Collegiality in organizations: An economic approach to organizational citizenship behavior

Abstract

We present an economic model of collegiality based on production with synergies in organizations. The model provides an adverse selection based explanation of corporate culture distinct from moral hazard or equilibrium selection rationales. The model yields positive correlation between corporate culture and collegiality and explains the observed correlation between the strength of corporate culture and the reliability of firm performance. The implications of the model are aligned with a rich literature in management and applied psychology on organizational citizenship behavior.