Impression management; a strong predictor of Organizational Citizenship Behavior: An evidence based on academicians’ job insecurity, honesty-humility, reciprocity and power distance

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between impression management and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and how reciprocity, honesty-humility, and job insecurity determines this relationship. Data have been collected based on a sample of 710 contractual faculty members of public and private sector universities from Southern Punjab, Pakistan, upon which comparative analysis was conducted to access the behavioral intentions of respondents. Impression management acts as a mediator on the relationships between OCB and its predictors, whereas Power Distance (PD) played the role as a moderator on the relationship between impression management & OCB. As it was predicted, relationships between reciprocity, honesty-humility, job insecurity and OCB were found significantly positive through mediation. Additionally, job insecurity found having negative impact with both mediator & OCB. Further, results showed no difference between the mean of two groups (public and private respondents). Implications of the study for the policy makers and future research directions were suggested.

Keywords:

• Power Distance
• OCB
• Reciprocity
• Job Insecurity
• Impression Management
• Honesty-humility

1. Introduction

At the juncture of decade in a rapidly changing business environment, an organization’s success is not only determined by its sales and profits, but the skilled human resource, while at the same time, innovation, knowledge resources, organizational citizenship behavior and changing structures are identified as significant risks that firms are generally confronted. OCB is considered an important phenomenon towards employees’ attitude that can affect firms’ growth and wellbeing of workers as it is an “ability” to lead firms for adaptation to the changing environment and attract and retain talent pool (Podsakoff et al., 2000) by developing a progressive atmosphere. Researchers identified a number of predictors of OCB, including interactional justice (Organ, 1988), employee’s satisfaction (Podsakoff et al., 1990), transformational leadership behavior (Eisenberger et al., 1987), task scope, task characteristics (Farh et al., 1990), organizational justice (Moorman et al., 1998), cultural influences (Farh et al., 1997), civic citizenship, covenantal relationship (Van Dyne et al., 1994), dispositional influences (Moorman et al., 1998; Van Dyne et al., 1994) and contextual influences (Netemeyer et al., 1997).

Business literature showed concerns and predicted that researchers still lacks in providing evidence on the relationship between job insecurity, honesty-humility, reciprocity, impression management, and OCB. Therefore, current research aims at addressing this shortcoming and explores the underlying processes explaining the impact of these predictors with mediating role of impression management moderating role of Power distance. Katz (1964) argued that it is not workable for an organization to predict all possibilities or foresee natural changes precisely or control human inconsistency. This allows OCB to become more significant. Some empirical research indicated that organizations are benefiting through OCB in various dimensions, like from the devoted customers, accountability measures and qualitative elements, transactions performance, customer grievances, and salary (Karambayya, 1990; Koys, 2001) where OCB improve equally the associates as well as organizational success. OCBs likewise lose assets for progressively profitable purposes and lessen the need to dedicate rare assets to simply support capacities. Additionally, OCBs considered as more influential methods for coordinating practices between associates as well as across professional and official get-together. Also, OCBs may be upgraded by impression management, ultimately enhancing organizational performance. This raises the question that how employees’ presence creates professional environment and worth of job for subordinates as well as themselves. This study, therefore, further aims to investigate the factors influencing OCB, as authors prove that there is strong association between HEXACO personality and OCB (Anglim et al., 2018).

Researchers of human behavior have concluded that six extensions of new HEXACO personality structure are considerably more diverse in characteristics than the Big-Five personality trait model. The new model of HEXACO consists of Honesty-Humility as new and sixth extended element of human personality which significantly influences OCB in any organization (Ashton & Lee, 2009). Therefore, there is a need of exploring the essential influencing factors that connect and are involved in citizenship behavior. Thus, conclusive objectives of the study are examined: (1) to explored factors that affecting OCB in the contractual teaching staff of public and private sector universities in southern Punjab Pakistan, (2) to examine whether impression management mediating the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and its predictors, (3) to examine whether power distance is moderating the relationship between impression management and organization citizenship behavior. Further, this study contributes in empirical literature related to impression management and OCB by identifying career level as a significant predictor of OCB and advances readers’ knowledge in the area of impression management as a moderating variable in particular.

