Evaluating and rewarding OCBs : Potential consequences of formally incorporating organisational citizenship behaviour in performance appraisal and reward systems

Purpose – The paper aims to address a topic that has not been systematically studied in the organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), performance appraisal and rewards literature. Specifically, this paper seeks to examine the potential effects of rewarding OCBs by explicitly incorporating them into performance appraisal and reward systems. Design/methodology/approach – A review of relevant theory and literature is provided and propositions concerning the possible effects of assessing and rewarding OCBs are offered. Findings – The findings show that there are potential advantages and disadvantages of formally incorporating OCBs into performance appraisal systems and that it seems likely that more organisations will move toward formally measuring and rewarding OCBs. Originality/value – While most research indicates that OCBs are associated with positive outcomes, this paper also addresses potential negative consequences of formally evaluating and rewarding OCB.