Public Employees Research Articles

Crab Syndrome in Business Life and Collectivist/Individualist Culture

In the business world, employee competition can cause individual and organizational issues, potentially fueled by the "crab syndrome," where individuals view others as obstacles to success. In a workplace, it is thought that the manifestation of crab syndrome in employees may be caused by the culture they have. This study aims to determine the impact of collectivist/individualist culture on the crab syndrome. In this study, the one of quantitative techniques, survey technique was used. Data was collected through surveys from different public institution employees. The analysis revealed that the collectivist culture had a positive, but statistically insignificant effect on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of the crab syndrome. Based on this result, it can be said that having a collectivist or individualist culture does not significantly influence individuals experiencing the crab syndrome. Considering that businesses can be affected by the cultural environment they operate in, it can be stated that this phenomenon is independent of the culture (collective or individualist) prevalent in the society.

Multilevel study of transformational leadership and work behavior: job autonomy matters in public service

PurposeThis study aims to use self-determination and social exchange theory to investigate how transformational leadership influences employees’ motivation for their work behaviors, with job autonomy serving as a mediator. This study hypothesized that transformational leadership could promote employees’ autonomy in performing their tasks, leading to the development of innovative work behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors.Design/methodology/approachUsing a multilevel approach, data was collected from 409 public service employees across 39 departments.FindingsThe findings indicate the significant impact of transformational leadership on shaping employees’ innovative work and organizational citizenship behavior. Notably, job autonomy emerges as a pivotal mediator, facilitating the positive effects of transformational leadership by empowering employees to explore innovative tasks beyond their prescribed roles, thereby enhancing team effectiveness and employee engagement.Originality/valueThis study’s originality lies in its innovative use of multilevel analysis to reveal job autonomy’s mediating role, offering fresh insights into promoting innovation and organizational in public service settings.

Pengaruh Budaya Organisasi terhadap Penciptaan Perilaku Inovatif dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Organisasi Publik

This study examines the role of organizational culture in fostering innovative behavior within public organizations. The context highlights the increasing necessity for public entities to adapt and innovate in response to evolving societal needs and challenges. The research question addresses how specific cultural attributes within these organizations influence employees' propensity to engage in innovative behaviors. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines quantitative surveys with qualitative interviews to gather comprehensive data from various public sector employees. The findings reveal that a supportive culture characterized by openness, trust, and encouragement of risk-taking significantly enhances innovative behavior. Additionally, leadership practices that model and reward innovation further strengthen this relationship. The conclusion posits that cultivating such a culture is essential for public organizations aiming to remain relevant and effective in a dynamic environment. The study underscores the critical role of organizational culture as a catalyst for innovation, suggesting targeted strategies for public sector leaders to foster an environment conducive to creative and progressive thinking.

Slovenia: Political Developments and Data in 2023

AbstractThe political arena was lively in Slovenia, even though no elections or referendums were held in 2023. Both the government and all three governmental parties, especially the biggest one, the Freedom Movement, as a new party, experienced considerable turbulence—such as changes in the parliamentary party group and changes in the four ministerial positions falling within that party's quota. Having previously been the successful manager of an energy company, the Prime Minister encountered a multitude of challenges in the political arena. While the government announced many reforms, it managed to deliver substantially less. It also faced many (threats of) strikes and protests, particularly by public sector employees and farmers. Even though in the first year of its term the government enjoyed high public support, by November 2023, the situation was very different, with just 18 per cent of voters assessing its work as (very) positive. Parallel to this, two opposition parties were facing their own challenges.

Public Managers and Job Satisfaction: Exploring an Effective Way to Improve Their Job Satisfaction

Extensive research indicates that enhancing employee satisfaction and motivation leads to improved organizational performance. Given the crucial role public managers play in delivering quality public services, ensuring their satisfaction becomes paramount. This study, based on survey data from approximately half a million U.S. federal government employees, explores the factors influencing public managers’ job satisfaction and investigates whether managerial positions moderate these effects. The findings reveal that overall job satisfaction is positively impacted by satisfaction with both intrinsic and extrinsic job aspects, irrespective of managerial status. However, the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on overall job satisfaction undergoes significant changes when a public employee assumes a managerial position.