2. Literature

Impression management (IM), a process of attempt to influence the perceptions of others about a person, object or event by regulating and controlling information in social interaction. An extensive review is available that described the relationship between impression management and OCB; yet, the conclusive findings are still missing. IM has relationship with OCB as observed by many researchers (e.g. Breevaart & de Vries, 2017). It has been found that leaders have a significant influence on OCB as the workers have affection for leaders. When leaders demonstrate dignified image, employees show committed behaviors and loyalty. Further to this, positive impression yields positive OCB among subordinates (Breevaart & de Vries, 2017) and retention. Some authors found that if employees remain distant from leaders or leaders show less affection, it result high turnover rate. Homans G. C., (1961) emphasized on the individual conduct and cooperation with one another e.g. power, conformity, status, leadership, and justice. In this regard, Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) evaluates someone’s beliefs, thoughts, or concepts. Favorable attitudes are expected to convert into desired behavior or intentions if encouraging behavioral controls exist (Ajzen, 1991). TPB states that a positive attitude will be translated into behavior if not impeded by extraneous factors (Ajzen, 1991). However, behavioral intentions are primarily dependent upon positive attitudes as attitudes produce similar behaviors (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2004). In addition, TPB explains the gap between attitude and behavior by introducing the concept of behavioral controls (Ajzen, 1991). Following are few relationships in this connection;

2.1. Humility-Honesty (HH) and OCB

In order to develop organizational communicative setup, the Honesty-Humility (HH) concept of personality trait has been seen to be actively working where leaders have to make collaborating interaction with subordinates without exhibiting power and influence to ensure a committed behavior of workers (D’Errico, 2019). HH has emerged as a positive characteristic among leading personalities aiming at the development and committed behavior through intellectual and less forceful acts (Goncalves & Brandão, 2018), helps in reduction of bully environment (Daderman & Ragnestål-Impola, 2019) and shows more citizenship within the organization. Gender-specific roles, gender-based relationships and interactions are new phenomenon of HH in employees’ practices which has smoothened employees’ relationship to organization, depicting true citizenship behaviors inside and outside the organization (Shao, Zhou, Gao, 2019). Humility has helped in developing employees’ intent of approving behavior to the thoughts and ideologies of others while honesty in behaviors for organizational employees has helped in molding their negative organizational offending behaviors into positive behaviors toward...... firms (Leary et al., 2017). This has led to postulate as below;

H1:

Honest-humility (HH) has positive impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).

2.2. Honest-Humility (HH) and Impression Management (IM)

Pfattheicher, Schindler, Nockur (2019) stated that HH is the part of personality traits in individuals that depicts the type of personality one has. The performances of employees that link the outcomes with characteristics of generosity and trust measures the level of HH that one possesses. Actions against expected level of generosity and trust eventually results in building a negative image while actions aligned with expected level of HH then shows that the positive impression of the individual has been developed. So, according to the scenario of Pfattheicher (2018), to maintain his/her impression in the organization, that character should have contended with a high level of HH. Another concept that links the notion of (HH) with IM is based on how the leaders hold command on employees by influencing through humility behavioral characteristics. Shannonhouse et al. (2019) has stated that HH is a tool and technique used by the power exhibitors and position influencers within the organization where the employees develop the impressions of their leaders through the level of humility. Based on the above discussion, following proposition has been postulated;

H2:

Honest-Humility (HH)has a positive impact on Impression Management (IM).

2.3. Impression Management (IM) as a mediator between HH and OCB

Pfattheicher (Pfattheicher et al., 2019) examined that personality impression and the behavior of leaders and employees have great impacts on OCB. The author focused on the concept of cheating which has a direct opposite to HH trait of an individual personality. The opposite case of high presence of HH in leaders and subordinates helps in positive impression management that ultimately helps in developing a strong OCB. Personality impressions also make the selection of employees & leaders easier (Breevaart & de Vries, 2017);therefore, personality characteristics of individuals have impacts on others selection and choices especially (Breevaart & de Vries, 2017). This led to postulate as below:

H3:

Impression Management (IM) mediates the relationship between Honesty-Humility (HH) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior(OCB).

