Good citizens to the end? It depends: Empathy and concern with future consequences moderate the impact of a short-term time horizon on organizational citizenship behaviors.

Abstract

Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) can be viewed as a social dilemma in which short-term employee sacrifice leads to long-term organizational benefits. With 3 studies, the authors evaluated a set of interrelated hypotheses based on a social dilemma analysis of OCBs. In Study 1, participants rated OCBs as costly to an employee in the short run and beneficial to an organization in the long run, indicating that OCBs were viewed as social dilemmas. In Studies 2 and 3, self-reported (Study 2) and supervisor-rated (Study 3) likelihood of engaging in OCBs was higher among those who adopted a long-term horizon within an organization and those high in empathy (M. H. Davis, 1983). Most important, a short-term time horizon led to a steeper decline in OCBs among employees low in empathy and those concerned with the future consequences of their actions.

Research on the organizational citizenship behavior continuum and its consequences

“…The negative influences lie in that the moral bondage of the responsibility to reciprocity will increase individual's psychological burden, because exhibiting the OCB which benefit for organizations and groups is at the cost of individual's long term career development (Bergeron, 2007). Joireman et al (2006) also pointed out that OCB can be seen as a dilemma which sacrifices employees' long term benefits for achieving organizational long-termed interests. Bolino and Turnley (2005) asserted that performing OCB can result in "escalating citizenship": employees felt obliged to continually perform OCB to maintain their image of good organizational citizen.…”

Future time perspective: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…In this perspective, the individual's experience of future time is posited to play a major role in shaping the goals, plans, and self-regulatory activities that govern action and outcomes with respect to achievement, adjustment, and well-being. Findings by Carstensen (1995), Crotty (2008), Henry, Zacher, and Desmette (2017), and others (e.g., Joireman, Kamdar, Daniels, & Duell, 2006;Strauss, Griffin, & Parker, 2012;Zacher, Heausner, Schmitz, Zwierzanska, & Frese, 2010;Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999) show that the experience of future time also affects a number of key outcomes in work and educational settings, including job performance, proactive work behaviors, school performance, mental health/affective experiences, physical exercise, substance use, and risk behaviors. In an era of globalization, increased competition, and uncertainty (Gagné & Bhave, 2011), the influence of the experience of future time on worker well-being is of growing importance for human resource managers concerned with reducing worker stress and maximizing productivity.…”

The Role of Short-Termism and Uncertainty Avoidance in Organizational Inaction on Climate Change

“…Various streams of research in psychology point to the tendency of individuals to focus on the short term at the expense of the long term and suggest a relationship between a short-term focus and a lack of attention to sustainability issues (Joireman et al, 2006;Strathman et al, 1994). In addition, a focus on the short term is tightly linked to avoiding uncertainty and we argue that both these individual-level factors affect organizational decisions on climate change.…”

“…The link between shorter time perspectives and a lack of pro-social and proenvironmental behaviors has been established at the individual level of analysis (Joireman, Kamdar, Daniels, & Duell, 2006;Strathman et al, 1994). In addition, research at the organizational level has pointed to a link between a short-term focus in organizations and a limited response to environmental issues, including climate change (Slawinski & Bansal, 2012).…”