The Relationship between Power Type, Work Engagement, and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors

Abstract

The focus of this study is to investigate if power type improves organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) through work engagement. Based on existing research, power can be classified into two main types: coercive and non-coercive power. Coercive power is divided into the categories of coercion, reward, and legitimate power, and non-coercive power can be divided into information, expert, and reference power. Therefore, this study examines what kind of relationship is formed in the work engagement of organization members based on power type, and ultimately empirically investigates the effects on OCB. Although it is very important in organizational research, no study has yet been conducted on the relationships between power type, work engagement, and OCB. The survey targets of this study were the companies listed on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), a stock market in South Korea. The companies listed on the KOSPI are the representative companies of South Korea, as announced by the South Korean government based on their market representativeness, liquidity, and industry representativeness. This study sheds new light on the relationships between power type, work engagement, and OCB which have been overlooked from both the academic and practical perspectives. Based on this study, it is expected that power types that have practical influence will be further investigated, and the plans required for the maintenance of better relationships in an organization could then be established.