2.4. Job Insecurity (JI) and OCB

Van Wyk and Piennar (2008) claimed work instability is anticipated by individual and situational attributes, which are alluded as forerunners of employment weakness. Pienaar et al. (2013) confirmed that activity frailty has ramifications for the person just as the association, which is further confirmed by Dachapalli and Parumasur (2012) as, activity frailty has results that can be wellbeing, disposition and conduct related. Occupation frailty has a present moment and long-haul ramifications for both associations and individuals (Ritcher, 2011). Chirumbolo (2014) stated that singular outcomes incorporate pressure, burnout and diminished wellbeing affect the working of associations which decrease quality, expand truancy and turnover. Kang et al. (2012) contend that when employees remain unreliable, they put more exertion and go over their obligation at hand. It led for the postulation as below:

H4:

Job Insecurity (JI) has a negative impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).

2.5. Job Insecurity (JI), IM and OCB

The competitive environment requires a lot of efforts, standards of performance and most importantly a strong impression of employees’ personality which marks their worth for firms. Probst et al. (2019) found personality characteristics are of great importance for an individual’s career management and job security. They stated that as long as an employee has created his positive impression in minds of his managers, he can assure for himself a strong position in the organization. IM plays a role in the social exchange between insecurity and OCB (Piccoli et al., 2017). Further, when employees consider poor performance from their side at the same time, they manage game of actions and try to manage impression by being loyal toward organizations and work, which in exchange proceed towards strong and positive acts of commitment and loyalty toward the organization. It yielded as below:

H5:

Job Insecurity (JI) has negative imapct on Impression Management (IM)

H6:

Impression Management (IM) mediates the relationship between Job Insecurity (JI) and Organizational Citizenship Behvior (OCB)

2.6. Reciprocity (Rec), OCB and IM

Representatives’ views have exhibited that apparent satisfaction is related to different positive attitudinal and conduct results. For instance, Tumley et al. (2003) demonstrated that apparent business satisfaction positively affected worker task execution. Representatives have additionally been seen as bound to take part in extra-job practices grinding away if their associations satisfy their commitments toward workers. Further, Ramamoorthy et al. (2005) found that a representative view of business psychological contracts anticipated commitment and business satisfaction has been decidedly connected with representatives’ wants to keep trade relationship (Leary M. R. et al., 2017). OCB is an element of reciprocity which can be seen increasing with an increase in service of benefits (Konovsky & Pugh, 1994). Further, authors claimed that when organization reward employees sincerely based on their level of efforts, importance & performance, then this reciprocal is based on mutuality form both parties ensuring employees long-term OCB. This led us to postulate as below:

H7:

Reciprocity (Rec) has a positive impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).

Reciprocation of benefits is exchange behavior, applied by the organization on those employees who maintain their more professional and positive image in the organization (Li et al., 2017), it has always been assumed that if employee maintains an image by their positive behavior the organization is more interested in reciprocating them with their desired benefits.

H8:

Reciprocity (Rec) has a positive impact on Impression Management (IM).

2.7. Reciprocity and OCB mediated by IM

Employees in an organization are obligating their job behaviors on the basis of behaviors reciprocated by their leaders toward them (Shaaban, 2018), if leaders maintain positive image, employees reciprocate positive behavior too and vice versa. Reciprocation of benefits also lead toward an exchange of professional behavior and positive image by employees (Li et al., 2017). Employees and managers in an organization are required to adopt those personality traits that are needed by firms as long as employees for the settlement of reciprocity of their positive intentions and attitudes against support and wealthy benefits (Kim et al., 2018). This provided the support for the below postulation:

H9:

Impression Management (IM) mediates the relationship between Reciprocity (Rec) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB)

2.8. Power Distance (PD) as a moderator

Hofstede (1991) clarified that, in light of the human ability to discover inventive structures for confronting circumstances, the term programming should simply be taken as a characteristic of every individual’s likely responses to the incapacity of the employee’s past. The possibility of determinism is disposed by R. Jones (2006), remarked that individuals are not constrained by the cultural mapping and there are many modern clarifications for the manners by which people utilize innovative procedures to adjust, rise above, or get away from cultural requests wherein they are brought up. This led to postulate as below:

H10:

Power Distance (PD) moderates the relationship between Impression Management (IM) and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).

