Cohesiveness and organizational citizenship behavior: a multilevel analysis using work groups and individuals - A Special Issue: Focus on Hierarchical Linear Modeling

Journal of Management, Nov-Dec, 1997 by Roland E. Kidwell, Jr., Kevin W. Mossholder, Nathan Bennett

For each OCB measure, analyses were conducted separately for job satisfaction and organizational commitment. So, in total, four random coefficient regression models were estimated. Regarding conscientiousness, the results indicate that for both job satisfaction ([[Tau].sub.00] = .27, df = 48, [[Chi].sup.2] = 91.54, p [less than] .001) and organizational commitment ([[Tau].sub.00] = .25, df = 48, [[Chi].sup.2] = 88.70, p [less than] .001), there was significant variance in the intercept parameters. In other words, the variance in the intercept parameters were significantly different from zero. However, for neither variable were variance estimates for the slope term ([[Tau].sub.11]) significant. In sum, these results suggest that we could test for relationships between work group cohesiveness and conscientiousness (H1), but not the moderating effect of cohesiveness on relations between the individual-level independent variables and conscientiousness (H2).

With regard to courtesy, the results suggest that there was systematic between-group variance in both the intercept and slope parameters. Specifically, the intercept variance in both models is significantly different from zero (job satisfaction: [[Tau].sub.00] = .54, df = 48, [[Chi].sup.2] = 119.75, p [less than] .001; organizational commitment: [[Tau].sub.00] = .48, df = 48, [[Chi].sup.2] = 118.25, p [less than] .001). Further, the slope variance parameter in both models is significantly different from zero (job satisfaction: [[Tau].sub.11] = .10, [[Chi].sup.2] = 48, [[Chi].sup.2] = 80.39, p [less than] .01; organizational commitment: [[Tau].sub.11] = .10, df = 48, [[Chi].sup.2] = 67.46, p [less than] .05).

As mentioned earlier, the random coefficients regression also provides results that address relationships between the level-1 variables. Specifically, the t-test for the [[Gamma].sub.10] parameter assesses whether the pooled level-1 slopes differ from zero. In these data, there is a relationship of conscientiousness with job satisfaction ([[Gamma].sub.10] = 16, se = .06, t = 2.53, p [less than] .05), but not with organizational commitment ([[Gamma].sub.10] = .07, se = .08, t = 1.17). The same pattern emerges for courtesy in that there is a significant relationship between courtesy and job satisfaction ([[Gamma].sub.10] = .13, se = .08, t = 1.65, p [less than] .10), but not with organizational commitment ([[Gamma].sub.10] = .03, se = .08, t = .38). These results are not surprising given the zero-order correlations reported in Table 1. Finally, we computed level-1 [R.sup.2] for those models where a significant [[Gamma].sub.10] was obtained. For the model where job satisfaction predicted conscientiousness, the [R.sup.2] was .05, for the model where job satisfaction predicted courtesy, the [R.sup.2] was. 13.

Next, we estimated the intercepts-as-outcomes models in order to test hypothesis 1, that individuals would display higher levels of OCB in more cohesive work groups than would be expected based on their individual levels of job satisfaction or organizational commitment. These results are reported in the top portion of Table 2. The operative test of the hypothesis is the significance of the [[Gamma].sub.01] coefficient. The results with conscientiousness as the focal OCB were not significant; work group cohesivehess was not associated with the amount of conscientiousness displayed by work group members. However, when examining courtesy, we found support for hypothesized effects for both job satisfaction ([[Gamma].sub.01] = .34, se = .17, t = 2.06, p [less than] .05) and organizational commitment ([[Gamma].sub.01] = .35, se = .18, t = 2.02, p [less than] .05). Additional information relevant to these effects is contained in the variance parameter, [[Tau].sub.00]. A significant [[Tau].sub.00] indicates that there is residual variance in the intercept parameter that could be explained by additional group-level measures. In all four models estimated, the [[Tau].sub.00] was significant. Finally, it is possible to compute the amount of intercept variance explained ([R.sup.2]) by cohesiveness. In these data, work group cohesiveness explained 5.6% of the intercept variance in the job satisfaction - courtesy model and 6.3% of the intercept variance in the organizational commitment - courtesy model.