Recency Effects In Justice and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Impact of Coping Style

Abstract

The present study examines the incremental effects of interpersonal and
informational justice over three time periods on organizational citizenship behavior
(OCB). Fairness heuristic theory and uncertainty management theory are used to
examine whether initial justice perceptions are consistently influential over time on
OCB creating a primacy effect, or if later justice perceptions are more influential
on OCB than initial ones creating a recency effect. Results indicate a possible
recency effect in longitudinal justice perceptions. Additionally, two individual
coping styles, approach and avoidance, were examined as moderators of the justice/
OCB relationship. It was hypothesized that higher levels of avoidance coping would
make justice perceptions more influential in predicting OCB, but higher levels of
approach coping would make justice perceptions less influential in predicting OCB.
The hypotheses were mostly supported for OCB directed toward individuals, but not
for OCB directed toward the organization.