A leader’s motivational and courageous behavior toward their employees is always effective on retention behavior (Breevaart & de Vries, 2017), as without a leaders’ support, an employee’s survival within the organization sounds a bit difficult. The presence or absence of this behavioral trait of support and motivation in leaders develop an impression of the subordinate based on which OCB gets developed. According to Zhou , the reason for employees less turnover, high obligatory behavior and OCB are due to a high level of the personality trait of modesty with a righteousness impression depicted in personalities of leaders; it help the employee by an action-reaction mechanism. Leaders’ positive personality creates a strong associative bond with employees . This helped in postulating as below:

H11:

Impression Management (IM) has a positive impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).

All related relationship are grouped in Figure 1 as conceptual research framework for this study

Figure 1. Conceptual framework.

3. Methodology

The unit of analysis for the study is contractual (non-tenured) faculty of universities. To date, only tenured faculty have been included in studies of predictors of OCB, creating a gap in our understanding of behavioral intentions to engage in OCB, given the vulnerability and potential job insecurity of untenured faculty. As well, the relationships under study have not been considered in a developing country. This study has utilized measures for the contractual employees designed by Mehren (2021), defined as “the contractual staff members are those who make a written or spoken agreement concerning employment that is intended to be enforceable by law.” The geographic location for the respondents was selected as Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The main objective behind selecting the education sector was stress, dissatisfaction and a non-OCB behavior observed in teaching staff of Southern Punjab (Umrani et al., 2019). Data were collected from academic staff of public and private sector firms via a self-administered questionnaire adopted and adapted from earlier studies (Nachmias & Nachmias, 2008; O’Sullivan et al., 2003). Demographical aspects of the respondents are grouped in Table 1.

Table 1. Demographics analysis

Measure	Data	Frequency	%
Gender	Male	502	71
	Female	208	30
Age	25–35	415	58
	35–45	250	35
	>45	45	6.3
Marital Status	Single	299	42
	Married	411	58
Education	Masters	570	80
	PhD.	29	4
	Others	111	16
Income	20k−40k	221	31
	41k−60k	309	44
	>60k	180	25
Type of University	Public	480	68
	Private	230	32

Online questionnaire was shared by a web link among 826 faculty members, out of which 710 responses were collected. By following the sampling formula (Bentler & Chou, 1986), the number of items were multiplied by selected given numbers (5–10) is taken equal to (69×10 = 690). The response rate of the survey remained 86% from academicians of southern Punjab. Constructs were measured by using the scales developed by earlier researchers; for IM; 22-item by Bolino and Turnley (1999) which were experimentally approved by E. E. Jones and Pittman (1982); for Reciprocity, four items by Kim et al. (2018); for OCB, 24-items by Podsakoff, MacKenzei, Moorman & Fetter (1990); for HH, 10-items by Ashton and Lee (2009); for JI, 04 items by Vander Elst, De Witte & De Cuyper (2014) and for Power Distance (PD), five items scale was adopted form the earlier work by Chelariu, Brashear, Osmonbekov & Zait (2008).

4. Data analysis and results

Data used in this study are normal, causing no issue for further analysis. Ghasemi and Zahediasl (2012) suggest that for sample size, which is large enough, such as (>200 or 300), the violation of the normality assumption should not cause any serious issue. So, parametric procedures can be used even when the data are not normally distributed can be ignored. Additionally, if the sample size consists of many observations, the distribution of the data. The sample size for the current study is higher than 200. Table 2 summarizes the descriptive statistics.

Table 2. Descriptive statistics and correlation of variables

Construct	Mean	Std. Dev	HH	JIs	Rc	IM	PD	OCB
Honesty-Humility	2.137	0.758	1
Job Insecurity	2.05	0.768	0.385	1
Reciprocity	2.58	0.975	0.209	0.094	1
Impression Management	2.541	0.946	0.318	0.428	0.209	1
Power Distance	2.237	0.858	0.401	0.082	0.064	0.148	1
OCB	2.04	0.865	0.384	0.261	0.37	0.182	0.189	1

Data analysis starts by using SPSS (version 23) with demographics. Multi-collinearity is checked through Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) and value of Tolerance (results are summarized in Table 3). The values obtained for the current study has significant values for VIF less than 10 and the value of tolerance is less than 1.0, indicating that there is no problem of multi-collinearity.

