Social Power May Enhance Workplace Initiative: An Experimental Investigation Among Two Samples

Abstract

Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) refers to voluntary actions members take to benefit organizational function. However, the benefits of OCB for organizations are sometimes countered by detriments for employees who exhibit them, resulting in threats to organizational members’ psychological wellbeing. The present research examined whether social power—the perceived ability to control allocations and outcomes in a social hierarchy—could increase OCB endorsement while buffering against negative personal costs. Indeed, manipulated social power enhanced OCB endorsement. This effect was mediated by increased positive affect and goal seeking among participants assigned to a high-power condition relative to participants assigned to a low-power condition. Further, participants assigned to a high-power (vs. low-power) condition did not report increased occupational burden despite their greater OCB endorsement. Patterns of results were similar among a sample of community members (N = 149; M_age = 37 years) and a sample of university students (N = 129; M_age = 20 years). Organizations might empower members by employing procedural justice principles that facilitate members’ meaningful contributions to workplace operations.