The aim of the present study is to investigate the extent to which perceived organizational support and coworkers’ conflict and work-family conflict play a role in the performance of three types of organizational citizenship behaviors. A cross-sectional design was used comprising a sample of 164 health support workers working in Portuguese elderly care facilities. Using structural equation model findings showed that perceived organizational support is linked with organizational citizenship behaviors, directly and indirectly, via work-family conflict. Furthermore, coworkers’ conflict was also related with organizational citizenship behaviors, directly and indirectly via work-family conflict. The linkage between perceived organizational support and coworkers’ conflict through work-family conflict can offer new insights into how to enhance organizational citizenship behaviors by active management. These findings can help elderly care organizations and their managers to design better workplace conditions where organizational support and coworkers’ conflict can be better managed allowing workers to have more control over work-family conflict and promoting organizational citizenship behaviors.

Purpose – Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) have been studied in both private and public sector organizations in countries around the globe. The purpose of this study is to compare the perceptions of the OCB construct between American and Portuguese public secondary school teachers and test an operational measure of the construct for schools across the two cultures. Design/methodology/approach – Teachers' perceptions of the OCB in their schools were measured using the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale. This operational measure, developed in the USA, was translated for use with Portuguese teachers. Data from samples of US and Portuguese secondary schools were compared. Principal axis factor analyses, reliability coefficients, and other descriptive data were used to verify the factor structures, number of factors, and reliability of the measure across these two cultures. Findings – Both versions of the OCB Scale (American and Portuguese) were reliable and stable; they worked well for both high schools and middle schools in Portugal and in the USA. One factor of organizational citizenship emerged. The operational measure used to measure OCB in public schools in this study is reliable and stable, despite cultural differences. Practical implications – OCB are important because they influence organizational effectiveness. Despite cultural variations, and dramatic historical differences in their public education systems, this operational measure of OCB was effective. It provides researchers and practitioners a reliable and valid measure to assess the OCB of school organizations. Originality/value – This was the first attempt to determine the integrity of an operational measure of OCB across cultures. The construct has been studied in schools in different countries using different operational measures, which blurred the definition of the construct and made it difficult to study and compare to other variables of effectiveness.

MEMÓRIA ORGANIZACIONAL, GESTÃO DO CONHECIMENTO E COMPORTAMENTOS DE CIDADANIA ORGANIZACIONAL

The present study examines the psychometric properties (including factorial validity) of an organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) scale in a school context. A total of 321 middle and high school teachers from 59 schools in urban and rural areas of central Portugal completed the OCB scale at their schools. The confirmatory factor analysis validated a hierarchical model with four latent factors on the first level (altruism, conscientiousness, civic participation and courtesy) and a second order factor (OCB). The revised model fit with the data, χ²/gl = 1.97; CFI = .962; GFI = .952, RMSEA = .05. The proposed scale (comportamentos de cidadania organizacional em escolas- Revista CCOE-R)- is a valid instrument to assess teacher’s perceptions of OCB in their schools, allowing investigation at the organizational level of analysis.

Organizational restructuring and technological developments have been associated with working for longer hours, assuming more responsibilities, and feeling more pressure to reach demanding work targets leading to work intensification. Guided by the framework of the JD Resources and stress-as-offense-to-self theory, the aim of the present study was to explore how work intensification decreases work engagement. We posit that illegitimate tasks and work–family conflict could play a mediator role between work intensification and work engagement. A total of 480 employees in Portugal completed an online survey. The results showed a negative correlation between work intensification, illegitimate tasks, and work–family conflict. Work identification can affect work engagement indirectly through two paths: the separate intermediary effect of illegitimate tasks or work–family conflict and the continuous mediating role of illegitimate tasks and work–family conflict. The results indicate that work intensification decreases work engagement through the role of illegitimate tasks and work–family conflict. This study contributes to the literature on the impacts of work intensification by considering the sequential mediating effect of illegitimate tasks and work–family conflict on work engagement. Although past research has claimed that work intensification negatively impacts work engagement, our results showed that illegitimate tasks and work–family conflict play a critical role in this process.