Table 3. Collinearity statistics

Name of the Construct	Tolerance	VIF
Honesty-Humility	0.595	2.534
Job Insecurity	0.612	1.231
Reciprocity	0.844	0.543
Impression Management	0.445	4.173

4.1. Outcome of exploratory factor analysis (EFA)

EFA is conducted for factor identification and data reduction. EFA’s results are provided below in Table 4.

Table 4. KMO and Bartlett’s test

	HH	JIs	Rc	IM	PD	OCB
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy	807	0.811	0.955	0.717	0.927	0.932
Approx. Chi-Square	386.16	451.37	404.75	560.87	316.14	531.51
Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity df	19	28	8	23	26	6
Sig.	0	0	0	0	0	0

In order to ensure that whether the scale items truly representative of the theoretical construct of latent variables, construct validity is considered as an elementary part of the data analysis, as suggested by the Hair et al. (2010). Same has been summarized in Table 5. As discussed already, the content validity of the survey’s questionnaire. Statistics for validity (convergent and divergent) is provided in below Table 6.

Table 5. Overall measurement model fit

Measure	Value
CMIN/DF	1.431
TLI	.911
GFI	.917
CFI	.942
IFI	.901
RMSEA	.06
HOELTER	655

Table 6. Validity, composite reliability and AVE values

Name of Construct	CR	AVE	MSV	ASV
Honesty-Humility	0.869	0.602	0.576	0.234
Job Insecurity	0.739	0.469	0.229	0.415
Reciprocity	0.808	0.437	0.240	0.162
Impression Management	0.875	0.735	0.529	0.330
Power Distance	0.769	0.639	0.229	0.415
Organizational Citizenship Behavior	0.739	0.529	0.329	0.415

4.2. Direct and indirect effects

Tables 7 and 8 provide path considering with and without mediation, which leads to partial mediation. In addition, some other paths, such as HH, JIs and Rc show an impact on OCB significantly considering mediating variable, IM. The mediator (IM) also expresses a path with OCB (dependent variable) which is positive and significant. The remaining paths also show their significance at p < .05, also indicated in Tables 7 and 8. HH has a significant impact on OCB at (p < .05, beta = 0.357). Also, JIs and Rc have significant relations with OCB at (p < .05, beta = −0.037 & .121). In addition, Rc, HH and JIs have significant relations with OCB mediated by IM at (p < .05, beta = .112, .024, .073). Similarly, IM has a significant impact on OCB (p < .05, beta = .298). All the independent variables were significantly associated with the IM (p < .05, beta = 0.210, 0.043, −0.181).

Table 7. Direct effect

Independent Variable	Dependent Variable	Beta	P Value	Status
Honesty-Humility	Impression Management	0.210	.039	Supported
Reciprocity	Impression Management	0.043	.001	Supported
Job Insecurity	Impression Management	−0.181	.002	Supported
Impression Management	OCB	0.346	.002	Supported
Honesty-Humility	OCB	0.357	.001	Supported
Reciprocity	OCB	0.071	.033	Supported
Job Insecurity	OCB	−0.141	.022	Supported

Table 8. Indirect effect

Indep.Variable	Mediator	Dep. Variable	Beta	P Value	Status
Honesty-Humility	Impression Management	OCB	0.024	.033	Supported
Reciprocity	Impression Management	OCB	0.112	.001	Supported
Job Insecurity	Impression Management	OCB	0.073	.000	Supported

4.3. Conditional effect

Conditional impact of IM on OCB was tested. PD is used as a moderator in this study. Firstly, IM and PD are converted into standardized values for calculating conditional effects. Standardization, taking average value, is performed. After getting standard values of both IM and PD, their values were multiplied to get a third conditional variable. Finally, regression is employed to examine the conditional impact. The results of conditional impacts are given in Table 9. Results for conditional effects show IM has significant positive impact without a moderator and with the moderator-PD.

