What are Organisational Citizenship Behaviours?

Organisational Citizenship Behaviours

Lead consultant at Test Partnership, Ben Schwencke, explains what are organisational citizenship behaviours.

Organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) refer to the voluntary actions that employees take to help their organisation or colleagues, which are beyond their formal job requirements. These behaviours can include things such as helping a colleague with a project, volunteering to take on extra work, or promoting the organisation's mission and values. Organisational citizenship behaviours are considered to be an important aspect of employee engagement because they indicate that employees are invested in the success of the organisation and their colleagues.

Similar to employee engagement, organisational citizenship behaviours can be measured through various methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observation. Organisational citizenship behaviours are closely aligned to other psychological constructs such as organisational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee engagement, and many employers will use these terms interchangeably.

Improving organisational citizenship behaviours can lead to benefits such as improved team dynamics, increased productivity, better performance, improved employee retention, and a more positive organisational culture. When OCBs are lacking, organisations may experience a decrease in employee motivation, teamwork, and cooperation. Consequently, organisations often track their employees' organisational citizenship behaviours closely using annual surveys and questionnaires.