More Similar, Better Belonging: Effect of Organizational Citizenship Behavior Profile Similarity on Ostracism

As positive nontask behavior, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) is a well-known concept that has been investigated by numerous studies. However, weakness in the research stream is viewing this concept from the perspective of the actor. In this study, OCB is considered as a social activity that assists actors’ survival in their organizations, and how OCB affects ostracism that effectively reflects belonging in the organization is investigated. Moreover, to identify the relationship in detail, three different independent variables are used, including OCB, OCB aggregate gap, and OCB profile similarity, using social exchange theory and similarity attraction theory. The analysis is conducted using samples from 210 employees who work for Korean companies. The results indicate that OCB profile similarity has a stronger effect on reducing ostracism than the absolute level of OCB and the OCB aggregate gap.