ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR: CHARACTERIZATION OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC PRODUCTION IN THE PERIOD 2002-2012

This bibliometric study aims to present a characterization of international research on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), from the analysis of articles published in the period from 2002 to 2012, in major international journals in the areas of Management and Psychology. The choice of literature analyzed is considered one of the key points to the bibliometric analysis, so the selection criteria involved the cataloguing by Journal Citation Report (JCR). For each of the areas searched – Management and Applied Psychology – the three journals with the highest impact factors (FI) were selected, and the three most significant journals common to both areas were elected. Next, the choice of keywords was made, which characterizes a first filter to select the articles. Then, the pre-selected texts were fully read and nine were dropped from the initial set of 157 articles, since it was evident that they dealt with issues not related to the specific approach of the OCB. Thereby, 148 articles constituted the core of the analysis, and they were, in a third moment, analyzed based on a script developed specifically for this study. Through this analysis, the importance of the OCB was made clear, since there is a significant number of investigations on the topic and a growth in production, mainly in the years 2010 and 2011. It was possible to see the predominance of empirical articles, having as object the analysis of individuals. Regarding the method, there was a higher incidence of quantitative research (survey), and the models of Williams and Anderson (1991) and Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Moorman, and Fetter (1990) have been the most widely used. The OCB was associated mainly with Organizational Justice and Leadership. However, it was also found out that most articles, by using descriptive and quantitative research, did not deepen analyses that would provide better understanding on the subject, suggesting the need for the expansion of studies. As for the limits of the study, scope can be cited. Therefore, in order to expand this research, a survey of national studies is suggested.

Organizational Citizenship Behavior; Bibliometric Study; International Scientific Production; Management; Psychology