Tell it like it is in SME teams: Adverse Working Conditions, Citizenship Behaviour, and the role of Team Information Sharing in a Turbulent Economy

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between the deterioration of working conditions concomitant with macroeconomic turbulence and employees’ citizenship, i.e. discretionary effort, towards the organisation. In particular, this study focuses on teams and how to redress the employee backlash against the increasing adversity experienced. Having collected data from 151 employees in 23 Cypriot small and medium enterprise teams during a macroeconomic crisis, the findings demonstrate that adverse working conditions relate negatively to discretionary effort only for those teams with low and moderate levels of information sharing. The study highlights the vital role of team information sharing in dampening the negative workplace repercussions of a deeply recessional economy.