In this study of 116 Chinese managers of state-owned businesses in Shanghai and Tianjin and 109 American managers attending an Executive MBA program, nationality, work role centrality, and work locus of control were examined as possible reasons for why an individual might include behaviors typically characterized as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) as in-role job behaviors (role definition). Nationality was found to be directly related to role definition. Chinese managers were more likely to define OCB as part of their job than were the American managers. Work locus of control was also found to mediate the relationship between nationality and role definition. However, work role centrality did not mediate the relationship between nationality and role definition as had been hypothesized. Implications for management and further cross-cultural research are discussed.
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