Özet:

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between bureaucracyand organizational citizenship behaviors in elementary schools based on teachers' perceptions. The population of study was 1355 teachers in 64 elementary schools in Uşak and its villages that employ more than 5 teachers in 2005–2006 school year. The sample was composed of 538 teachers in 26 schools. The stratified sampling has been used to determine the study's sample. It was found that the level of bureaucratization in school and organizational citizenship behaviors have significant relationships. Also bureaucracy effects whole dimension of the organizational citizenship behaviors of teachers. The administration focusing on rules and regulations in schools effects school atmosphere negatively. The increase of using the hierarchical authority causes the relation to be more official. Summary The purpose of this study is to explore the relationships between bureaucracy and organizational citizenship behaviors in elementary schools based on teachers' perceptions. The population of study was 1355 teachers in 64 elementary schools in Uşak and its villages that employ more than 5 teachers in 2005–2006 school year. The sample was composed of 538 teachers in 26 schools. The stratified sampling has been used to determine the study's sample. It was found that the level of bureaucratization in school and organizational citizenship behaviors have significant relationships. Also bureaucracy effects whole dimension of the organizational citizenship behaviors of teachers. The administration focusing on rules and regulations in schools effects school atmosphere negatively. The increase of using the hierarchical authority causes the relation to be more official. Problem The study investigates whether there is a relationship between perceived bureaucratization in school and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The level of perceived bureaucratization of school can explain why some teachers demonstrate OCB and others not. Theoretical Context In effective organizations, people work in a harmony. Organizations actualize their goals more effectively when the state of employees' psychological wellbeing and their interactions are healthy. Most of the time fulfilling official obligations and procedures will not make an organization successful one. Most of the administrators realize that a preferred employee is the one who voluntarily goes beyond the official obligations. Employee behaviors not necessarily written in the job descriptions but benefit organization are defined as organizational citizenship behaviors. “Organizational Citizenship Behavior” has long been a high priority for organizational scholars. OCB defined as behaviors that are discretionary, not directly or explicitly recognized by the formal reward system. According to Organ (1997), OCB has 5 dimensions: conscientiousness (e.g. punctuality), sportsmanship (e.g. avoiding unnecessary reactions), courtesy (e.g. giving advance notice), altruism (e.g. helping new comers), and civic virtue (e.g. learning and sharing for the good of organization). Based on Max Weber's ideal type bureaucracy, researchers used bureaucratic theory as an analytical tool to examine organizational structure. Until the 1960s, case studies were used to assess bureaucratic characteristics of organizations (Yucel 1999). These studies were called unidimensional approach. Unidimensional approach claim that all characteristics of bureaucracy must be present to a high degree in an organization before it can be called a bureaucracy. During 50s researchers started to find some characteristics of bureaucracy did not fit the theoretical assumptions. Characteristics could be independent of each other. Bureaucratic characteristics or dimensions could create different configurations of bureaucracies. Since the 1960s, multi-dimensional approaches to study bureaucracy have been adapted. According to the dimensional approach, an organization can be bureaucratic in number of ways. An organization can posses a high degree of bureaucratization in some areas but not in some other areas (Yucel, 1999). Method Survey instruments were used in the data collection. The population consists of 1355 teachers working in 65 elementary schools in Uşak in the educational year of 2005-2006. Data were collected from schools having more than 5 teachers. The sample was composed of 538 teachers in 26 schools. The stratified sampling has been used to determine the study sample. Items to measure bureaucracy derived from different versions of Hall`s “Organizational Inventory” which operationalized six bureaucratic dimensions: hierarchy of authority, division of labor, rules and regulations, procedural specifications, impersonality, and technical competence. The instrument was modified and translated to Turkish by Yucel (1999). Item-analyses were done in a pilot sample. The surviving items were subjected to a factor analysis. Items to measure OCB were developed by Yucel (Akil, 2005). The instrument operationalize 4 dimensions of OCB: (1) Altruism, (2) Conscientiousness (3) Civic virtue, and (4) sportsmanship. The following research questions were formulated for he study : 1. Do gender, teaching subject, and experience years, make a difference in OCB? 2. Do gender, teaching subject, and experience years, make a difference in perceived bureaucratization of school? 3. What are the relationships among the dimensions of bureaucracy? 4. What are the relationships among the dimensions of organizational citizenship? 5. What are the relationships among the dimensions of bureaucracy and organizational citizenship? To examine, whether there are differences for perceived bureaucracy among male and female teachers and differences for OCB among male and female teachers t test were utilized. To examine, whether there are differences among teaching subjects as well as years of experience for perceived bureaucracy Anova procedures were used. To examine, relations among perceived bureaucracy and OCB Pearson correlations were used. Findings Organizational citizenship behaviors found to similar for male and female teachers. These behaviors, however, are more likely to be higher for math and grade teachers. OCB are more likely to increase as the year of experience in teaching increases. Male and female teachers perceive school bureaucratization in a similar way. Their perceptions do not differ. Years of experience also do not make any change in the perceived bureaucracy. Similarly, teachers from different teaching subject perceive school bureaucracy in a similar way. Their subject specializations do make perception differences for bureaucracy. Moderate correlations among bureaucratic dimensions suggest that bureaucracy is a multidimensional concept. A school can be perceived to be bureaucratic in multiple ways in varying degrees. The correlation coefficients are higher among impersonality, hierarchy of authority and rules and regulations dimensions. The higher the degree of lack of specialization in the school, the higher the perceived degree of hierarchical exercise of authority in the school. The higher the perceived degree of hierarchical exercises of authority in the school, the higher the rule enforcement perceived by teachers. As the perceived degree of hierarchical exercise of authority in the school increased, an increase in the formality in relations was reported. As the hierarchical exercise of authority in the school increased, a decrease in the perceived degree of promotions based on technical competencies of teachers was observed. The higher the degree of specialization in the school, the lower the perceived degree of rule enforcement. As the perceived degree of lack of specialization in the school increased, a decrease in the formality of relations was reported. As the perceived degree of rule enforcement increased, an increase in the formality of relations was reported. As the technical competence increases, a decrease in the degree of formality of relations was reported. As the enforcement of the rules and regulations increases, an increase in helping behaviors among teachers is observed. However, the increase in rules and regulations is accompanied with a decrease in perceived justice in the organization and a decrease in life satisfaction. As the hierarchy of authority increases, all but sportsmanship OCB behaviors seems to be increasing. All bureaucratic dimensions have negative associations with perceived organizational justice. Conclusions and Recommendations The present study investigated the relationships between the level of bureaucracy and organizational citizenship behaviors. The study concludes that especially hierarchical usage of authority is most likely to be related to OCB. In schools where hierarchy of authority is over emphasized teachers tend to form alliances and coalition against the administration. Teachers more are likely to help and support each other when bureaucratic structure is created. Excessive enforcement of rules, lack of division of labor, formal relations, and hierarchical use of power seem to create an environment where teachers get together and form closer ties against administrators. Especially perceived justice in organization is damaged when bureaucratic structure becomes more visible.

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