Transformational Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior

This literature review explores the crucial relationship between transformational leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). It delves into the core concepts of transformational leadership, emphasizing inspiration, intellectual stimulation, idealized influence, and individualized consideration. The review examines the determinants of OCB, including individual traits like positive affectivity and extraversion, group cohesiveness, employee attitudes, and leader-member exchange. The paper also highlights the significance of organizational justice and its impact on employee perception. Furthermore, the review discusses the benefits of OCB, such as increased job satisfaction and enhanced contributions from employees. It emphasizes the role of transformational leadership in fostering a work environment that encourages employees to go beyond their contractual obligations. The review concludes by underscoring the importance of leadership styles, particularly transformational leadership, in shaping employee behavior and organizational success.

Running head: TRASFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND OCB
Organizational citizenship behavior
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Literature review
Organizational citizenship behavior is one of the most important aspects of any and every
organization. It basically refers to a kind of commitment that the employees have towards their
respective organizations outside their contracts. Organizational citizenship behavior can very
easily be associated with the concept of the responsibilities that the citizen have towards their
nation. In that case, the employees are like the citizens of the nation (Jawahar, 2017). The nation
is of course the company. The main concept or the purpose of this kind organizational citizenship
behavior is to imply that the employees feel a deeper and a greater connection with the company.
Owing to this feeling or the sensation of a deeper feeling the employees try to expand their
helping hands and their sense of responsibility towards the company even beyond their
obligations of the contract. This in turn helps in the overall increase in the total productivity of
the organization.
Transformational leadership on the other hand is also a very key and important issue in
case of any and every business framework. Particularly in the present business scenario it is very
much important for the proper functioning of all the activities. Leadership in general and
transformational leadership in particular is of utmost importance for the proper management and
maintenance of the productive spirit. For the proper and timely functioning of all the employees,
guiding them the right and proper direction is also very much needed. In order to do that, what is
largely needed is proper leadership. Transformational leadership is the most working and the apt
method of leadership. This is evident from the fact that transformational leadership is something
that believes in the principle of bringing about a change or a transformation. The leaders make
sure that the employees are motivated from time to time. They are encouraged throughout in
order to regain their self confidence.

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Determinants of transformational leadership
Inspiration motivation
The very foundation of transformational motivation or transformational leadership is that
of inspiration. Transformational leaders are devoted in motivating and inspiring their employees
throughout (Jawahar, 2017). Transformational leaders must make sure that they keep on making
the employees remember and abide by the mission, vision, the goals and the objectives of the
organization. They make sure that their vision is so much compelling that they know very well
what outcomes they actually are expecting from their reactions.
Intellectual stimulation
This also is very important motivation or stimuli needed for the employees. The
transformational leaders make sure that they always encourage their followers to be very much
creative innovative. They always encourage their fellow followers to think about and implement
different kinds of creative ideas. They also make sure that none of their actions are hurt or
criticize the actions of their employees in public.
Idealized influence
The transformational leaders are also of the opinion that they can teach their followers
some lessons only when they themselves are following the same (Kivanc, 2017). In other words
they believe in the principle of preaching before practicing (Heather). It is only when the leaders
themselves are very much organized in their actions, the followers also believe in following
them. It is only then that the leaders get full trust and respect of their followers.

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Individualized consideration
The transformational leaders must keep this in and that they have to reward each and
every employee individually. In other words, the transformational leaders must go beyond their
day to day managing routine work. Rather they must try their level best to carry forward their
respective companies to the next level of hard work, efficiency, performance and success (Ge,
2017). They will mainly focus on the aspects of team building, motivation and collaboration with
the employees.
Determinants
Individual decisions and motives
The organization citizenship behavior is largely based on the individual behavioral
characteristics like that of positive affectivity and the negative affectivity, agreeableness,
consciousness and several other such aspects. Another very important determinant of the
organizational citizenship behavior is that of extraversion (Zayas-Ortiz, 2014). There is also
another important trait that must be present within the individuals for the being open to this
commitment towards the organization beyond their respective rules and regulations of the
business or the employment contract.
Groups cohesiveness
In order to inculcate this feeling of a kind of citizenship towards the company, the
employees need to feel this inner urge or deep connection with their company. Just as the
citizens of a nation always feel the deep urge within themselves to remain connected with each
other and carry on their duties and responsibilities towards the nation. In the same way it is also

