The effects of organisational commitment and employee perceptions of equity on organisational citizenship behaviour in Zimbabwean SMEs

• Author: Manilall Dhurup,Elizabeth Chinomona
• Published date: 01 July 2016
• Date: 01 July 2016
• Pages: 77-98
• DOI: 10.10520/EJC198298

South African Journal of Labour Relations: Vol 40 No 2 2016 77

Correspondence to: Dr E Chinomona, Department of Ligistics, Faculty of Management Sciences, Vaal University of

Technology, P/bag X021, Vanderbijlpark, 1911. E-mail: elizabethc@vut, ac.za.

The effects of organisational commitment

and employee perceptions of equity on

organisational citizenship behaviour

in Zimbabwean SMEs

by Elizabeth Chinomona* and Manilall Dhurup**

Abstract

Organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour have been

extensively researched from the per spective of antecedents and o utcomes.

Literature shows that employee perceptions of equity relationships in organsations

have been less extensively chronicled in research, especially in respect of

organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour, within a

Zimbabwean context. The objective of the study was to explore the relationship

between organisational commitment, employee perceptions of equity and

organisational citizenship behaviours among employees of small and medium

enterprises in Zimbabwe. The research design is located within a quantitative

research paradigm, undertaken through a cross-sectional, non-probabilty

covenience sample (n=464). Descriptive statistics, correlations and hierarchical

multiple regression analysis were used to evaluate the data. The results showed

that perceptions of eq uity, organisational commitment and organisational

citizenship behaviour are low among employees in the Zimbabwean small and

medium enterprise sector. The correlation analysis exhibits strong positive linear

relationship between the c onstructs. Further, the results of the multiple regression

analysis show that employee perceptions of equity and organisational commitment

are strong predictors of organisational citizenship behaviour. The findings of the

study will benefit owners/managers of SMEs and government entities in improving

their understanding of the issues of equity and organisational commitment effects

on organisational citizenship behaviour within the Zimbabwean context.

Key words: small and medium enterprises, organisational citizenship behaviour,

employee perceptions of equity, organisational commitment

1 Introduction

Employees are valuable assets and they have become pivotal for business performance

and sustained organisational existence (Pourgaz, Naruel & Jenaabadi 2015). It is

therefore not surprising that in the last decade academics and practitioners alik e have

exhibited considerable research interest in work-related issues like job satisfaction, work

engagement, organisational commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour and

* Dr Elizabeth Chinomona is a member of the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Vaal University

of Technology.

** Prof Manilall Dhurup is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Vaal

University of Technology.

78 South African Journal of Labour Relations: Vol 40 No 2 2016

retention (Radler & Ryuff 2010; Lumley, Coetzee, Tladinyane & Ferreria, 2011; Sieger,

Bernhard & Frey 2011; Jung & Yoon 2012; Rothausen & Henderson 2014). Moreover,

an array of research on organisational citizenship behaviour and employee perceptions

of equity in organisations has emerged as a viable body of scientific inquiry propelled by

the argument that organisational citizenship behaviour is an organisational phenomenon

that deserves more attention and empirical examination along with other related constructs

(Koys 20 01; Yoon & Suh 2003, Ravichandran & Gilmore 2007; Cho & Johanson 2008;

Podsakoff, Whiting, Podsakoff & Blume 2009; Park, Ellis, Kim & Prideaux 2010, Nicklin,

Greenbaum, McNail, Folger & Williams 2011). The importance of organisational citizenship

behaviour lies in its potential positive consequences and effects on work-related outcomes.

Earlier research studies have provided evidence that organisational commitment and

perceptions of equity enhance organisational citizenship behaviour in organisations (Ferris,

Adams, Kolodinsky, Hochwarter & Ammeter 2002; Rosen, Chang, Johnson & Levy 2009;

Park et al 2010; Crawford, Hofmeyer & Price 2015).

Notwithstanding the above, ineq uity issues often seem to emerge in management

literature, as evidenced by labour disputes, emanating from employees’ perceptions of

inequity in the workplace, with resultant anxiety (Colquitt, Conlon, Wessson, Porter & Ng

2001; Nicklin et al 2011), which impacts negatively on job performance, cooperation with

co-workers, quality of work, and organisational commitment (Cropanzano, Howes,

Grandey & Toth 1997; Botha & Cronje 2015).

2 The study context

The study was conducted among employees in the Zimbabwean small and medium

enterprise (SME) sector as SMEs have become a focal point for economic growth (Gono

2009; Maseko et al 2012; Karedza, Sikwila, Mpofu & Makurumidze 2014). It is evident

from the literature review that SMEs encompass a wide range of definitions and statistical

measures, varying from country to country, and differently reported by various sources.

The criteria commonly used in Zimbabwe to describe SMEs range from the number of

employees, total net assets and sales to investment levels (Chinomona & Pretorius

2011). Descriptions within th e Zimbabwean context also refer to SMEs as registered

enterprises with a maximum of 100 employees and an annual sales turnove r of a

maximum of US$ 800 000 (Machipisa 1998; Nyoni 2002) which are not a subsidiary or

branch of a large business enterprise. Moreover, these entities do not hold assets in any

fiduciary capacity for a group of outside investors (e.g. banks, insurance entities, security

brokers) but for owners, who are usually managers. Large enterprises are described as

entities that carry a turnover in excess of US$ 800 000, belong to a subsidiary or branch

or an associate of a large business enterprise and employ in excess of 100 employees,

have a large capital base and are more capital-intensive (Maseko et al 2012).

As in other countries, SMEs in Zimbabwe are regarded as engines of economic growth

and instruments of employment generation. However, SMEs in Zimbabwe are hampered

by a lack of resources, which impedes their expansion and influence in the market

(African Development Bank 1997). In Zimbabwe, the development of the small busin ess

sector is crucial for the achievement of broader developmental objectives (Chipika &

Wilson 2006; Gono 2009) such as alleviating poverty, extending employment to rural

areas, improving the situation of women and increasing indigenous ownership of

investment in the economy (Nyoni 2002). Although this sector is important, it has been

neglected by researchers, especially in the areas of equity, organisational citizenship

behaviour and commitment.