Going above and beyond for your own sake? An integrated model of hotel employees’ OCB, workplace thriving, and perceived control

Abstract

While the existing research has paid great attention to how organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) benefit organizations, coworkers, and customers as OCB targets, this study examined the potential desirable outcomes that OCBs bring to individual OCB performers. Furthermore, despite the consensus regarding the importance of OCBs, previous research has predominantly focused on their antecedents and motivational mechanisms. Fewer studies, like this one, have been directed at the consequences of OCBs. Drawing on a socially embedded approach to thriving and enablement, this study tested a theoretical model of employees’ OCBs and consequences to themselves. By employing a multi-stage research design, empirical data were collected in three waves from 549 hospitality frontline employees. The results generally supported the theoretical model and suggested that employees’ performance of OCB can positively influence their subjective well-being through the identified affective, cognitive, and relational mediating mechanisms (i.e., workplace thriving and perceived control). Practical implications for hospitality management were also discussed.