| Organizational research has analyzed employee-organization relationships for years (Eisenberger, Fasolo, & Davis-LaMastro, 1990; Levinson, 1965; Tsui, Pearce, Porter, & Tripoli, 1997). However, the research on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) has mainly focused upon antecedents and consequences of OCB attentive to organizational outcomes. This study extends OCB research to investigate OCB in terms of the employee, more specifically, the potential deleterious effects of OCB upon employee wellbeing. Professional identification and commitment are explored as antecedents to Individual Initiative Extra-Role Time OCB (ERT-OCB). The influence of social exchange and need for reciprocity upon expectations for an organizational return on this investment are posited as possible predictors of burnout, a consequence of performing ERT-OCB upon the employee. Finally, the buffering influence the organization can have on the relationship between ERT-OCB and burnout via organizational support and psychological contract fulfillment is investigated.; A sample of 461 high school teachers also coaching debate from 48 states were surveyed. This study provides evidence of several explanatory relationships. First, identification and commitment to the profession have some influence upon an individual's decision to contribute extra-role time organizational citizenship behavior. Second, even though citizenship behavior is not likely to be formally rewarded within the organization's reward structure, those who contribute this extra role time are more likely to expect some form of informal reward from the organization, such as social exchange, for the input in the form of organizational support and keeping of organizational promises; and, failure of the organization to provide such reciprocity for the employee's input may predict burnout of the employee. Third, contributing extra role time as citizenship behavior can have deleterious effects upon the wellbeing of the employee, such as burnout, especially if the extra effort is accompanied by expectations for a social exchange from the organization that is not fulfilled. And, fourth, by communicating the value of the employee and his or her extra effort via social support and fulfillment of psychological contracts (promises), an organization can have an important impact upon an individual's health and wellbeing by buffering the relationship between extra-role time and burnout amongst some of its most valuable employees. |