City-County Mergers in South Korea: Assessing Effects on Public Employment Size and Citizen Satisfaction

Municipal mergers are a common administrative reform worldwide, but their effects on public employment size and citizen satisfaction remain poorly understood. This study investigates these effects by focusing on a city-county merger in South Korea after 2000. Using the synthetic control method and multivariate regression, we find that municipal mergers increase the number of public employees, primarily low-ranking officials, while negatively impacting citizen satisfaction. This suggests that the goal of enhancing administrative efficiency through local government consolidation does not yield positive outcomes for organizations’ personnel or residents’ welfare.

German language support in Austria: feasibility, effectiveness and legitimacy from the perspective of public administration

Education systems around the world have been grappling with the task of including multilingual students. To achieve this objective, multilingual students in Austria have been receiving parallel instruction in segregated classrooms since the 2018/19 school year. These measures have been the subject of criticism, particularly in terms of their practical feasibility due to limited space and staff resources, as well as their effectiveness in terms of students’ academic, linguistic, and socio-emotional development and their fundamental normative value (i.e. legitimacy). To add a new perspective, this study employs qualitative data to clarify public administration employees’ stances on the perceived feasibility, effectiveness, and legitimacy of German language support measures. The results of a reflexive thematic analysis reveal that most participants hold negative perceptions of perceived feasibility, particularly concerning spatial and personnel resources as well as class composition. Findings also indicate that participants convey a critical outlook on the effectiveness of the German language support measures in terms of students’ general academic progress and socio-emotional development. Interestingly, the findings suggest that, despite clear negative assessments, there exist conflicting and indecisive views pertaining to perceived legitimacy. The results presented in this study hold significant implications for research efforts that prioritize language and diversity considerations.

New Challenges: the Importance of Mindfulness Interventions on the Perception of Burnout in Public Employees: A Longitudinal Study

New Challenges: the Importance of Mindfulness Interventions on the Perception of Burnout in Public Employees: A Longitudinal Study

A Gender Perspective Analysis of the Interaction between Public and Private Sector Employment – A Study of Western Balkan Countries

A Gender Perspective Analysis of the Interaction between Public and Private Sector Employment – A Study of Western Balkan Countries

The Legality of the Disciplinary Punishment of a Public Employee as A Guarantee of Disciplinary Decisions Issued by the Administration

The Legality of the Disciplinary Punishment of a Public Employee as A Guarantee of Disciplinary Decisions Issued by the Administration

The impact of technology readiness and adapting behaviours in the workplace: a mediating effect of career adaptability

This study aims to explore the impact of technology readiness (TR) on career adaptability (CA) and adapting behaviours among public sector workers in Ghana. It also examines the mediating role of CA in the relationship between TR and adapting behaviours. The study adopts a quantitative research design using a survey method. A sample of 484 public sector employees from various government agencies and departments in Ghana is selected. The study employed a non-probability sampling procedure that combined convenience and purposeful sampling. The data are analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling with AMOS v24 to test the hypotheses and the proposed conceptual model. The results show that TR has a positive and significant effect on CA, boundary integration, and job crafting. CA also has a positive and significant effect on boundary integration and job crafting. Furthermore, CA mediates the relationship between TR and the two adapting behaviours. This study is one of the first to investigate the influence of TR on CA and adapting behaviours. It reveals how employees respond to the challenges and opportunities of technological innovation and work transformation. It also provides useful insights and recommendations for enhancing technology adoption and career development among public sector workers, especially in developing countries.

Organisations’ and employees’ perceptions of the impact of activity-based working on the organisational culture

Purpose Challenged by the effects of organisational flexibility and high corporate real estate (CRE) costs, organisations increasingly seek flexibility and operational efficiency in their physical office layouts. This paper examines and compares how the existing organisational culture of organisations changed with the introduction of activity-based working (ABW) from the perspectives of organisations and their employees. Design/methodology/approach The research focused on large organisations that had introduced ABW during the period of 2012–2019 and their employees. Two surveys were implemented with the management of organisations and employees. In-depth interviews with the management were also undertaken. The research focused on three different industry sectors in Australia – financial, IT and public. The competing value framework was used to measure the dimensions of organisational culture. Findings Findings identify major finance, internal business, learning and growth and staff and client-oriented motives affecting organisations’ decisions to introduce ABW. Findings illustrate that the nature of workplace design has a considerable impact on organisations’ culture and can be used to leverage and change it. However, a noticeable discrepancy between the perceptions of the organisation and employees in the public and private sectors was identified, where public sector employees felt that standardised procedures still governed their actions even in ABW. Originality/value This research highlights that workplace designs directly influence the culture of organisations. It emphasises the importance of an in-depth examination of the behavioural and attitudinal characteristics of organisations and their employees to obtain a better understanding of how they perceive and interact in ABW layouts.

