1. Productive and Counterproductive Behaviors
Phillip Woodard
University of Phoenix
PSY 428
April 26, 2010
Susan Stevens

2. Productive and Counterproductive Behavior
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Productive Behavior
According to (Jex & Britt, 2008) productive behavior is employee behavior that
contributes positively to the goals and objectives of the organization. For example, a newly hired
management analyst within the federal government may not complete assigned reviews in the time
frame recommended by the published policies. During this transition period from new hire to
trainee, he or she may be a liability because he or she is being compensated during the
unproductive period. In our organization the transition period can take anywhere from six months
to a year before a beginning analyst fully understands the intricacies of the position and
organization. Saving the United States Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) resources is the
goal of every analyst and subsequently each division. The return on the investment takes from
three to five years as changes to medical materiel sets take place through a fielding process. On the
other hand, counterproductive behavior can have detrimental effects on the organization.
Counterproductive Behavior
Most people may have experienced the effects of counterproductive behavior, such as poor
service while eating out, or long waits in a supermarket line brought about by poor management
decisions in scheduling adequate staff. Counterproductive behavior is behavior that explicitly runs
counter to the goals of an organization. When military employees violate information security
policies, national security is compromised. Other serious acts of counterproductive behavior
include theft and physical harm to members of the organization the employee is working. The
negative press can have devastating effects on the public image and confidence of the government.
The impact of both productive and counterproductive behaviors on organizations affects the
organizational psychology.

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Describe the impact that productive and counterproductive behaviors have on job
performance and the overall performance of an organization.
“Job performance is the most common form of productive behavior in organizations, with
numerous studies suggesting this over a number of years (Jex & Britt, 2008).” Successful and
productive organizations harness the strengths and weaknesses of their employees through regular
and affective counseling and mentoring programs. People who waste little time, comply with
company ethics and are generally supportive of the organization are motivated to succeed.
Individual success often leads to organizational success with both parties mutually supporting one
another in ways beyond the office environment, such as family and health. Organizational
Citizenship Behavior (OCB) is the second form of productive behavior and represents actions not
part of the employee’s normal job duties. Organizations gain much from voluntary OCB when
employees are not “going the extra mile” solely for personal gain, such as assisting someone in the
presence of the supervisor only. Successful organizations treat all people with mutual respect and
support and usually receive the same in return. The flipside of the equation is counterproductive
behavior.
Counterproductive work behavior (CWB) may have detrimental effects on an organization
if not dealt with fairly and swiftly. Internet addictive behavior is a growing problem for
organizations as the use of company furnished computers is required for business purposes.
Research has shown that this is a problem for the young male demographic in particular because of
the increased interest in sporting activities, gambling, and adult oriented websites. The potential
loss in productivity during the football season, for instance will decrease once the Super bowl is
played in February. Individual performance suffers and subsequently the organizational
productivity, and presents unique challenges for companies to change negative behavior patterns,

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while maintaining positive performers.
Recommend strategies to increase productive behavior and decrease counterproductive
behavior in organizations
Organizations must encourage productive behavior by encouraging innovation and sharing
ideas throughout the levels of managements up to the leadership for evaluation and
recommendation. Building positive teams that appreciate hard work and dedication to the mission
statement requires on organizational approach that provides the same to its employees and their
families. “Organizations have several levels of influence at the macro level in order to encourage
both the development and adoption of productive behavior (Jex & Britt, 2008).” Decreasing
counterproductive behavior may require the use of tools to monitor employees’ official use of the
Internet during work hours, for instance. Forming senior peer mentoring teams for new hires for
the first three to six months or more, depending on the complexity of the project or task; this ensure
a positive transition into the organization. The organizational psychologist can assist leadership in
identifying patterns of behavior and help them understand how individual behavior affects
organizational behavior and success.
Conclusion
Productive and counterproductive behavior can transform an organizational from being
successfully competitive to one losing ground in the global economy. Recognizing factors that
influence individual behavior internally (transition training) and externally (family and health) go
quite a ways in building a strong, successful, and cohesive working organization. From an
organization psychological perspective, leaders must be vigilant in using resources available to
assist them in building or maintaining the competitive edge in the business world. People make
companies successful or help them fail; managers and leaders have a responsibility to both the

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organization and the individuals within to bridge the gaps while building strong relationships for
stakeholders at every level. Recognition of positive and negative behavior is just as important as
looking for rewards and solutions. Organization psychology may be a source of education and
valuable assistance to any level of leadership and management.

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References
Jex, S. M., & Britt, T. W. (2008). Organizational Psychology A Scientist-Practioner Approach
(2nd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc..
O'Brien, K., & Allen, T. (2008). The Relative Importance of Correlates of Organizational
Citizenship Behavior and Counterproductive Work Behavior Using Multiple Sources of
Data. Human Performance, 21(1), 62-88. doi:10.1080/08959280701522189.
Stanton, J. (2002). COMPANY PROFILE OF THE FREQUENT INTERNET USER.
Communications of the ACM, 45(1), 55-59. Retrieved from Business Source Complete
database.