Wishful thinking and professional commitment: the forebears of organizational citizenship behavior

Purposes: This study has empirically investigated Wishful Thinking as an antecedent of Professional Commitment and the role of Big Five Personality dimensions as moderators between them. The study has investigated the Organizational Citizenship Behavior as a result of Professional Commitment and Wishful thinking of instructors at Higher Education Institutions of Pakistan.
Methodology: 205 faculty members of 17 private and public universities listed with Higher Education Commission of Pakistan were approached for survey.
Findings: The causal positive relation of wishful thinking with the moderating role of Personalities was observed over Professional Commitment. The results show the positive association between Professional Commitment and OCB. The data was analyzed using SEM to explore the causal path relationship.
Originality: The extent of the investigation which has been directed to determine the antecedents of the strong facade of professional commitment has been very scant. In this research, wishful thinking which was conceptualized as a positive expectation about the future that rely on one’s motivation for experiencing positive outcomes is reserved as the forebear of professional commitment, as these wishful thinkers are such individuals who frequently allow their decisions influenced by their self-motivation.
Limitations: This study has relied on self-reported information which may affect the generalizability of results of causal relationship. Furthermore, cross sectional survey method was used for collection of data that may confine the dynamic nature of perceptions, attitudes and behaviors.