Does job satisfaction mediate the nexus between perceived organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior? : empirical evidence from Ethiopian Public Higher Education Institutions

The justice practice of an organization plays a vital role in the way that an individual perceives organizational citizenship behavior and job satisfaction in the workplace. However, there is scanty research on how justice practice affects organizational citizenship behavior and employee job satisfaction in developing countries like Ethiopia. This study endeavors to fill this gap by analyzing the mediating role of employee job satisfaction in the nexus between perceived organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior by controlling various demographic variables. The study used a cross-sectional design and involved 312 full-time non-academic staff members from Ethiopian Public Higher Education Institutions. Data were gathered using a self-administered survey questionnaire. By integrating the theory of social exchange and equity theory, the study theorized that employee job satisfaction mediates the nexus between perceived organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results showed that employee job satisfaction partially mediated the positive and significant association between perceived organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior. This study contributes an additional understanding of the significant role of employee job satisfaction in unlocking the black box between perceived justice and citizenship behavior in developing countries like Ethiopia in the context of Higher Education Institutions.