Why you should be fostering organisational citizenship during (and after) COVID-19

The new coronavirus pandemic hasn’t been easy for anyone, and at a time of so much difficulty, it’s extremely difficult for many people who feel both physically and emotionally isolated from their friends, loved ones and co-workers. For that reason, your company would be wise to make sure it does more to foster organisational citizenship so that there are always close personal connections that anyone who’s struggling can lean on in times of need.

What is organisational citizenship?

There are plenty of tasks that are part of every worker’s job description, whether they’re a manager like you or the receptionist at the front desk. However, the Economics of Mutuality notes that organisational citizenship requires that, just as citizenship in the wider world means you care for the people in your community, you go above and beyond your normal work duties to support all co-workers.

Getting buy-in on organisational citizenship will go a long way for your company.

The question you may have, then, is why you should devote precious time and resources amid a global economic downturn (brought on by COVID-19) to this kind of organisational goal. However, there are a number of business benefits associated with such an approach, including the following:

1) It improves team performance and efficiency

When employees are given the kind of training needed to foster organisational citizenship, there was a general growth in how effectively teams performed their duties, and how productive their efforts were, according to a pair of studies conducted by researchers at Israel’s Ono Academic College and Bar-Ilan University, published in Frontiers in Psychology. Generally speaking, this may simply be evidence that team work really does make the dream work; when workers have better relationships and communication skills, and feel as though they can rely on each other, the entire organisation can get ahead collectively.

However, it’s worth noting that a lot of these benefits only came when employees felt their managers or co-workers were buying into the importance of organisational citizenship themselves, and fully believed in the level of support they were both giving and receiving.

2) It’s good for everyone

The studies also found that, regardless of demographic, the effects of organisational citizenship were positive for workers. Whether old or young, high up in corporate leadership ladder or just starting out, everyone gained at least some benefit by adopting these practices with effective training. In fact, the more trainings and behaviours reinforced these core ideas on an ongoing basis, the better the results tended to be.

3) It provides a deeper connection

By making co-worker relationships more meaningful overall, studies have shown that workers tend to feel more invigorated at the end of a work day or week, according to the Journal of Applied Psychology. That, in turn, reduces the risk of burnout on a given task, or with the job or company entirely. Indeed, organisational citizenship largely seems to imbue the work itself with more meaning. This was true for team members and managers alike, highlighting just how valuable it is to any business from the top down.

When trying to foster organisational citizenship and more camaraderie among your staff from the management suite to the mailroom and everywhere in between a little training can go a long way. At ICML, we offer courses that will help you develop your employees’ teamwork skills and think creatively to solve any problems they encounter so they can perform at a higher level on an ongoing basis.

That way, even long after the coronavirus pandemic has passed, your team members continue to draw on the skills they fostered during this trying time, transforming your workplace into one of great community strength. Get in touch with us today to learn more.