When Flexibility Meets Passion: A Serial Mediation Model Linking Flexible Work Arrangements to Organizational Citizenship Behavior via Dual Passion Pathways

Based on Self-Determination Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, this study examines the influence mechanism of flexible work arrangements on organizational citizenship behavior among employees in Chinese high-tech enterprises through a dual-path mediation model. The research employed a matched-pair questionnaire survey method, collecting longitudinal data from 184 team leaders and 623 employees, and tested the hypotheses using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate: (1) Flexible work arrangements not only directly promote organizational citizenship behavior but also exert indirect effects through the chain-mediating pathway of “work passion → work engagement”; (2) Both harmonious and obsessive work passion function through chain mediation with work engagement, though the former demonstrates a stronger effect; (3) Empowering leadership behaviors positively moderate the impact of flexible work arrangements on the chain mediation of work passion and work engagement; (4) Differentiation in the mechanisms of how flexible work arrangements influence organizational citizenship behavior based on employee tenure was identified: long-tenured employees (>4 years) exhibit a complete psychological transmission mechanism, whereas short-tenured employees (≤4 years) rely primarily on direct incentive effects. The results reveal the contingent nature of the motivational effects of flexible work arrangements, providing theoretical foundations and practical insights for organizations to implement differentiated flexibility management strategies in the context of digital transformation.