Organizational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction: The impact of occupational future time perspective

Human Relations · 2016 · Volume 69 · Issue 11

Abstract

This study examines how occupational future time perspective (OFTP) affects organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and job satisfaction. OFTP reflects how much time and how many opportunities people perceive themselves as having left in their occupational future. OCB comprises extra-role behaviours that aim to support other individuals in the organization (OCBI) and the organization as a whole (OCBO). Socioemotional selectivity theory posits that people with an open-ended OFTP strive for knowledge-oriented goals (i.e. OCBO). In contrast, people with a constrained OFTP strive for emotion-oriented goals (i.e. OCBI). Thus, the more people perceive their OFTP as open-ended, the more they should show OCBO rather than OCBI. Applying a motivational OFTP approach to job satisfaction, the greater the open-ended people’s OFTP, the more they should be satisfied with their job if they show more OCBO than OCBI because they can pursue their own goals. Findings support our hypotheses for people’s perceived remaining opportunities in their occupational future. Herein, we discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Keywords

job satisfaction, OCB, OFTP, socioemotional selectivity theory, workplace behaviours across lifespan

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