Table 9. Indirect effects (Dependent variable: OCB)

			95.0% Confidence Interval for B
Model	Coefficients	Sig.	Lower Bound	Upper Bound
Constant	0.935	0	1.888	1.983
	−0.024
IM_St	0.086	0.033	0.007	0.164
	−0.04
PD_St	0.014	0.001	0.081	0.053
	−0.034
PD_x_IM	0.045	0.016	0.074	0.165
	−0.061

4.4. Comparison between two set of samples (public & private)

t-test is considered as the most appropriate test for comparative studies (Ramnath, Shah & Krishnan, 2015). Therefore, t-test is performed in current study and interesting results are found, as shown in Table−10. Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances, the value of “F” is above the threshold value of .05, therefore, we can check the upper row results. Thus, in our case, to test whether there is any significant difference among public and private universities, regarding OCB behavior of the teaching staff, the study built the hypothesis, stated in Table 10.

Table 10. T-test statistics (public & private universities)

Group Statistics
	University Type	N					Mean	Std. Deviation	Std. Error Mean
OCB	Public	480					18.5028	5.62153	0.21097
	Private	230					17.1003	5.76691	0.32088
Independent Samples Test
		t-test for Equality of Means
Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances		F	Sig.	T	df	Sig.	Mean Difference	Std. Error Difference	95% Confidence Interval of Difference
									Lower	Upper
OCB	Equal variances assumed	0.6	0.6	0.8	1031	0.45	0.286	0.38	−0.46	1.032
	Equal variances not assumed			0.7	608	0.46	0.286	0.384	−0.47	1.04

5. Discussion

The current study has attempted to fill the gap by exploring some important factors of OCB from a developing country perspective. After fulfilling all the requirements of the analysis, it was found that OCB is a significant factor that can contribute toward the success or failure of any organization. OCB instructs HR managers to take corrective actions to keep their employees satisfied and committed. As study ensures adjustment to a few suspicious outcomes, for example, validity, reliability, normality and multicollinearity tests, etc. conducted before advancing to the higher level of testing. Therefore, results add to the existing literature by a collection of information on OCB conduct and how it tends to be created with job-related attributes. As this study investigates two types of academicians (public and private), so it is affirming the job-related attribute’s impact on OCB. It is observed that IM partially mediated the relationship between RC and OCB conduct at (p < .05, 0.112). The positive and significant similar outcomes are observed in the previous literature. Therefore, this study verifies the already available literature on the relationship. Also, the direct impact of Reciprocity on the OCB was significant and positive at (p < .05, 0.071), and in the past, Shaaban (2018) also found a similar relationship. Reciprocity changed IM significantly in a positive manner at (p < .05, 0.043). Past literature shows aligned outcomes as is discussed in a study conducted in 2018 by Krieg.

Similarly, IM has partially mediated the relationship between job insecurity and OCB significantly and positively at (p < .05, 0.073). It is strange to observe as in the direct relation of JIs and IM, as well as with the OCB, a negative impact is found but a positive relation is present in the mediation. While comparing with past studies, a similar pattern is also observed that the direct relation of JIs is negative with both OCB and IM (Chirumbolo et al., 2020) and the mediated path was positive as discussed by Kang et al. (2012). The direct impact of JIs on IM was significant but negative as (p < .05, −0.181). Similarly, it showed a negative, however, a significant relation with OCB at (p < .05, −0.141). In addition, HH is found significant in predicting IM at (p < .05, 0.210). According to the scenario of Pfattheicher et al. (2019), if one has to maintain impression in the organization then his character should have contended with a high level of HH. Furthermore, HH changed the OCB significantly and positively at (p < .05, 0.357). It is another verification of the past literature on the same relationship found in a past study that HH helped in developing the positive OCB among employees and HH in behaviors for organizational employees helped in molding their negative organizational offending behaviors into positive inborn behaviors toward their organization (Leary et al., 2017).

The same impact is observed by Goncalves and Brandão (2018) as they noticed that HH has emerged as a positive characteristic among the leading personalities of the organization. Similarly, while analyzing IM, it is observed that this variable has a significant and positive impact on the OCB at (p < .05, 0.346). Zhou found the same relationship among these two constructs and Podsakoff, MacKenzei, Moorman and Fetter (1990) explored that when an employee has a positive impression regarding organization’s policies and is happy with the management, he will be inclined towards showing OCB.

