PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Sanna Pasanen
Industrial/Organizational
August 2000

Emotional Intelligence, Conscientiousness and Integrity as Predictors of Organizational Citizenship Behavior

    The present study examined the relative contribution of three individual variables (emotional intelligence, conscientiousness and integrity) to predicting altruistic and generalized compliance organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB).  The analyses were based on survey data collected from a sample (N = 87) of Master’s of Business Administration students.  The results indicated that emotional intelligence was positively and significantly related to altruistic OCB and negatively and non-significantly related to generalized compliance OCB.  Further, conscientiousness was positively and significantly related to altruistic OCB and neither conscientiousness nor integrity was significantly related to generalized compliance OCB.  The results provide a richer understanding of the dispositional basis of OCB and extend the general conclusion that OCB involve both an affective component and a cognitive appraisal of the situation.  Practical implications for personnel selection and employee development are discussed and key areas for future research are identified.

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