The relationships between the HEXACO personality dimensions and organisational citizenship behaviours within the civil engineering sector

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The construction industry is a large, diverse and complex industry. In recent times, this industry has experienced a long-lasting period of inactivity. One sector that forms part of the construction industry is the civil engineering sector. This sector is the largest contributor to the income of the industry as a whole. Recent reports indicate that the construction companies within this industry are experiencing many challenges in both the internal and external environments.A preliminary discussion with a number of engineers indicated that these individuals felt as if they were required to do more than what was expected of them in terms of their job requirements. These expectations not only include being expected to voluntarily work overtime and to be tolerant of non-ideal site conditions, but also to informally develop the interpersonal skills necessary to minimise conflict and to motivate and support each other. The majority of the participating companies admitted to having a lack of such voluntary behaviour, namely organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), amongst their engineers on site. It is for this reason that the core objective of the study was to develop and empirically study a structural model that explains the antecedents that contribute the most to the variance in OCB amongst civil engineers on various sites within South African engineering companies. During the preliminary discussion and subsequent literature review, the main antecedent found was personality.A quantitative research method with an ex post facto correlation design was utilised, where primary data was collected from a sample of 119 site employees of a number of South African construction companies. The self-administered questionnaire consisted of four sections, three of which were an amalgamation of the three valid and reliable measuring instruments that reflect the central focus of the structural model, i.e. personality, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour.The collected data was then analysed by means of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling. The results of the study indicate that certain personality characteristics do contribute to the occurrence of organisational citizenship behaviour amongst site employees. Within the areas of personality and job satisfaction theories, this research adds to the existing literature on OCB. In order to assist South African industrial psychologists within this industry, managerial implications and suggested interventions pertaining to the research findings are provided.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University