How Organizational Justice Influences Organizational Citizenship Behavior: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction among University Teachers in Shandong Province, China

Abstract

This study examines the relationships among organizational justice (OJ), job satisfaction (JS), and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among university teachers in Shandong Province, China, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of JS. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, and data were collected from 200 university teachers (n = 200) using a structured questionnaire. Regression and bootstrap mediation analyses were conducted to test the proposed relationships. The results show that OJ has a significant positive effect on OCB (β = 0.566, p < 0.001, R² = 0.320), while JS also significantly predicts OCB (β = 0.574, p < 0.001, R² = 0.329). The mediation analysis indicates that the direct effect of OJ on OCB remains significant after including JS (B = 0.358, 95% CI [0.230, 0.485], p < 0.001), and the effect of JS on OCB is also significant (B = 0.357, 95% CI [0.233, 0.472], p < 0.001), confirming the partial mediating role of JS. These findings demonstrate that organizational justice promotes teachers’ organizational citizenship behavior both directly and indirectly by enhancing job satisfaction. The study contributes to the literature on organizational behavior in higher education and provides practical implications for promoting fairness, job satisfaction, and positive discretionary behaviors among university teachers.