Entrepreneurs and Public-Sector Employees: The Role of Achievement Motivation and Risk in Occupational Choice

1988 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irvin B. Tucker III
2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-126
Author(s):  
Kim Byeongjo

While employee proactivity has been hailed in management literature as a critical characteristic enabling an organization to accomplish its goals, little is known about how public sector employees exert proactivity at work. This study examines the effect of individual and contextual factors that enhance proactive work behavior among public sector employees. Using two samples of nonprofit hospital employees and part-time graduate students working in the public sector, we investigate the role of the need for cognition and psychological safety in promoting proactive behavior at work. We also examine the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between the two antecedents and proactive behavior. We first confirm the measurement invariance across two samples and then examine hypothesized relationships using structural equation modeling. Our results show that both the need for cognition and perceived psychological safety promote proactive behavior through the mediation of employee’s role breadth self-efficacy.


Author(s):  
SHAKER BANI-MELHEM ◽  
RAWAN ABUKHAIT ◽  
FARIDAHWATI MOHD. SHAMSUDIN ◽  
MOHD AHMAD AL-HAWARI

Previous research is inconclusive about when and how job challenge affects innovative behaviour. To address this inconsistency, we primarily draw on the job characteristics theory (JCT) and job demands–resources model (JD–R model) to examine the effect of job challenge on intrinsic motivation and employee innovative behaviour as well as the moderating role of supervisor coaching behaviour. We employ a time-lagged research design to collect data from 318 public sector employees in the UAE. Our finding offers support for a moderated mediation model in which job challenge has a positive and significant effect on innovative behaviour. The study also shows that the association between job challenge and innovative behaviour via intrinsic motivation is stronger under high supervisor coaching behaviour. The findings provide prescriptive insights into the critical role that supervisor coaching behaviours play in clarifying when and how job challenge affects innovative behaviour and indicate relevant managerial implications aimed at encouraging innovative behaviour in the public sector.


2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter van Acker ◽  
Jan Wynen ◽  
Sophie Op de Beeck

Like many other aspects of the work environment, “innovation” is a gendered term that creates a barrier to women taking part in innovation processes and, in particular, in male-dominated and “masculine” industries. This article looks into the role of gender, as well as other potential determinants, in explaining differences in the perceived innovation climate for public sector employees. This innovation climate depicts the opportunities and support employees receive with creating, promoting, and implementing innovative ideas in the workplace. Even though the public sector is often regarded as a more “feminine” work environment, our results show that women feel less encouraged in the innovation process when compared with men. Moreover, length of service and red tape appear to have a detrimental effect on individuals’ experiences of the innovation climate.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-50

Studies have shown that corruption may adversely affect the functionality of the law and institutions; and may frustrate socio-economic development. Most developing countries focus the fight against corruption on the deterrence perspective, which emphasizes the promptness and severity of punishment as a way of preventing and discouraging corrupt behaviors. Punishment may not adequately deter corruption, especially when employees are less satisfied with life or feel unjustly treated and may, therefore, engage in corruption as a justice-restoring act. This study, therefore, adopted a justice-focused approach to investigate the extent to which perception of organizational injustice and life satisfaction correlated with corrupt tendencies in public sector employees. The participants were 285 public sector employees (188 males; 97 females), whose ages averaged 39.09 years (SD = 8.40) with a range of 20 to 58 years. They were selected across large sections of two public sector organizations in Nigeria. Results of the 3-step hierarchical regression showed that perception of organizational injustice was significantly related with increased level of corrupt tendencies. As the participants’ level of life satisfaction increased, their tendencies of engaging in corruption reduced. Results of the mediation tests showed that, despite an increased perception of organizational injustice, life satisfaction was significantly related with low tendencies of engaging in corruption among employees. In order to reduce corrupt tendencies, organizations should efficiently handle perceived wrongdoing among employees and institute programmes that promote employees’ happiness and well-being.


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