Enhancing Public Management Through Integrity and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Systematic Review

This study examines the relationships among public integrity, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), and public management outcomes in the public sector, treating OCB as a plausible pathway rather than claiming a confirmed mediator. This research follows PRISMA 2020 guidelines to conduct a systematic literature review and qualitative meta-synthesis of 30 Scopus-indexed studies (2017–2022), using search terms that cover integrity, OCB, organizational justice, and public management. The findings indicate positive associations between integrity and OCB, and between these constructs and public management outcomes; however, the current evidence is insufficient to establish a mediating effect. Public sector organizations should prioritize integrity systems and architectures, as well as OCB-supportive climates, to advance public management outcomes (e.g. service quality, trust, performance, accountability, and innovation). The review clarifies how integrity is operationalized in public administration and maps public management outcomes into explicit categories, providing practical recommendations for policymakers to implement integrity-focused policies and promote OCB effectively.