Developing A Short Measure Of University Citizenship Behavior: A Study In Indian Universities

Abstract

Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is discretionary behavior that promotes effective functioning by the employees performing beyond their assigned task without the expectation of rewards or any other tangible gain. University Citizenship Behavior (UCB) is derived from OCB, university students are not employees but have several scopes of performing discretionary behavior towards their fellow students, university and teachers without any expectation of favour, reward or score from the university. Their discretionary behavior may include helping a fellow student in studies, circulating study materials useful for the classmates, helping teachers to fix up projectors or accessories in the class, helping the university authority by keeping the campus clean and helping the authorities in community development or spreading good words about the institution.  

 The construct of OCB is under measurement since ages and two most prominent tools of its measurement are one developed by Organ (1988; 1990) and William and Anderson (1991). Organ conceptualized a five and later seven factor model of OCB based on the displayed type of behavior. Williams and Anderson conceptualized a two-factor model based on the target to which OCB is rendered. It is a 14-item measure predicted on two factor conceptualization of OCB-individually directed OCB (OCBI) and organizationally directed OCB (OCBO). Authors Mackenzie Et Al. (1991); Podsakoff and MacKenzie (1994) and some others, preferred Williams and Anderson’s Scale as they expressed concern on distinguishability of some of the factors advocated by Organ.

 U-thaiwat et al. (2017) based on review of literature stated no reliable measure of scale for UCB is available and designed a 35-item scale 5-point scale. Taking cue from Organ it comprises of seven dimensions i.e., altruism, civic virtue, conscientiousness, courtesy, sportsmanship, enthusiasm and inter-personal relations. In the same way as has been expressed by the researchers in the context of OCB these dimensions are often overstepping each other and are narrowly differentiated. Williams and Anderson have broadly classified the direction of OCB into that towards institutions (UCBO) and individual (UCBI) which seems to give a broader scope to these dimensions.

 We reframed the statements of Williams and Anderson suiting them in the perspectives of university students and conducted a pilot study in a university. 288 university students participated, 14-items based on target is grouped 1to 7 as UCBI and 8 to 14 as UCBO. Cronbach’s Alpha of UCBI 0.856 and that of UCBO 0.276. Pattern matrix shows Item No. 10, 11 and 12 as -.018, -.086 and -.115. Kaiser-Meyer Olka Measure is found to be 0.724 and Barlett’s Test of Sphericity was 0.000. Hence, these items were subjected to factor analysis and item no. 10, 11 and 12 has been dropped. After deletion Cronbach’s Alpha was found be 0.709 and can be considered as reliable.

 This study shall be extended on a larger sample to create a generalizability of the scale so that it can be used by the researchers for analysing both UCBI and UCBO. This study shall be an addition to the literature as no measuring instruments of UCBO and UCBI is available.