Organizational compassion, person-organization fit and discretionary behaviours in non-governmental organizations: a moderated model
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-07-2020-0097 |
| Published date | 24 March 2022 |
| Date | 24 March 2022 |
| Pages | 349-367 |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
| Author | Francis Kasekende,Sentrine Nasiima,Rodgers Byamukama |
Organizational compassion,
person-organization fit and
discretionary behaviours in
non-governmental organizations:
a moderated model
Francis Kasekende
School of Business and Information Technology, Nkumba University,
Entebbe, Uganda and
Department of Human Resource Management, Makerere University Business School,
Kampala, Uganda
Sentrine Nasiima
Department of Human Resource Management, Makerere University Business School,
Kampala, Uganda, and
Rodgers Byamukama
Graduate Research Centre, Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda
Abstract
Purpose –The authors proposed that Organizational Compassion and Person-Organization-Fit dimensions
interactively predict Discretionary Behaviours among employees in the Non-Governmental Organization
(NGO) sector in Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach –The authors employ structural equation modelling to test hypotheses.
The research was carried out in two studies; the second one was done six months after the first study. Two
samples of respondents were drawn from NGOs operating in West Nile and Kampala regions, respectively.
Findings –Discretionary behaviours were significantly related to the cross-sectionally assessed predictors
including organizational compassion and supplementary fit. Complementary fit did not significantly predict
discretionary behaviours. Both supplementary fit and complementary fit moderated the association between
organizational compassion and employee discretionary behaviours among both rural and urban setting
placed NGOs.
Practical implications –In order to boost employee exhibition of discretionary behaviours, leaders of NGOs
should always endeavour to find viable organizational compassion-supplementary fit and organizational
compassion-complementary fit blend that can add value to NGOs in Uganda.
Originality/value –This is one of the few studies that have focused on testing the interaction effects of
organizational compassion and person organization fit dimensions on discretionary behaviours. These results
highlight both supplementary fit and complementary fit as key individual resources that promote the effects of
organization compassion on discretionary behaviours among NGO workers in Uganda.
Keywords Interaction effect, Organizational compassion, Person-organization fit, Discretionary behaviours,
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Employees are a foundation for competitive advantage for any institution (Clark, 1997), thus
the necessity to exploit their extra-role performance in order to ensure institutional
endurance. Today, institutions are ever more mindful of extra-role performance; referred to as
Predicting
discretionary
behaviours
349
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-
for-profit sectors.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2049-3983.htm
Received 24 April 2021
Revised 17 August 2021
27 December 2021
19 February 2022
Accepted 4 March 2022
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 10 No. 4, 2022
pp. 349-367
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2049-3983
DOI10.1108/EBHRM-07-2020-0097
discretionary behaviours because they play a crucial function in increasing institutional
performance (Saoula et al., 2018). In order to attain their goals, institutions should not only
hire workers who are just compassionate but equally able to exhibit discretionary behaviours
(Francis et al., 2018). Hiring compassionate employees is principally fundamental for
organizations (Katherine and Kurt, 2020) such as the Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) as they are now entangled in a predicament of serving vulnerable persons. Under
such circumstances, organizational compassion becomes a foundation of organizational
success (Lown et al., 2020) such as in NGOs.
Compassion is the state induced by another person’s suffering “a painful emotion”that
one person experiences for another (Nussbaum, 1996). Organizational compassion refers to a
dynamic process or a set of subprocesses that may be found both in individuals and
collectivities. It exists when members of a system collectively notice, feel and respond to pain
experienced by members of that system. These subprocesses become collective when they are
legitimated within an organization context and propagated among organizational members
(April et al., 2013). This hence forces incisive managers in organizations (NGOs not excluded)
to devote their efforts to organizational compassion acts among their employees (Ko and
Choi, 2020). In fact, organizations such as NGOs are reaping success in their endeavours
through their efforts to generate, promote and mobilize support for employee exhibition of
discretionary behaviours. They do this through the building of compassionate acts like
collective noticing, collective feeling and collective responding (Ko and Choi, 2020).
Undoubtedly, the ability to succeed in the NGO sector is anchored on an appropriate
human resource function; rendering it imperative for current researchers to identify the
building blocks to discretionary behaviours (Kasekende, 2017). To the best of the researchers’
knowledge, quite few studies have explored elements that impact discretionary behaviours in
the current NGO sector, particularly in developing countries like Uganda (National Bureau of
NGOs, 2019). This study capitalizes on organizational compassion and person-organization-
fit as key precursors of discretionary behaviours in the NGO sector in Uganda.
First, Uganda has suffered from a number of natural and man-made catastrophes
particularly civilwars (Abaho et al., 2019). In the recentpast, wars withinthe country haveled to
internal displacement of people. Furthermore, the wars from both internally in Uganda and
externally from neighbouring countries such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republicof
Congo (DRC) (Abaho et al., 2019) and other catastrophes such as famine and disease have led
people from those countries to seek safe haven in Uganda. This has created a toll on the
economicdevelopment of thecountry in terms of space,provision of food,water, sanitationand
medicine (Abaho et al., 2019). These challenges necessitated the assistance from NGOs both
locally and internationally to augment government efforts. The NGOs have done a lot of good
work. There are many NGOs actively assisting d isplaced persons in West Nile region (Human
Security Report Project, 2011). West Nile, a rural setting lies in the north-west of Uganda and
borders South Sudan and Eastern DRC; countries that have suffered from many civil wars
rendering people to leave their areas and seek refuge in the relatively peaceful West Nile
(Branch, 2010). Over 1,700 NGO employees (National Bureau of NGOs, 2019) are also active in
the Ugandancapital city Kampala; an urbansetting where many refugees from nationssuch as
Somalia,South Sudanand DRC have settledin search of peaceand employment(Enzama, 2015).
The workof caring for refugeesis not only tediousbut also createsmoral pain on the partof the
employee. These employeesbreak down and require compassionate acts. Therefore, studying
how compassionate tendencies affect them, adds value to their contribution to alleviating the
problemsof a sufferingsociety. Second,the governmentexpense on these peopleaffected by the
catastrophes is expected to reduce and the government will instead redirect such money into
developmental projectssuch as road and energyinfrastructure.Nonetheless, whereasthe NGO
sector features strongly in the alleviation of suffering of displaced persons, the sector has
remained less exploited (National Bureau of NGOs, 2019;SDP, 2017). Unquestionably, the sector
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