The study was conducted on management students. Two dimensions
of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), viz., Altruism and Compliance,
were measured using OCB Measure developed by Smith et al. (1983). Seven
aspirations representing life goals were measured using Aspiration Index developed by
Kasser and Ryan. Based on the factor analysis of items of aspiration index,
six out of the seven aspirations were categorized as Intrinsic and
Extrinsic aspirations. The results indicate that intrinsic aspirations are associated
with altruistic behavior, whereas none of the aspirations relates to the
compliance behavior.
An individual's day-to-day activities progressively move towards accomplishing
and fulfilling his/her aspirations representing life goals. Individuals always aspire for
something or aspire to become something and it is expected that this level of aspiration would
be stronger in the early formative years of their lives. A classic and a comprehensive
survey of 6,000 alumni of 16 graduate schools of management or business administration
across the US revealed that the typical MBA was well-off in terms of salary and position. In
the course of achieving this level of well-being, a high proportion of them had even
reached the top executive level (Steele and Ward, 1974). The legacy of business schools
seems to have continued and it is still visible in the mushrooming of business schools in
several parts of the world, including India. It would, therefore, not be wrong to state that
students of business schools see it as a viable vehicle to fulfill some of their aspirations
by envisioning a meaningful and rewarding relationship with the corporate world in the
near future.
Aspirations refer to people's life goals and self-directed theory. Research on
aspirations has focused on the relative strength of intrinsic aspirations (viz., meaningful
relationships, personal growth, and community contributions) versus extrinsic aspirations (viz.,
wealth, fame, and image). The construct of intrinsic aspirations relates to the strivings
and aspirations that are likely to satisfy important psychological needs of the self (Ryan,
1995; and Sheldon and Kasser, 1995) and intrinsically oriented individuals are highly
focused on goals for self-acceptance, affiliation, and community contribution. On the other
hand, the construct of extrinsic aspirations relates to the concern for attaining social
rewards and praise that signal higher status within the group (Ryan, 1995; and Sheldon
and Kasser, 1995) and externally oriented individuals are more concerned with enhancing
their wealth, image, or popularity. The present study has been focused on examining
the relationship between aspirations and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB).
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