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Why and when workplace ostracism inhibits organizational citizenship behaviors: An organizational identification perspective

Wu, Chia-Huei; Liu, Jun; Kwan, Ho Kwong; Lee, Cynthia

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Authors

Chia-Huei Wu

Jun Liu

Ho Kwong Kwan

Cynthia Lee



Abstract

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 103(7) of Journal of Applied Psychology (see record 2018-33032-001). In the article, the authors incorrectly reported that they measured job mobility using three items from Tepper (2000) in the Measures section of Study 1. The section for job mobility should read: “We measured job mobility using two items from Tepper (2000) and one item added by the authors. A sample item from Tepper (2000) was: ‘I would have no problem finding an acceptable job if I quit.’ The added item was: ‘If I went out to find a job, many companies would consider giving me offers with a similar or higher salary.’ Cronbach’s alpha was .80.”] Why and when do employees respond to workplace ostracism by withholding their engagement in citizenship behavior? Beyond perspectives proposed in past studies, we offer a new account based on a social identity perspective and propose that workplace ostracism decreases citizenship behavior by undermining employees’ identification with the organization. We also theorize that perceived job mobility influences the extent to which employees identify with the organization when being ostracized. These hypotheses were examined in two time-lagged studies conducted in China. The proposed hypotheses were supported by results in Study 1, and findings were generally replicated in Study 2, where effects of other known mediators (i.e., organization-based self-esteem, job engagement, and felt obligation toward the organization) and moderators (i.e., collectivism, power distance, and future orientation) suggested by previous perspectives were controlled. Results of Study 2 provided further support of the hypothesized directional effect of workplace ostracism on citizenship behavior via organizational identification. Our studies support the identification perspective in understanding workplace ostracism and also strengthen the application of this perspective in understanding workplace aggression broadly.

Citation

Wu, C., Liu, J., Kwan, H. K., & Lee, C. (2016). Why and when workplace ostracism inhibits organizational citizenship behaviors: An organizational identification perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(3), 362-378. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000063

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 25, 2015
Online Publication Date Mar 31, 2016
Publication Date Mar 1, 2016
Deposit Date Jul 13, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Applied Psychology
Print ISSN 0021-9010
Electronic ISSN 1939-1854
Publisher American Psychological Association
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 101
Issue 3
Pages 362-378
DOI https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000063
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1326053

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© 2016 APA, all rights reserved. This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.




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