For the moderation analysis, IM and PD are converted into their standard values and then multiplied with each other. In this way, three variables were obtained in total, and the impact of all these three variables was observed on the OCB. It is found that PD has a significant positive impact on OCB at (p < .05, .014). Similarly, IM was also significant in determining OCB as explained above. Furthermore, for observing the moderation impact, the impact of the product of IM and PD is observed on OCB. It is significant and positive at (p < .05, .045). Past studies witnessed similar results as Hofstede (1980) found that power significantly moderates the relationships among different constructs and the same outcome has been served in the study. The last relation of mediation by IM between HH and OCB was also significant and positive at (p < .05, 0.024).

A comparative analysis is also conducted on the data, collected from two different sectors of higher education providers. Two main types of universities in Pakistan (public and private) are operating for providing higher education. The number of responses from the public university teaching staff was more than the private sector university faculty members. The lower number of private sector respondents can be due to a lower number of contractual employees in private sector universities in Pakistan. The comparative analysis was done by using t-test statistics for comparing data from public and private sector universities. t-test for comparison of two different samples has been endorsed by many prominent researchers like (Ramnath, 2015).

The comparative study showed that both the public sector and private contractual teaching staff show similar intentions toward OCB. There was no difference in their inclinations or feelings toward showing OCB. This outcome in Pakistan might be due to the similar working environment in public and private sector universities in Pakistan. Both types of employees get similar remuneration and both perform similar tasks on contractual jobs. Past researches show a mixed approach related to this comparison. Some researchers advocate a different OCB among public and private sector universities’ employees where many others endorse the same OCB. The current study extends the application of the TPB by utilizing its concepts in the HR development fields. Findings from this study can be utilized to enhance OCB of contractual employees in the higher institution by creating an environment of HH, JIs and Rc, creating a positive impression of the management and reducing PD.

6. Conclusion & recommendations

Findings of the study are giving directions that OCB among public and private sector universities can be created through contractual staff as it is a significant component of the overall behavioural aspects of employees. Without proper policies which endorse OCB, organizational success from any angle is a challenging thing to achieve. Previous studies found that OCBs are considered among the most significant elements of a high profitability condition in which people go past their cut-off points and exhibit proficient and viable execution (Chompookum & Derr, 2004). Similarly, Katz (1964) conceptualized that employees get motivated by policies developed by the management to take an interest in and keep up their essence in the organization, perform characterized jobs in a steady way and demonstrate a solid OCB, which results in the ultimate success of the organization. Therefore, the most important learning for the managers in this study is to develop such strategies which could help in creating OCB as this is very essential for the existence of any organization.

For assessing the importance and factors that influencing OCB, this study provided the fruit of handwork in mining the ingredients of OCB. For instance, Rc evolved a very important construct in this study influencing OCB. It has a positive relationship with both IM and OCB. All three hypotheses regarding connections with both the mediator and dependent variables are significant. This relation provides insights that organizations should create an environment of Rc within and outside of the organization. For the reason that, it influences OCB positively, which means more the practice of Rc in the universities more the demonstration of OCB. Therefore, Rc should be added into the main focus of universities’ administration, and this construct factor should be added into the mission of the universities.

The study also suggests that administrators need to be underline both characteristic and outward factors to instil citizenship conduct among workers. They ought to improve human asset management rehearses like enrolment and choice, preparing and advancement, pay, execution examinations, advancement openings, data sharing and correspondence, association and work-life strategies to expand the positive job attitudes and citizenship conduct. Additionally, managers should display a greater amount of transformational authority style as it likewise emphatically and altogether affected the representative disposition of duty and conduct of citizenship. From an administrative point of view, our discoveries assist administrators with the understanding that OCB has more than execution benefits. Past exploration of OCB may have provoked researchers to concentrate on the advantages of OCB related to organizational adequacy and individual execution examination. Our examination recommends to managers to look at these useful results for the helpful impact of the day by day of OCB on contractual employees besides having some limitations lie the current study was conducted without a pilot study which is also a gap in the current study which needs to be filled in the future research. This study provides insights for the future researchers by exploring the role of a major theory (theory of planned behavior) used in behavioral sciences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).