Organizational Silence and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Nurses in Nepal: The Mediating Role of Perceived Organizational Support

Abstract

This study examines the impact of organizational silence (OS) on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) among nurses in Nepal, with perceived organizational support (POS) as a mediator. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted with 260 nurses from various healthcare facilities in Nepal. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS4. The findings reveal that organizational silence has a significant negative effect on organizational citizenship behavior (β = -0.557, p < 0.001). However, perceived organizational support did not mediate this relationship, nor did it show a statistically significant relationship with OS or OCB. This is among the first studies to investigate the OS-OCB relationship in the Nepalese nursing context. It contributes to the literature by highlighting the direct detrimental effect of silence on extra-role behavior, while challenging the assumed mediating role of POS in this setting. The results underscore the need for healthcare managers to address fear-driven silence through psychological safety and trust-building interventions, rather than relying solely on support systems to foster OCB.