Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Perception of Organizational Justice in Student Jobs

Table of Content

1 Introduction

2 Theoretical Background
2.1 Determining factors in Workplace Behavior
2.2 Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)
2.3 Organizational Justice (OJ)
2.4 Related studies on relationship between OCB & Oj 7

3 Method

4 Hypotheses

5 Results

6 Discussion

7 Conclusion

References

1 Introduction

Workplace behavior of employees determines a company’s success. Thus, it is very important that people show an extra-role behavior like helping other employees or taking breaks only if really needed. Since most studies focus on professional workers, we were wondering about all the working students in part-time assistant jobs in Germany.

More than 65 % of German students do have a job, although 12 % only use hold their job of financial reasons (Etzold, 2001). Most of them have jobs as work students or assistants and work less than 15 hours a week. This shows a large population of part-time workers, however, we do not know much about their behavior.

Studies about Organizational Citizenship Behavior are often related to research in Organizational Justice. We believe this was an interesting connection to our research study since part-time assistant jobs do not reflect higher class jobs and fair treatment could play an important role.

This is why we did a research study on Organizational Citizenship Behavior and perception of Organizational Justice in student jobs.

2 Theoretical Background

2.1 Determining factors in Workplace Behavior

In any workplace, there are seven classic styles of behavior: Commander, Drifter, Attacker, Pleaser, Performer, Avoider, and Analytical. When at their worst, and depending on whether the individual is your subordinate or your boss, each of these styles of behavior make you vulnerable in different ways. Here is a brief description of each style, with tips to help you manage your vulnerability to each.

Commanders: Demanding and domineering, Commanders are the stereotypical control freaks. Bossy and abrupt to the point of rudeness, they're crisp and direct, and not terribly tactful. Uncomfortable with and aggravated by phrases such as "I feel" or "Let's share", they don't intend offense. It's just that they're otherwise mentally engaged, and the softer side of human interaction isn't a priority for them.

Drifters: Free spirited and easy going, disorganized and impulsive, Drifters are virtually antithetical to Commanders. They have difficulty with structure of any kind, whether it relates to rules, work hours, or deadlines. Their extremely short attention span means they miss details and fail to follow up. Although warm and friendly, their behavior can be a source of extreme exasperation for their workplace colleagues.

Attackers: Angry and hostile, cynical and grouchy, Attackers are often the most demoralizing influence in the workplace. They are highly critical of others in public, using demeaning and condescending tones. With biting sarcasm, their attacks on others are personal in nature, tantamount to verbal abuse. Attackers view themselves as superior to others, continually expressing contempt and disgust for the incompetence and inadequacy of their fellow workers.

Pleasers: Thoughtful, pleasant and helpful, pleasers are easy to get along with on a personal level. They view their work associates as extended family members, and have a high need

for socialization at work. Unable to say "no" to the requests of others, Pleasers can't handle conflict, developing instant migraines or stomach problems to escape having to deal with it.

Performers: Flamboyant and loud, jovial and entertaining, Performers are often the most favorite personality in the workplace. Their wit and mental quickness makes us laugh. They charm and delight others with ambassadorial sophistication. They're the first to volunteer in public venues, and the last to accept responsibility. Performers are self-promoting hustlers who use others as “stepping stones” on their path to the limelight. They create a false impression of their productivity by claiming ownership of high-profile projects, and try to inflate their status by always seeming to be in a hurry to get to something important. In fact,

the reason Performers are in such a hurry is that they've been so busy promoting themselves that their workload has backed up!

Avoiders: Quiet and reserved, Avoiders are the wallflowers of the world. They create warm, cozy nest-like environments and prefer to work alone. If forced to work on a team or committee, they speak only to validate what others have said. Any type of criticism makes them feel threatened and insecure. They fear taking initiative, and shun increased responsibility because of the attendant visibility and accountability. They'll do precisely what they're told - no more, it's true, but no less either.

Analyticals: Cautious, precise and diligent, Analyticals are the personification of procrastination, checking everything thrice. They even proofread photocopies. It is this near obsession with detail that incapacitates Analyticals in times of urgency. No matter what new idea anyone has, Analyticals have scores of reasons why it won't work and shouldn't be done. They're socially awkward, and prefer to distance themselves from people.

2.2 Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

(Organ, 1990). All successful organizations, including successful high schools, have employees who go beyond their formal job responsibilities and freely give of their time and energy to succeed. Organ was the first to use the phrase "organizational citizenship behavior" (OCB) to denote organizationally beneficial behavior of workers that was not prescribed but occurred freely to help others achieve the task at hand (Bateman & Organ,

1983). The willingness of participants to exert effort beyond the formal obligations of their positions has long been recognized as an essential component of effective organizational performance.

[...]