Why do team members help each other? Investigating cross-level antecedents of organisational citizenship behaviour

In this study, we investigated the effect of cross-level factors, including team members' altruistic personalities, the quality of team member exchange (TMX), interdependence of team structure, as well as interactions between these variables, on team members' organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Using the military teams in Taiwan as samples, we collected empirical data of 90 teams, each with three team members and one team leader. Results of hierarchical linear modelling analysis showed that (a) a team member's altruistic personality has no significant relationship with OCB, (b) both TMX and team interdependence have positive relationships with OCB, and (c) team interdependence has a cross-level moderating effect on the relationship between TMX and OCB. For team management, establishing high TMX and interdependent working styles can promote OCB among team members. The results of this study add to knowledge on team members' display of OCB from a holistic perspective. Findings of this study also support the important influence of TMX and team interdependence, especial for team management, strengthening the cross-level theory in the study of OCB.