Understanding citizenship behavior of academics in American- vs Continental European-modeled universities in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the impact of university tradition, justice perceptions and quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) on the faculty members’ tendency to engage in organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) from the perspective of social exchange theory (SET). Attention is drawn to the need to contextualize the established relationships between OCB and its antecedents, as direction and strength of relationships may vary in different contexts. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a sequential mixed method design comprising a survey of 203 faculty members, and 15 semi-structured interviews both undertaken in several universities in Turkey. Hierarchical regression and discriminant analyses were used for the quantitative phase, followed by the qualitative phase that includes compiled quotes and content analysis. Findings Analyses provide strong support for the impacts of university tradition and LMX on OCB. The compiled quotes largely support the quantitative findings. Additionally, content analysis reveals sources and consequences of injustice and mechanisms to cope with it among academics. Practical implications The findings have implications for university administrators who are looking for ways to increase OCB and enhance justice perception. LMX emerges as a significant factor in encouraging OCB regardless of university tradition. In order to enhance justice perceptions, Continental European-modeled universities should allocate workload and resources in a fair manner, while American-modeled universities should apply procedures consistently across people and time. Originality/value The inclusion of university tradition as an independent variable is a contribution as it contextualizes the relationship between OCB and its antecedents, verifying SET for both contexts. Using a mixed method design, the study provides an enriched understanding of OCB.

Examining the relationship between brand equity dimensions and university brand equity

“…In the 1980s when the establishment of private, non-state owned universities were permitted by a new law (Council of Higher Education Statistics, 2018), the state-owned universities in Turkey did not experience any competitive pressures to attract students with promotional efforts (Inelmen et al, 2017). Today, Turkish universities are faced with the challenge of competing for students (G€ ulsoy, 2013).…”

Universities in Turkey: Changing politics and science

“…In the post‐World War II period, Europe lost its influence in the Western world, and the US and the Soviet Union came to the forefront as major powers in the international arena, so that Turkey, which had previously turned to the West, started to turn to the United States instead of Continental Europe. These internal and external developments also forced universities and academicians to change (Inelmen, Selekler‐Göksen, & Yıldırım‐Özlem, 2017: 1145). First of all, with the changing international political climate, the over‐controlling attitudes of the politics of the pre‐World War II period had softened to a certain extent.…”

“…Although the change in sovereign power relations in world politics after World War II did not lead to a change of direction in Turkey's relations with the West, there was a shift towards the Anglo‐American influence in its preferences for the differences in the West. Despite the fact that the scientific understanding of continental Europe was gradually replaced by Anglo‐American influence (Inelmen et al, 2017: 1147), there was also an increasing Marxist perspective and understanding in science in line with the political influence of the Soviet Union. In other words, although the preference of the Turkish state was the Anglo‐American influence in bipolar world politics, Marxist and left‐wing views began to come to the fore in academic institutions.…”

“…This preference also meant that Turkish academicians predominantly began to fed intellectually with Anglo‐Saxon traditions and ideas. Furthermore, this pointed to the dominance of a new academic mentality that had not been dominant until then (Inelmen et al, 2017: 1144). The signing of the Fulbright Agreement between Turkey and the United States in 1951 and the introduction of exchange programs for students, faculty members, and experts accelerated this transformation.…”

Leadermember exchange, organizational citizenship behaviours and performance of Ghanaian Technical University Lecturers

“…Although LMX promotes OCBs in higher education (Alabi, 2012;Power, 2013), the complex relationship between LMX, OCBs, and performance of lecturers as contributors to knowledge and national development, especially in Ghana, remain under examined and thus should be further explored (Atatsi et al, 2019). Research on OCBs in Ghana focuses on workforce in general organizational contexts (Asiedu et al, 2014;Gyekye and Haybatollabi, 2015;Mensah and Bawole, 2018), and the studies on lecturers' OCBs in higher education have not received much attention (Alabi, 2012;Inelmen et al, 2017). Epitropaki and Martin (1999) show that demographics such as work tenure/experience affect the quality of leader-member exchanges in HEI.…”