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the duty of the employees to remain very much connected towards each other (Zayas-Ortiz,
2014). This will also make the employees to perform as a team for the overall betterment of the
company. The individual members will be much more helpful towards each other. They will also
be sensitive enough to perform as a team whenever there is the need (Ge, 2017). Apart from this,
if there is proper team cohesiveness then there will also be the cultivation of a positive mood
within the team. This in turn will increase the effectiveness within each and every individual and
they will always come forward with a very positive mood. On the other hand, cohesiveness also
leads to the greater inter connectivity and the communication within the group. A proper
cohesiveness within the group also increases the commitment of the team members towards each
other. As a result of all these factors, the trust and the communication within all the individuals
also increase.
Employee attitudes
One of the very important and significant aspects of the employee attitude is that of job
involvement. The employees must be very much involved within their job and the respective
roles and responsibilities associated with it (Zayas-Ortiz, 2014). It happens that the employees
get so much associated with their present job role that they start investing their personal
resources in order to fulfill all the responsibilities associated with it.
Leader member exchange and the supervisor behavior
This is also a very important aspect of the organizational citizenship behavior. It is
because of the fact that there must a very good understanding and a feeling of proper cooperation
among all the employees of the organization (Roya, 2017). There must be a very good, friendly
and a cooperative relationship between the managers, leaders and their subordinates.

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Organizational Justice
There are some set of principles that determines the organization justice, they are
There must be the principle of equity or equality maintained in case of the organizational
citizenship behavior. The contribution of the employees must always be in proportion to the
amount of income received by them (Wuryanti., 2017). However, it must also be noted that
organizational citizenship behavior is something that must be done by the employees selflessly.
In other words, they must know how to go beyond their prescribed contractual rules and
regulations and develop a very strong connection with each of their colleagues, superiors and
must see their company as their nation.
The principle of perception
There must be a general and overall perception of the feeling of proper justice among each and
every individual.
The principle of polyphony
There must a greater participation in the decision making process (Francisco). This will
not only encourage the active participation of all the employees within the major decisions but it
will also lead to a greater fairness in the decision making process and the final decision that is
being taken.
Benefits of organizational citizenship behavior
It is very much essential for each and every company to know and realize the fact that the
organizational citizenship behavior can be induced among the employees by providing them full
job satisfaction (Changsuk, 2017). It is only when the employees are totally satisfied with their

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job that they can think about making some additional contributions or sacrifices for their co
workers and the company as a whole. It is a known fact that the colleagues who are ready to
make some little sacrifices or some efforts towards some of the little extra things without
complaining. However it must also have noted that the employees will have full job satisfaction
only when they are satisfied with their superiors or their subordinates (Jeffrey, 2017). This can
be done if the leaders adopt the method of transformational leadership. In other words, the
leaders must not only provide their employees or their followers with only professional support
but also proper emotional support as well. They must make sure to boost up the self confidence
of their followers throughout. They must keep on encouraging their followers and motivate them
constantly.
In order to encourage organizational citizenship behavior, the leaders can practice
different kinds of leadership styles like instrumental leadership, supportive leadership and also
transformational leadership. However among all these three kinds of leadership style the
important one is that of transformational leadership that constantly keep on motivating the
employees. The transformational leaders will always try to act like a constant source of
inspiration. They will keep on inspiring the employees. These leaders strive in bringing about a
change or a transformation in the working style of the organization. They know that this can be
done by making the employees recognize their own potential (Jennifer, 2017).
Transformational leadership is the most influential kind of leadership style (Eeman,
2017). This is because of the fact that the central feature of this kind of leadership is that it will
always motivate the followers to do something or perform some more activities than what they
originally expected. Moreover this transformational leadership is so called, because it creates a
special kind of appeal to the followers by winning over their trust, and by making them do

