EFFECT OF LEADER-MEMBER EXCHANGE AND WORK ENGAGEMENT ON OCB: ROLE OF JOB EMBEDDEDNESS

Abstract

Presently, the organizations are operating under the complex and ambiguous environment which is characterized by unprecedented sweep of change and ceaseless progressions. Such transformations per say the enduring technological catastrophes are demonstrated in various sectors, but conceivably none is as apparent as the information technology (IT) sector. Further, driven by swift pace of transformation, amalgamations, innovation and extensions, the information technology (IT) sector is undergoing a wave of advancement. Attributable to these intricacies, organizations cannot rely on conventional strategies (Nielsen, Bachrach, Sundstrom, & Half-hill, 2012). Hence, the proactive, innovative and committed workforce who is willing to adapt swiftly to the altering environment is crucial for organizational sustainability and competitive advantage. Moreover, contemporary organizations are not only anxious to lure and maintain prodigious workforce which is not merely proficient and enthusiastic to accomplish role tasks efficiently but also determined to work in a righteous way and assume responsibilities over and beyond their in-role activities. Organ (1998) denoted to these capabilities and significant initiatives as organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Recently, organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) has gained substantial attention from scholars and practitioners, and has emerged as one of the major components of the employees’ behaviour that may help the organizations to attain competitive advantage. The employees who display such behaviours tend to produce substantial advantages for the organizations, such as increased productivity, effective utilization of resources, improved performance, high profitability and efficiency, less turnover and enhanced capability to adjust and adapt internal and external environmental change. Hence, organizational citizenship behaviour remains to be one of the most interesting areas for contemporary researchers. In the Indian context, immediate supervisors play significant role in stimulating employees’ attitude and behaviours. The leader-member association involving openness and mutual trust, encourages significant job results such as job satisfaction and OCB. Moreover, engaged employees go beyond the call of duty to perform their role in excellence. Accordingly, this study has considered leader-member exchange (LMX), and work engagement (WE) as potential antecedents of OCB. Although, existing literature revealed that leader-member exchange (LMX) and work engagement (WE) have been associated with various positive job outcomes such as job performance and OCB, the literature suggests that some intervening ii mechanisms also exist in the relationship between LMX, WE and job outcomes. Keeping the above discussion in mind, the current study tries to analyse the mediating role of job embeddedness (JE) in relation with leader-member exchange (LMX), work engagement (WE) and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Thus, the study extends the understanding of the effect of leader-member exchange and work engagement on the job embeddedness of IT employees working in Indian context and suggests that job embeddedness acts as a mediating variable between the factors such as leader-member exchange, work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviour. The data were collected from the working professionals from the Indian IT sector, which is characterized by boundary spanning projects, team-based work, group performances, ongoing coordination, collaborations and interdependencies in work groups. This necessitates IT organizations to invest in appropriate human resource practices related to leader-member exchange (LMX), work engagement (WE), job embeddedness (JE) and organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB), which are critical factors for their success. Therefore, understanding about how the willingness to participate in “extra-role” behaviours can be advanced among IT professionals is most desired area of research. The above-mentioned background offers adequate evidences for examining the role of LMX, WE, and JE as crucial determinants of OCB in these organizations. Also, the study used descriptive research design and quantitative approach to examine the relationship among key study variables. The sample population was comprised of employees from 17 IT firms across the Delhi (NCR), India. Due to the time and resource constraints; convenience sampling technique was used for the data collection process. By using this technique questionnaires were circulated among the respondents and finally 430 questionnaires were used for the analysis of the data. Data analysis was done using regression analysis Hayes’ SPSS macro ‘PROCESS’. The results showed support for the hypothesized relationship between leader-member exchange, work engagement and organizational citizenship behaviour and indicated that LMX and work engagement positively influence the employees’ citizenship behaviour. Besides, job embeddedness was found as a partial mediator between LMX, work engagement and OCB which reveals that LMX and work engagement foster job embeddedness that promotes citizenship behaviour amongst employees. iii Recommendations to eliminate problems affecting the organization and promote “high-quality” LMX practices, creating supportive climate and fostering job embeddedness was discussed in the light of the findings. Finally, limitations and future scope of the study are also discussed.