Effect of department structure on the organizational citizenship behavior–department effectiveness relationship

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the variable of organizational structure is related to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and organizational effectiveness within an organizational setting at the department level. Survey data were analyzed from a sample of 101 firms in the U.S., though missing data leaves only 78 complete cases. To avoid common method bias, both supervisors and subordinates provide data for this study. Two competing models are examined: a moderated model versus a mediated model testing the impact of OCB on the structure-department effectiveness relationship. A strong mediated relationship is found while the moderated model is insignificant. Thus, the relationship between structure, measured on an organic–mechanistic scale, and departmental effectiveness is partly driven by OCB.