Leading and managing people at the nexus of citizenship and innovative work behaviours

Abstract

Leadership; organisational commitment; organisational justice and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) are some of the most rigorously researched topics in organisational behaviour. Most studies aptly focus on the effects of these variables on several organisationally desirable variables, including all forms of task performance and extra-role performance. Traditionally, studies have focused on task behaviours, and only recently have researchers focused their attention on extra-role behaviours such as OCB and innovative work behaviours (IWB) as mechanisms that can be used to leverage organisational competitive advantage. While most studies find consistent relationships among leadership, organisational commitment, organisational justice and OCB, the results on leadership and attitude drivers of innovative work behaviours have remained elusive and equivocal. There is also a notable paucity of research on the relationships among extra-role behaviours, as most researchers focus more on antecedents of these behaviours than outcomes. Moreover, several streams of research on extra-role behaviours have developed independently, resulting in fragmented research that militates against knowledge consolidation, and useful application in real work environments. The aim of my professorial lecture is to provide the results and lessons I learned from the consolidated model I developed and tested on these concepts over my academic career. The results suggest that transformational leadership and OCB were the potent predictors of IWBs; and while organisational justice and organisational commitment failed to consistently predict IWBs, they proved useful as either mediating or moderating variables in several studies I conducted. I show how the results of my studies can be used to inform policy towards creativity and innovation in organisations and the Lesotho economy