What is organizational citizenship behavior?

Organizational citizenship behaviors are actions employees perform that benefit the workplace but don’t make up part of their paid duties. These actions aren’t critical when it comes to doing their job, but they have benefits to the wider team and help your company run more effectively. A person who’s motivated to help their coworkers, do extra research and see a job through to completion (even if it means working an extra hour) is an organizational citizen.

While it might seem that hiring employees with these tendencies is a challenge, there are ways of cultivating such behaviors. Being intentional about your company culture and instilling core values in your workforce are some ways to do this.

Of course, the recruitment process is also vital. Hiring people who are more likely to display OCBs in the first place is important. Enthusiastic, curious and driven employees are more inclined to follow the example set by you, your leadership team and the rest of the workforce. What’s more, setting your expectations and leading by example from hiring to onboarding can help solidify OCBs in your workforce.

5 traits of an organizational citizen

According to organizational citizenship behavior theory, there are five core practices that enhance effectiveness when performed by an individual in a group setting. More employees demonstrating OCBs can mean a more productive and efficient operation. However, keep in mind that you can’t expect your employees to follow these practices if you don’t do so yourself.

These five organizational citizenship behaviors include:

Altruism

Altruism is the practice of helping another person without expecting something in return. Lots of people display altruism, even when there’s personal risk involved.

Humans are highly social, and altruism and cooperation have played major roles in our evolution and survival as a species. These tendencies have biased us toward prioritizing the well-being of the group over individual selfishness. It explains why someone would sign up for military service and risk death for the greater good, or why a person might take time to help others with their packages, even if it makes them late for an appointment.

In the workplace, altruism has clear advantages. Someone who’s prepared to help a colleague at the same pay grade understand a concept or complete a task is altruistic. A person who uses their free time to conduct extra research to help a long-time client is displaying altruism. These employees see the inherent value in their job, contribute to a positive work environment and improve a company’s reputation.

A Good Sport

A good sport doesn’t get angry or upset in the face of defeat; instead, they graciously shake their competitors’ hand and congratulate them on a great performance. While competition isn’t necessarily present in a workplace scenario, being a good sport means remaining optimistic and driven in the face of adversity.

That said, there are some areas where competition might exist. For example, when several employees are vying for the same promotion. Organizational citizens won’t be demotivated if a coworker gets the promotion, and they’ll quickly bounce back from disappointment.

Another example of being a good sport would be when extra work is required from everyone due to sickness or absence. Instead of complaining or dwelling on the extra demands, they’ll feel proud to help and understand that it’s a consequence of circumstance. Complaining, negativity and blame are productivity vacuums, so the more fair-minded employees you have, the more productive and resilient your overall workforce is likely to be.

Courtesy

Courtesy in the workplace can have an impressive impact on productivity. It can take on many forms for workers, such as being thorough during handovers and communicating effectively. Other displays of courtesy include remembering details about a colleague’s personal life or taking the time to ask how people are doing.

When leaders show courteous behavior, employees are more likely to be engaged, loyal and happy at work. Workers who feel respected and valued are generally more motivated and have better morale.

It’s easy for managers to be more courteous during day-to-day operations. Taking the time to praise a job well done, delivering feedback thoughtfully and asking employees for input about decisions that impact them are great ways of being courteous.

Civic virtue

In society, civic virtue consists of taking actions that prioritize the greater good. For example, citizens who volunteer as companions for elderly or less fortunate people.

When it comes to the workplace, it means something a little different, but the concept is similar. An employee who possesses this trait lives and breathes company culture and portrays the company in a positive light.

Most leaders have come across an employee who takes every opportunity to criticize the company they work for. Not only can this behavior have a negative impact on customers, it can also have an effect on other employees. Conversely, employees who speak highly of the company they work for can have a positive impact on its reputation with clients and colleagues alike.

You can spot someone who’s likely to display civic virtue during the recruitment process. Asking questions about previous/current workplaces and managers can provide excellent insight into a candidate’s civic virtue. If someone is willing to make a lot of negative comments about where they work now or in the past, they might be inclined to do the same when working for your company.

On the other hand, a candidate who demonstrates civic virtue might avoid negative language about their managers and workplaces in an interview. They’d be more likely to put a positive spin on their desire to move, such as wanting a new challenge or feeling aligned with your company’s values.

Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is the trait of being able to take action and speak with a view toward how it impacts the future, not just for themselves but for everyone. A conscientious worker makes sure they finish their to-do list before going on vacation. They take the time to ensure their actions won’t have a negative impact on other people and are more likely to be punctual and deadline-oriented.

Employers can trust conscientious employees to complete tasks without constant supervision and rely on them to take on extra work if necessary. A conscientious workforce can translate to lower stress levels, higher operational efficiency and a more desirable workplace environment.

How to implement organizational citizenship behavior in the workplace

Whether you have a team who mostly consists of organizational citizens depends largely on the recruitment process. However, there are ways of reinforcing and nurturing it through strong leadership and well-defined company culture.

When a majority of employees display the above traits, new recruits, less experienced workers and semi-organizational citizens are more likely to follow suit. Let’s take a look at some ways you can encourage organizational citizenship behaviors in your team:

• Inject OCB into company culture : Everything begins with the company culture a leader chooses to cultivate. By writing OCBs into your mission, vision and value statements, code of conduct and training materials, you can let your team know what you expect from them. Using these materials for all new recruits during the onboarding process and reinforcing them regularly is vital.
• Include organizational citizenship behavior in the recruitment process: In addition to the above, make sure you weave OCBs into your job descriptions, interviews and job ads. This is the best way of attracting organizational citizens and assessing candidates’ attitude and potential to go the extra mile before hiring a new employee.
• Lead by example: If you expect employees to demonstrate certain attitudes and behaviors, you should set an example and ensure that all leadership team members live and breathe OCBs.
• Include OCBs in workplace performance evaluations: Appraisals are a great time to reinforce individuals who demonstrate OCBs.

Avoid overregulation:OCBs aren’t part of employees’ job descriptions, and trying to force them or over-regulate can be counterproductive. Instead, lead by example, reward OCBs and use company guidelines to suggest these behaviors are valued by your business.