Organizational Citizenship Behavior Checklist (OCB-C)

Abstract

The Organizational Citizenship Behavior Checklist (OCB-C) is a psychometric instrument developed primarily by Paul Spector and colleagues to measure the frequency of discretionary, non-mandatory behaviors performed by employees that benefit the organization or its members. Unlike subjective rating scales, the OCB-C utilizes a comprehensive checklist format across several lengths (42-item, 36-item, 20-item, and 10-item versions) to capture specific, observable instances of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). This scale is widely used in industrial-organizational psychology to assess positive employee contributions and to explore its complex relationship with counterproductive behaviors and overall job performance.

Keywords

Organizational Citizenship Behavior, OCB-C, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Job Performance, Counterproductive Work Behavior, Employee Assessment, Paul Spector, Discretionary Behavior.

Authors

Paul E. Spector, J. A. Bauer, S. Fox, A. Goh, K. Bruursema, S. R. Kessler

Purpose

The primary purpose of the OCB-C is to provide a detailed, behaviorally anchored assessment of the frequency of citizenship behaviors displayed by employees. By shifting the focus from abstract dimensions to specific, observable actions, the instrument seeks to minimize measurement artifacts and enhance the empirical rigor of OCB research. This approach is particularly valuable for differentiating OCB from other constructs, such as contextual performance or formal job duties.

Furthermore, the OCB-C was developed in part to address methodological challenges in organizational research, specifically regarding the relationship between positive discretionary behavior (OCB) and negative discretionary behavior, known as Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB). The scale facilitates investigations into whether these constructs are truly opposite poles of a single continuum or distinct, potentially co-occurring, phenomena in the workplace.

Construct

The OCB-C measures Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), which is conceptually defined as voluntary conduct that goes beyond job requirements and contributes to the effective functioning of the organization. The items cover a broad range of behaviors that can be categorized into two major targets: OCB directed toward individuals (OCB-I, or altruism and helping co-workers) and OCB directed toward the organization (OCB-O, or conscientiousness, civic virtue, and loyalty).

The instrument’s strength lies in its comprehensive coverage of various forms of citizenship, encompassing interpersonal support (e.g., mentoring, lending a compassionate ear) and organizational initiative (e.g., offering suggestions, volunteering for extra work). Although often scored as a single global measure of citizenship, the breadth of the items ensures a thorough representation of the underlying multidimensional construct.

Validity

Validation studies for the OCB-C, notably those published by Spector, Fox, and their collaborators, support its strong construct validity. The scale demonstrates appropriate convergent validity with existing measures of OCB and discriminant validity, particularly when measured against related negative constructs like Counterproductive Work Behavior. The behavioral checklist format helps mitigate common method bias associated with subjective global ratings, thereby strengthening the clarity of findings.

Research using the OCB-C frequently employs advanced statistical techniques, such as Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), to confirm that the observed relationships between OCB and other variables (e.g., job attitudes, personality traits, organizational climate) align with established organizational theory. This robust validation process confirms the scale’s utility in accurately capturing employee citizenship contributions.

Reliability

The Organizational Citizenship Behavior Checklist exhibits high levels of internal consistency across its various formats. Reliability coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) reported in academic literature typically exceed 0.80 for the longer versions, indicating strong homogeneity among the items in measuring the overall OCB construct. Even the shortened 10-item and 20-item versions maintain acceptable to good reliability scores, making them efficient tools for research settings requiring brief assessments.

Furthermore, the reliance on specific, tangible behaviors contributes to higher stability and inter-rater reliability when the scale is adapted for use as a supervisory or peer assessment tool, ensuring that the measurement is consistent across different observers and over time.

Factor Analysis

While the theoretical foundation of OCB suggests multiple underlying dimensions, the OCB-C is often used in practice to derive a single, global index of citizenship. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on the full 42-item version typically confirm that the items load onto several correlated factors, consistent with the traditional OCB dimensions (e.g., Altruism, Civic Virtue, Conscientiousness). However, the high correlation among these factors justifies the use of a total OCB score for many research applications.

The development process, detailed in publications by Paul Spector et al. (2010), prioritized creating parsimonious versions (like the 10-item OCB-C) that efficiently capture the global variance in citizenship behavior, thereby streamlining data collection while maintaining high reliability and validity.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report checklist, often adaptable for peer or supervisory ratings.

