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1. Introduction
Since its inception in the 1980s, the expression “Good Soldier Syndrome” (Organ, 1988) has acquired the status of an intriguing field in the context of organizational behavioral research (Gadot, 2006). It encompasses the arbitrary actions performed by the employees that fall outside the purview of their organizational position or job role (Belogolovsky and Somech, 2010). Such actions or behaviors are commonly known as extra-role behaviors or organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The banking sector, like any other sector, considers these behaviors to be the most worthwhile ones as they carry the potential to generate productive outcomes (Abiante, 2018; Zhu, 2013). For instance, evidence suggests that employees undertaking voluntary extra-role behaviors are more likely to produce immensely contented customers by augmenting the quality of extended service (Bell and Menguc, 2002). Such a high level of customer satisfaction is desirable as it, in turn, improves customers' loyalty and strength, which ultimately boosts the bank's performance (Sofiah et al., 2014). Further, OCB contributes towards the positive growth and development of the banking sector by enhancing employees' productivity and retention (Shah et al., 2020).
In recent years, the Indian banking sector has undergone tremendous changes either due to economic reforms, surging financial crisis, numerous mergers and acquisitions, or deployment of the latest technology (Gulati and Kumar, 2016; Kalra et al., 2013). Addressing the challenges associated with such complex situations requires diligent bank employees who surpass the expectations of the management about their formal job-related duties and responsibilities. One such prominent instance where Indian bank employees displayed desirable pro-social behaviors, was the case of demonetization, which occurred in November 2016. They operated round the clock, neglected their physical and mental health, and endured extensive customer abuse and anger to effectively implement the process of demonetization despite not being compensated adequately (Gandhi and Bhushan, 2017; Harikumar and Kuruvilla, 2019). These occurrences exhort the management to extend such a kind of workplace environment that reinforces the development of positive discretionary behaviors among the workforce. However, the existence of negative workplace attitudes in the form of organizational cynicism (OCyn) and work alienation (WA) among employees may act as a stumbling block and preclude employees from engaging in any kind of extra-role behaviors (Mohamed and Ali, 2020; Rauf, 2015). Also,...