Nurses’ experiences of the attributes of the organizational citizenship behavior: a qualitative content analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background and aim Organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among nurses, as the key human resources in healthcare systems, is of paramount importance to nursing care quality and patient outcomes. The present study was to reflect on Iranian nurses’ experiences of OCB. Methods This qualitative study was completed in Iran from December 2022 to October 2023. In total, 20 nurses involved in hospitals, meeting the inclusion criteria, were recruited by purposive sampling with maximum variation. The data were then collected using 20 semi-structured interviews, each one lasting 30–60 min, and finally analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Results The data analysis revealed the nurses’ experiences of OCB under nine subcategories and three main categories, including (i) “helping behavior”, comprised of four subcategories of helping colleagues at work, helping colleagues outside of work, boosting morale, and creating a culture of support and appreciation, (ii) “extra-role behavior” with two subcategories of cooperation in advancing tasks, and creativity and efforts to promote services, and (iii) “contribution to professional growth and development”, consisting of two subcategories of individual professional development and support for colleagues’ professional development. Conclusion Nursing managers and instructors can use the study results to enhance nurses’ OCB by evaluating and employing nurses, and incorporating OCB into nursing curricula and continuous training programs.