Going the extra mile: Unveiling the roots of franchisee organisational citizenship behaviours in franchise systems

Grünhagen, Marko; Watson, Anna; Croonen, Evelien

Abstract

While researchers and practitioners have recognised the essential role of employee organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs), there is an absence of their consideration within franchise systems as a unique context. We aim to address this gap by exploring the nature of franchisee OCBs and their antecedents. Through a set of semi-structured qualitative interviews, we find critical new evidence, not only of the existence of franchisee OCBs but also of franchisor OCBs, reflecting the reciprocal character of franchise relationships. Further, we reveal frequent shifts of franchisee OCBs from one referent to another, often from the franchisor to franchisee peers, or even industry groups outside the franchisor-franchisee dyad, in the wake of disappointed interactions with the franchisor. Ultimately, we point at the critical role of the franchisor’s field consultant as the liaison person who appears frequently mismanaged by franchisors in the eyes of franchisees.

Citation

Grünhagen, M., Watson, A., & Croonen, E. Going the extra mile: Unveiling the roots of franchisee organisational citizenship behaviours in franchise systems. International Small Business Journal, https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426241292035

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Nov 6, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 11, 2024
• Journal: International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship
• Print ISSN: 0266-2426
• Electronic ISSN: 1741-2870
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/02662426241292035
• Keywords: extra-role behaviour, franchising, organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB), social exchange theory (SET)