When promises matter more than fairness: The dominant role of the psychological contract in driving organisational citizenship behaviour in a selected South African higher education institution

Abstract

Orientation: South African universities increasingly rely on the discretionary efforts of academic staff to maintain high teaching and learning standards, research and innovation and community engagement. Perceived organisational justice has long been related to positive extra-role behaviours, while the role of the psychological contract, which is employees’ beliefs about mutual obligations with their employer, has received less attention as a dominant driver of organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB).
Research purpose: The purpose was to test whether the psychological contract predicts OCB more strongly than organisational justice.
Motivation for the study: Previous research emphasised organisational justice as a key driver of OCB. However, evidence suggests that fulfilled psychological contracts may matter more, especially in universities where resource constraints challenge fair treatment.
Research approach/design and method: A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was applied, and data were collected from 340 academic staff using a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using the PROCESS macro to test direct effects.
Main findings: The results showed that organisational justice did not significantly predict OCB when the psychological contract was considered. The psychological contract emerged as a strong direct predictor of OCB, explaining a significant portion of its variance.
Practical/managerial implications: Managers in higher education institution should prioritise fulfilling the psychological contract through clear communication and delivery on promises to promote OCB, rather than relying solely on perceived organisational justice.
Contribution/value-add: This study extends the understanding of OCB antecedents by highlighting the dominant role of the psychological contract over organisational justice in a South African university context.