Prosocial tendencies in organizations: The role of attachment styles and organizational justice in shaping organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the factors promoting prosocial behavior, focusing on the role of attachment styles in individuals' construal of social exchanges in organizations and in shaping their tendencies for organizational citizenship behaviors. Positive relationships between secure attachment styles and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) tendencies, and between secure attachment styles and perceptions of interactional justice were postulated. A moderating effect of interactional justice on the relationships between attachment styles and OCB tendencies was also posited.

Design/methodology/approach

The participants were 212 individuals (165 women and 47 men), enrolled as undergraduate students (most with substantial work experience) at a college in Northern Israel. Self‐report structured questionnaires were used to assess the research variables.

Findings

The findings support the hypothesis, that antecedents of prosocial behavior in organizations may depend on individual schemas concerning the nature of interpersonal relationships as manifested in attachment styles. Individuals equipped by secure attachment, positive schemas of interpersonal relationships are more likely to exhibit prosocial tendencies at work in contrast with their insecure counterparts. The results confirmed the hypothesis postulating positive association between secure attachment and perceptions of interactional justice. Partial evidence was obtained supporting the contention, that interactional justice moderates the relationsips between attachment and OCB. Research limitations/implications – Future research should address the limitations of and extend the current research: trace the mechanisms whereby attachment styles unfold their effect on prosocial behaviors in organizations, extend the research samples beyond student population, measure the research variables by means other than self‐report.

Originality/value

The study introduces the internal working models of attachment as a new antecedent, a pervasive blueprint, guiding individual social experiences and actions such as OCB.

Citation

Syna Desivilya, H., Sabag, Y. and Ashton, E. (2006), "Prosocial tendencies in organizations: The role of attachment styles and organizational justice in shaping organizational citizenship behavior", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 22-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/10553180610739731