Format: Items are rated on a five-point frequency scale reflecting how often the behavior occurred: 1=Never, 2= Once or twice, 3= Once or twice per month, 4= Once or twice per week, 5=Every day.

Language Available: Primarily English, with translations frequently used in cross-cultural organizational studies.

Population Group: Employees and working adults across all sectors and organizational levels.

Age Group: Adults (18 years and older).

Population Details: The scale has been validated across diverse occupational samples, making it suitable for general organizational behavior research.

Test Methodology: The respondent checks the frequency of their own behavior (or the behavior of a target employee) over a specified retrospective period.

Keywords

Organizational Behavior, Personnel Psychology, Citizenship Behavior, Workplace Assessment, Employee Morale, Organizational Performance, Paul Spector, Work Attitudes, I-O Psychology, Psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source content.)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source content.)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Refer to the official website of Paul Spector for current contact details.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Organizational Citizenship Behavior Checklist (OCB-C) is generally available for use without cost for non-commercial academic research and educational purposes, provided the conditions outlined by the primary author are met. Specific conditions for use are available here: http://paulspector.com/scales/our-assessments/conditions-for-using-these-assessments/. The key validation work establishing the checklist format was published in 2010.

Reference’s

• Bollen, K., & Lennox, R. (1991). Conventional wisdom on measurement: A structural equation perspective. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 305-314.
• Dalal, R. S. (2005). A Meta-analysis of the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90, 1241-1255.
• Edwards, J. R., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2000). On the nature and direction of relationships between constructs and measures. Psychological Methods, 5, 155-174.
• Fox, S., Spector, P. E., Goh, A., Bruursema, K., & Kessler, S. R. (2009). The deviant citizen: Clarifying the measurement of organizational citizenship behavior and its relation to counterproductive work behavior. Loyola University Chicago.
• Spector, P. E., Bauer, J. A., & Fox, S. (2010). Measurement artifacts in the assessment of counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior: Do we know what we think we know? Journal of Applied Psychology, 95, 781-790.
• Fox, S., Spector, P. E., Goh, A., Bruursema, K., & Kessler, S. R. (2012). The deviant citizen: Measuring potential positive relations between counterproductive work behaviour and organizational citizenship behaviour. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 85, 199-220.

Items of the Organizational Citizenship Behavior Checklist (OCB-C)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

OCB-C 42-Item

1. Helped co-worker with personal matter such as moving, childcare, car problems, etc.
2. Picked up meal for others at work
3. Picked up or dropped off co-worker at airport, hotel, restaurant, etc.
4. Drove, escorted, or entertained company guests, clients, or out-of-town employees.
5. Took time to advise, coach, or mentor a co-worker.
6. Helped co-worker learn new skills or shared job knowledge.
7. Covered a co-worker’s mistake.
8. Helped new employees get oriented to the job.
9. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a work problem.
10. Bought Girl Scout cookies or other fund raising items from a co-worker (or their child).
11. Used own vehicle, supplies or equipment for employer’s business.
12. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a personal problem.
13. Lent money to a co-worker.
14. Contributed and/or sent cards/flowers for co-worker birthdays/special occasions.
15. Lent car or other personal property to co-worker.
16. Changed vacation schedule, work days, or shifts to accommodate co-worker’s needs.
17. Offered suggestions to improve how work is done.
18. Offered suggestions for improving the work environment.
19. Finished something for co-worker who had to leave early.
20. Helped a less capable co-worker lift a heavy box or other object.
21. Came in early or stayed late without pay to complete a project or task.
22. Helped a co-worker who had too much to do.
23. Volunteered for extra work assignments.
24. Took phone messages for absent or busy co-worker.
25. Tried to recruit a person to work for your employer
26. Worked weekends or other days off to complete a project or task.
27. Informed manager of co-worker’s excellent performance.
28. Brought work home to prepare for next day.
29. Volunteered to attend meetings or work on committees on own time.
30. Developed extracurricular activities for co-workers (sport team, etc.)
31. Said good things about your employer in front of others.
32. Gave up meal and other breaks to complete work.
33. Brought candy, doughnuts, snacks, or drinks for co-workers.
34. Organized office celebrations for holidays and co-workers’ birthdays, retirement, etc.
35. Volunteered to work at after-hours or out-of-town events.
36. Volunteered to help a co-worker deal with a difficult customer, vendor, or co-worker.
37. Gave a written or verbal recommendation for a co-worker.
38. Went out of the way to give co-worker encouragement or express appreciation.
39. Decorated, straightened up, or otherwise beautified common work space.
40. Spent extra time helping a co-worker prepare/edit/rehearse a presentation or paper.
41. Assisted a co-worker with device or equipment such as computers, copy machines, etc.
42. Defended a co-worker who was being “put-down” or spoken ill of by other co-workers or supervisor.

