The impact of individualism and collectivism on the relationship between leadership styles and organizational citizenship behaviour

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to demonstrate the influence of leadership style on organizational citizenship behavior, as employees show individualistic or collectivistic characteristics. Methodology - 174 white-collar employees (105 males and 69 females) located in Istanbul (N=89) and Denizli (N=85) formed the sample of this study. A multidimensional questionnaire with six-point interval scale was applied to measure all substantive variables used in this study. Findings- This research revealed that OCB level in Denizli is significantly higher than the level of OCB level İn İstanbul as expected. There is also relationship between some of the leadership styles and OCB. Although both individualism and collectivism have a positive and meaningful correlation with OCB, the correlation between collectivism and OCB is stronger in relation to individualism and OCB. Conclusion-The relationship between leadership style and OCB is moderated by individualism in different ways according to the city. Culture is very important and influential in organizations. It can completely affect the concepts and value perceptions of people, and as a result the leadership styles expected by the employees.