Crafting Civil Servants' Citizenship Behaviour through Organization Career Management: a Perspective from Social Cognitive Theory

Underpinned by Social Cognitive Theory, this study explores how organizational career management (OCM) practices and proactive personality interact to influence organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB) among civil servants in the Malaysian Public Service. By examining both formal and informal OCM practices, the study aims to enhance understanding of the differential impacts these practices have on OCB directed towards the organization (OCBO) and individuals (OCBI). Data were collected from 603 civil servants in Malaysia using a purposive sampling technique and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results indicate that both formal and informal OCM practices positively affect OCBO. Notably, a proactive personality was found to weaken the positive relationship between formal OCM practices and OCBO, while strengthening the relationship between informal OCM practices and both OCBO and OCBI. This study supports Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), highlighting the importance of organizational and individual factors in eliciting OCB. The findings suggest that less proactive civil service officers benefit more from formal career support, whereas highly proactive individuals respond better to informal career support. Specifically, formal OCM practices should be emphasized for employees with low proactive personalities but informal practices for highly proactive personalities.