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something much more than their contractual responsibilities for the overall good of the company.
It is through the constant effort and the motivation that the transformational leaders can
transform or convert their followers to take up many complicated challenges for the good of the
organization. Thus, the transformational leaders know how to increase the level of performance
within their followers. However, it must also be noted that transformational leadership also
emphasizes on the fact that all their followers must be comfortable in making some comprises
and sacrifices as well (Changsuk, 2017). This is because of the fact that organizational
citizenship behavior dos not only requires the employees to take up additional challenges and
responsibilities than their initial contractual ones but also it needs the employees to keep a
constant willingness to face and endure several frustrations, inconveniences, irregular costs.
A greater amount of this particular aspect of the organizational citizenship behavior is
largely based on the leadership style that is prevalent within the company. It is a quite evident
that a greater part of this transformational leadership is very much dependent on the trait of
obedience. The obedience of the employees will increase only if they find their leaders to be very
much friendly and considerate towards them. This is because of the fact that undertaking a
greater amount of responsibilities or working even by enduring some inconveniences or
frustrations is often undertaken by the employees or the followers on the advice or the command
of their supervisor or the leaders (Alex, 2017). However, an important thing to note in case of
transformational leadership is that, in this case the leaders do not really believe in commanding
or forcing their employees. They always want to carry on their leadership by the methods of
persuasion, cooperation and understanding (Zayas-Ortiz, 2014). This is possible only when there
is a free and transparent relationship between the employees and their supervisors.
Transformational leaders are of the belief that if they expect the employees (followers) to take up

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more responsibilities and also endure several risks and inconveniences, then they (the leaders or
the supervisors) themselves must be very much understanding and considerate as well. There
must always be a two way process. One of the important aspects of the organizational citizen
behavior is that of knowledge sharing. There is a good and positive relationship existing between
knowledge sharing and this organizational citizenship behavior. This is because of the fact that in
order to take up some additional responsibilities the employees definitely will require sufficient
amount of knowledge. It is also not possible for each and every employee to have every kind of
knowledge. As a result of which the process of knowledge sharing must be induced within the
business organization. Sharing of knowledge also increases the interaction between the
employees (Roya, 2017). It can lead to increased amount of understanding and mutual
cooperation. However there is a problem that is encountered in this process of knowledge
sharing is that of jealousy or insecurity. It is quite common that the employees will not try to
share the knowledge with others without getting anything in return. Hence, the transformational
leaders make sure that their employees are awarded and appreciated thoroughly for sharing their
knowledge with others. These rewards are done mainly in terms of money, promotions, respect
and other such things. This in turn will also create a kind of trust factor between the employees
and their supervisors.
Transformational leadership aims at changing or transforming the mindset and the
behavioral patterns of the employees towards each other and also towards the organization as a
whole. This transformation takes place in such a way that the employees or the followers change
their self concept. In other words, they are able to discover increased amount of confidence and
potentiality within themselves that were previously unknown to them (Mahmud, 2017). The self
concept of the individual employees, mainly refer to the self esteem, self worth, self expression.

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The transformational leaders try their level best to support and motivate their employees so that
they can develop totally new spheres of their self concept. This is where the Organizational
citizenship behavior comes into play. One of the most prominently visible effects of
transformational leadership is that of organizational citizenship behavior.
Another important characteristic of OCB is the role played by the mediators (Miguel,
2017). In other words, the mediators are the various aspects that form the midways or the
mediators between the leaders and their followers. One such mediator between transformational
leaders and their followers is trust (Wuryanti., 2017). This is the trust, that the followers have
over their leaders or their supervisors. However, it must be noted in this context that the behavior
of the transformational leaders must be given more emphasis than the trust of the followers in
their leaders. It is evident from the fact that the trust or the faith will be constructed only when
there is a good behavior is available to all the followers from the side of their leaders (Kivanc,
2017). The transformational leaders must also take this into account that the job designs are to be
done in such a way that their followers can identify some very important and core
responsibilities within that. This can be linked with the aspect of organizational identification.
This is because of the fact that the employees spend the majority of their time within their
workplaces; hence, it is the duty of the leaders to influence the way the followers feel towards
their organization.
Thereby it can be concluded that transformational leadership and the OCB are directly
proportional to each other (Roya, 2017). One must not only view the OCB as the workers who
go above and beyond their contractual job responsibilities but it can also be viewed as the
initiative taken up by the workers to cooperate, communicate and help their colleagues for the
overall good of the organization. In order to induce this attitude or behavior within the

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employees the transformational leaders must also try their level best to motivate and encourage
their employees throughout.

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References
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Eeman, B. R. (2017). Impact of organizational citizenship behavior on job performance in Indian
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Francisco, C. S. (n.d.). Human Resources Management, Citizenship Behavior, and Turnover
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Ge, W. Q. (2017). Exploring the impact of megaproject environmental responsibility on
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