Rising to the challenge: Job stress, role overload, and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior in the public sector
基于对352名希腊公务员的调查，研究发现职业压力通过角色超载间接影响变革导向的组织公民行为，角色超载反而可能促进改革行为，为公共部门管理压力与优化工作分配提供启示。
This study examines the relationships among job stress, role overload, and change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in the public sector, drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and conservation of resources (COR) theory. It explores how job stress increases role overload, shaping engagement in proactive, change-driven behaviors critical for organizational adaptability. A survey of 352 Greek civil servants was analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Findings confirm that job stress heightens role overload, reinforcing employees’ sense of excessive demands. However, role overload positively influences change-oriented OCB, suggesting that under certain conditions, high demands may drive rather than hinder reform efforts. The study also confirms role overload as a mediator, showing that job stress indirectly affects change-oriented OCB through its impact on overload. Notably, the total relationship between job stress and change-oriented OCB was not statistically significant, underscoring the role of workplace conditions and support mechanisms in shaping employee responses. These results highlight the need for strategies that manage stress while optimizing workload distribution to foster innovation in public organizations. The study contributes by integrating the JD-R and COR frameworks and offering practical insights for public sector workforce management.