College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

Spring 6-13-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Alice Stuhlmacher, PhD

Second Advisor

Ian Katz, PhD

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between organizational democracy and organizational citizenship behaviors through the mediating effect of psychological safety. This study contributes to the organizational democracy literature in the introduction of psychological safety as a mediator through the lens of social exchange theory. An online survey was completed by 245 participants who self-reported as being full-time, English-speaking employees in the United States. The survey was composed of a demographic section and different measures of organizational democracy (i.e., perceived organizational participation and democracy questionnaire, organizational democracy scale), psychological safety, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Utilizing mediated regression analysis, results indicated that psychological safety mediated the organizational democracy-organizational citizenship behaviors for the perceived organizational participation and democracy questionnaire (β = .06, p < .01), but not for the organizational democracy scale (β = .02, p = n.s.). Additionally, it was found that organizational democracy was more strongly related to organizational-focused than to individual-focused organizational citizenship behaviors. The effect of psychological safety as a mediator was significant, but small, and warrants further study into other social mechanisms connected to organizational democracy. Studies conducted looking at workers nested within an organization are needed to replicate these findings.

SLP Collection

no

Download

Share

COinS