marketing planOrgan (1997) defined organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as “contributions to the
maintenance and enhancement of the social and psychological context that support task
performance” (Organ, 1997, p. 91). Over the last 25 years, a great deal of effort has been directed at
understanding the nature and antecedents of OCB (Organ, Podsakoff, & MacKenzie, 2006;
Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Paine, & Bachrach, 2000). Implicit in this effort has been the premise that
OCB improves work group performance (Bateman & Organ, 1983). Yet while more than 400
published empirical studies have focused on OCB since 1983, fewer than 5% have addressed the
utility of OCB for group performance (Nielsen, Hrivnak, & Shaw, 2008). Even fewer studies have
examined contingency factors in this relationship (Organ, 1988; Podsakoff, Ahearne, & MacKenzie,
1997), despite growing evidence of divergent relationships of OCB and performance (Bachrach,
Powell, Collins, & Richey, 2006; Naumann & Bennett, 2002; Podsakoff & MacKenzie, 1994). Our
goal in this study was to develop and test theory-based hypotheses on the task conditions under
which OCB is more likely to have its putative benefits.
Building on social interdependence theory (Johnson & Johnson, 1989), and empirical
research on citizenship behavior (Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Paine & Bachrach, 2000) we suggest that
task interdependence is among the factors impacting the relationship between OCB and group
performance. Task interdependence is defined as the extent to which individuals' successful
performance of their tasks depends on coordinated performance of related tasks by other members
(Campion, Medsker & Higgs, 1993; Kiggundu, 1983; Saavedra, Earley & Van Dyne, 1993). It
reflects such factors as inter-related roles, technology requirements, and work constraints (van der
Vegt & van de Vliert, 2005). When work group members rely on one another for task
accomplishment, citizenship behaviors can become integrated into...