valueThis is one of the few studies that have focused on testing the interaction effects of organizational compassion and person organization fit dimensions on discretionary behaviours. These results highlight both supplementary fit and complementary fit as key individual resources that promote the effects of organization compassion on discretionary behaviours among NGO workers in Uganda.

The Impact of Emotional Experiences of Innovation Champions on Innovation Outcomes

This article aims to explore the impact of emotions and behaviours of innovation champions on organisation innovation outcomes. Our research suggests that champions do not necessarily contribute to successful outcomes. This could be ascribed to the fact that the role of the innovation champion is often oversimplified, while the context and specific emotional experiences of the champion impact champion behaviour. Therefore, for the purposes of this article, we considered the innovation champion as an internal role player, soliciting support for innovation and thereby influencing outcomes. The study reanalyses the interview data of twenty innovation champions from six African countries within the financial services industry. The article provides additional insights into the complexities associated with ‘championing’, linked to the champion’s own emotional experiences, discretionary and citizenship behaviours. The study reveals that, although there is an increased awareness of the factors triggering champion behaviours, the description of the fluid role of the champion remains a challenge. The role of the innovation champion and the question whether such roles are over- or underrated will thus continue to receive attention in literature.
 
 Keywords: innovation champion, champion identity, harmful champion behaviour, champion emotional experience, champion role, champion behaviour
 

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND REAL EARNINGS MANAGEMENT: DOES BOARD GENDER DIVERSITY MATTER?

The purpose of this paper was to examine the moderating effect of board gender diversity on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and real earnings management (REM). It drowns on French listed companies from 2005 to 2019. The results show that there is a positive relationship between CSR and REM. Our findings also show that this positive relation is moderated in firms with higher board gender diversity, mainly because female directors show a high socially responsible behaviour and are negatively associated with earnings management practices. Our results are robust to alternative board gender diversity measures, only after the quota law adoption. The positive relationship between CSR and REM suggests that companies with higher CSR performance are exposed to high discretionary behaviour. CSR can be strategically used by managers to hide unethical practices, such as real earnings management activities. In addition, the findings highlight the importance of board gender diversity in reducing agency costs and ensuring higher monitoring, particularly after the quota law adoption.

The Effect of Productive Asset Diversification on Discretionary Behavior on Allowance for Loan Losses

The first objective of this study is to determine whether the discretionary behavior is built by diversification or concentrated productive asset financing. Discretionary behavior reflects the value of additional losses to form Allowance for Loan Losses or ALL based on several management motivations. The formation of ALL aims to maintain the quality of productive assets and the health of banks. Discretionary behavior is estimated from the difference between the total ALL and the non-discretionary component presented through a portfolio of economic impairment. Specifically, the concentration of banking asset financing in this study is classified based on the type of loan. This study examines the effect of the concentration of asset financing on loan distribution toward discretionary behavior. This research was conducted in several commercial banks in Indonesia.

THE INFLUENCE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOUR (OCB) OF EMPLOYEES AT TERENGGANU'S GOVERNMENT LINKED COMPANIES (GLCS): A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

This study provides a conceptual framework for understanding the impact of transformational leadership on organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among employees in Terengganu's Government Linked Companies (GLCs). In this context, this paper mainly aims at providing a new perspective to understand the occurrence of organizational commitment. It seeks to intrinsically enhance the employees for their discretionary behaviours to the organization's activities. To date, only limited studies are available that consider OCB as a connection developer between transformational leadership and organizational commitment. Organizational commitment is a critical concept with multiple antecedents and implications for organizational performance, goals, employee turnover, and work satisfaction. Employees' commitment to their jobs and organizations is determined by situational and dispositional factors, or by a combination of the two. This study examines how leaders' influences drive employees' OCB and its relationship with organizational commitment. The framework suggests that transformational leadership has a direct influence on organizational commitment and employees’ OCB. It is hypothesised that OCB both directly influence and mediate transformational leadership on organizational commitment.