Moderating Effect of Supervisory Role Definitions and Employee Impression Management on the Relationship between Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Individual Outcomes: A Conceptual Framework

This paper develops a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and individual outcomes. A distinction is made between two types of individual outcomes for work performance, economic exchange outcomes and social exchange outcomes. It is argued that organizational citizenship behavior will result in supervisors providing social exchange outcomes for individuals. Supervisor’s definition of the employee’s role (role definition) and employee impression management are proposed as moderators of the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and social exchange outcomes. It is argued that supervisors will be more likely to provide social exchange outcomes to individuals who engage in organizational citizenship behavior when they have narrow role definitions and when they do not perceive the employee’s behavior as attempted impression management. Implications for empirical research and managerial practice are discussed.