Role Modelling for Organisational Citizenship Behaviours in Not-for-Profit Organisations: A Phenomenological Investigation in Tanzania

Kallarakkal, Sheejan

Role Modelling for Organisational Citizenship Behaviours in Not-for-Profit Organisations: A Phenomenological Investigation in Tanzania

Doctoral Thesis

2022

Abstract

Not-for-profit organisations (NFPOs) rely more on goal attainment and organisational mission than on hierarchy and coercion to obtain cooperation and compliance from their staff. Leadership's role in these organisations, therefore, involves setting an exemplary model of dedicated service and promoting a service-oriented culture. Organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) significantly promote service-oriented cultures in such organisations. Leaders, both transformational and transactional, influence the behaviours of their followers; transformational leaders, through idealised influence, become role models for their followers, while transactional leaders influence the behaviours of followers through contingent rewards. This study explored how and to what extent Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and senior managers promote organisational citizenship behaviours in not-for-profit organisations in Tanzania. The study attempted to find out how role modelling for OCBs influences the subordinate staff's willingness to engage in similar behaviours. The researcher engaged a phenomenological methodology, using a mixed-method design, to explore the lived experiences of the people involved in NFPOs to find answers to the research questions. Researcher interviewed CEOs, senior managers and subordinate staff to understand their lived experiences. The researcher used the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to understand the transformational and transactional leadership orientations of the CEOs and senior managers. The study found that CEOs and senior managers promote organisational citizenship behaviours of their subordinates through encouraging specific attitudes and outlook, voluntarism, and collective ownership with boundaries. Role modelling for OCB is effective as a soft influence exerted through showing a good example and walking-the-talk. Subordinate staff emulate the OCB of authentic, competent role models with enthusiasm, consistency, and a positive attitude. Similarly, the idealised influence and proximity of CEOs and senior managers to the subordinates make them effective role models for OCBs. The researcher also found African socio-cultural factors, such as respect for elders and persons in authority, influence role modelling for OCB. CEOs and senior managers blur the boundaries of leadership styles, leverage on transformational and transactional leadership factors, viz, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, contingent, and non-contingent rewards to promote OCBs. The salient group outcomes of promoting OCB included the organisation gaining capacity for the higher performance benchmarks, developing a brand name, and facilitating organisational learning and change. Social interactions help role modelling for OCB by facilitating a sense of togetherness, while CEOs/senior managers with a celebrity status become the most influential role model for OCBs. The study provides some implications for not-for-profit organisations and orientations for future research.

Keywords

Business

Reference:

Collections

PhD / Doctoral

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