OCB-C 36-Item

1. Picked up meal for others at work
2. Drove, escorted, or entertained company guests, clients, or out-of-town employees.
3. Took time to advise, coach, or mentor a co-worker.
4. Helped co-worker learn new skills or shared job knowledge.
5. Helped new employees get oriented to the job.
6. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a work problem.
7. Used own vehicle, supplies or equipment for employer’s business.
8. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a personal problem.
9. Contributed and/or sent cards/flowers for co-worker birthdays/special occasions.
10. Changed vacation schedule, work days, or shifts to accommodate co-worker’s needs.
11. Offered suggestions to improve how work is done.
12. Offered suggestions for improving the work environment.
13. Finished something for co-worker who had to leave early.
14. Helped a less capable co-worker lift a heavy box or other object.
15. Came in early or stayed late without pay to complete a project or task.
16. Helped a co-worker who had too much to do.
17. Volunteered for extra work assignments.
18. Took phone messages for absent or busy co-worker.
19. Tried to recruit a person to work for your employer
20. Worked weekends or other days off to complete a project or task.
21. Informed manager of co-worker’s excellent performance.
22. Brought work home to prepare for next day.
23. Volunteered to attend meetings or work on committees on own time.
24. Developed extracurricular activities for co-workers (e.g., sport team)
25. Said good things about your employer in front of others.
26. Gave up meal and other breaks to complete work.
27. Brought candy, doughnuts, snacks, or drinks for co-workers.
28. Organized office celebrations for holidays and co-workers’ birthdays, retirement, etc.
29. Volunteered to work at after-hours or out-of-town events.
30. Volunteered to help a co-worker deal with a difficult customer, vendor, or co-worker.
31. Gave a written or verbal recommendation for a co-worker.
32. Went out of the way to give co-worker encouragement or express appreciation.
33. Decorated, straightened up, or otherwise beautified common work space.
34. Spent extra time helping a co-worker prepare/edit/rehearse a presentation or paper.
35. Assisted a co-worker with device or equipment such as computers, copy machines, etc.
36. Defended a co-worker who was being “put-down” or spoken ill of by other co-workers or supervisor.

OCB-C 20-Item

1. Picked up meal for others at work
2. Took time to advise, coach, or mentor a co-worker.
3. Helped co-worker learn new skills or shared job knowledge.
4. Helped new employees get oriented to the job.
5. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a work problem.
6. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a personal problem.
7. Changed vacation schedule, work days, or shifts to accommodate co-worker’s needs.
8. Offered suggestions to improve how work is done.
9. Offered suggestions for improving the work environment.
10. Finished something for co-worker who had to leave early.
11. Helped a less capable co-worker lift a heavy box or other object.
12. Helped a co-worker who had too much to do.
13. Volunteered for extra work assignments.
14. Took phone messages for absent or busy co-worker.
15. Said good things about your employer in front of others.
16. Gave up meal and other breaks to complete work.
17. Volunteered to help a co-worker deal with a difficult customer, vendor, or co-worker.
18. Went out of the way to give co-worker encouragement or express appreciation.
19. Decorated, straightened up, or otherwise beautified common work space.
20. Defended a co-worker who was being “put-down” or spoken ill of by other co-workers or supervisor.

OCB-C 10-Item (Spector et al, 2010)

1. Took time to advise, coach, or mentor a co-worker.
2. Helped co-worker learn new skills or shared job knowledge.
3. Helped new employees get oriented to the job.
4. Lent a compassionate ear when someone had a work problem.
5. Offered suggestions to improve how work is done.
6. Helped a co-worker who had too much to do.
7. Volunteered for extra work assignments.
8. Worked weekends or other days off to complete a project or task.
9. Volunteered to attend meetings or work on committees on own time.
10. Gave up meal and other breaks to complete work.