Organizational Citizenship Behavior Experienced by Managers in Finland
Harkonen, Henriikka (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023112030277
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023112030277
Tiivistelmä
Finland is going through multiple simultaneous challenges. The national debt is increasing. The limitations of adequate, skilled resources, an aging population, and an increasing number of well-being issues have been identified. There is growing pressure to improve productivity and support the maintenance of the structures of the welfare state by all possible means.
Finns are known as reliable and hard-working people with long traditions in volunteer work. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) refers to individuals going the extra mile, being flexible, and performing more than is formally required. The extra energy invested by individuals contributes to organizational success positively. The target was to understand how OCB is lived in Finnish working life. Particularly, how it is experienced in organizations, what elements encourage and discourage individuals from engaging in OCB, and how can those elements be supported by leadership. Due to their key roles, and positions as role models in organizations, managers were selected as the target group. The managers represented multiple organizations and industries to enable a variety of experiences from work life in Finland to be shared.
The theoretical frame was based on OCB literature, servant leadership, and listening as a principle of servant leadership. The empirical data collection for this qualitative research was done using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews. Ten managers with mature working life experience were interviewed. The encouraging and discouraging elements related to OCB among managers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The main target was to find out how the benefits of OCB could be enjoyed while avoiding potential pitfalls. Finally, recommendations for managerial implications were made, suggesting that leaders could support maintaining a proper OCB balance by listening to individuals. The positive implications of OCB can be considered an asset to organizations. The negative, however, could influence various unwelcome consequences, such as OCB fatigue.
Finns are known as reliable and hard-working people with long traditions in volunteer work. Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) refers to individuals going the extra mile, being flexible, and performing more than is formally required. The extra energy invested by individuals contributes to organizational success positively. The target was to understand how OCB is lived in Finnish working life. Particularly, how it is experienced in organizations, what elements encourage and discourage individuals from engaging in OCB, and how can those elements be supported by leadership. Due to their key roles, and positions as role models in organizations, managers were selected as the target group. The managers represented multiple organizations and industries to enable a variety of experiences from work life in Finland to be shared.
The theoretical frame was based on OCB literature, servant leadership, and listening as a principle of servant leadership. The empirical data collection for this qualitative research was done using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews. Ten managers with mature working life experience were interviewed. The encouraging and discouraging elements related to OCB among managers were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The main target was to find out how the benefits of OCB could be enjoyed while avoiding potential pitfalls. Finally, recommendations for managerial implications were made, suggesting that leaders could support maintaining a proper OCB balance by listening to individuals. The positive implications of OCB can be considered an asset to organizations. The negative, however, could influence various unwelcome consequences, such as OCB fatigue.