Leader-member exchange, empowerment, organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behavior among junior officers

Abstract

The study was carried out to examine the relationship between leader-member exchange, empowerment, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior among junior officers. Correlational design was used to establish the relationship among the variables. The study involved 105 officers (subordinates) selected purposively from two organizations in the Ugandan power sector. Respondents constituted staff from Umeme (69.5%) and Eskom Uganda Limited (30.5%).

The data collected were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). In the analysis, Pearson Correlation Coefficient analysis was used to study the hypotheses. Regression analysis was used to test the predictor of OCB and independent-samples t-tests and One-way ANOVA were used to measure the differences between the mean scores. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between all variables. Empowerment was found to be the most significant predictor of organizational citizenship behavior with a beta coefficient of .538.

It was recommended that organizations put in place management systems and policies that foster an environment where employees feel empowered. An empowered work force will eventually become committed to the organizational objectives and then go an extra mile to exhibit extra-role behaviors. In formulating such policies, organizations should realize that they are social places and so they should place emphasis on quality social exchanges. This is because quality exchanges contribute to the psychological empowerment and organizational commitment of employees.