‘Modern talking’: Narratives of agile by German public sector employees

Despite growing interest, we lack a clear understanding of how the arguably ambiguous phenomenon of agile is perceived in government practice. This study aims to alleviate this puzzle by investigating how managers and employees in German public sector organisations make sense of agile as a spreading management fashion in the form of narratives. This is important because narratives function as innovation carriers that ultimately influence the manifestations of the concept in organisations. Based on a multi-case study of 31 interviews and 24 responses to a qualitative online survey conducted in 2021 and 2022, we provide insights into what public sector managers, employees and consultants understand (and, more importantly, do not understand) as agile and how they weave it into their existing reality of bureaucratic organisations. We uncover three meta-narratives of agile government, which we label ‘renew’, ‘complement’ and ‘integrate’. In particular, the meta-narratives differ in their positioning of how agile interacts with the characteristics of bureaucratic organisations. Importantly, we also show that agile as a management fad serves as a projection surface for what actors want from a modern and digital organisation. Thus, the vocabulary of agile government within the narratives is inherently linked to other diffusing phenomena such as new work or digitalisation.

Literature review of the organizational citizenship behavior of employees in the public sector

This study contributes to our understanding of employee behavior in governmental organizations. This paper aims to demonstrate the effects of organizational culture, transformational leadership, and work motivation on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). This paper also aims to conduct a literature evaluation on the OCB of the public sector, using VOSviewer to acquire a visual representation of the research's progress. The VOSviewer for visualizing research progress adds value by providing a clear and intuitive representation of the scholarly landscape. Visualizing connections and clusters among documents can facilitate the identification of key themes and research directions. The study searched the Scopus database using the keywords "organizational citizenship behavior public sector," resulting in the discovery of 85 relevant documents. The study analyzed documents published between 2019 and 2023. Afterward, the study selected 25 documents with the highest rankings as references using Publish or Perish. Supplementary documents were discovered through Google Scholar and Proquest. In comparison to other studies, this research is more diverse in the variables, providing integrated information in the public sector. Consequently, this research remains pertinent. Nevertheless, the amount of study conducted on OCB in the public sector has been limited. Therefore, there is a potential for further investigation in this field. The main findings of the study demonstrate that (i) underscore the relevance of promoting a positive organizational culture, fostering transformational leadership, and enhancing work motivation to encourage OCB among public sector employees and finally (ii) the results of this study indicate that influential factors have a positive impact significantly on the OCB in the public sector.

Public Employees' whistleblowing intention: Explanation by an adapted theory of planned behavior

AbstractPublic employees' whistleblowing is an effective anti‐corruption means because they can provide rigorous evidence of wrongdoing in public organizations. However, whistleblowing may cause risks to the individuals and their organization, which discourage them from reporting. While the topic has been understudied, a few studies have adopted the theory of planned behavior (TPB) from psychology to gain insights into whistleblowing. However, these studies have overlooked the unique characteristics of the public sector and the contextual factors surrounding whistleblowing. Our research aims to fill this gap by incorporating these missing elements into the theoretical framework and thus developing an adapted TPB. Using survey data from Taiwan, this study provides empirical evidence to support the adapted TPB in explaining the intention of public employees to blow the whistle.Chinese Abstract由公務人員本身來舉報不法事件, 被視為是一種相當有效的反貪腐手段, 因為他們通常能夠提供這些不當行為的有力證據。然而, 舉報不法事件卻可能會對公務人員個人或其單位帶來風險, 也因此往往成為其最終選擇沉默的主要原因。雖然過去已有一些研究採取「計劃行為理論 (TPB)」來探討此一主題, 但這些研究卻沒有考量公部門獨有的特性及環境系絡對舉報行為的影響。本研究希望能夠整合這些過去被遺漏的要素, 並且發展出更適合公部門的理論框架。本研究使用臺灣文官調查 (TGBS) 所蒐集的資料, 進行實證分析並用更完整的 TPB 模型來解釋公職人員舉報不法的行為意圖。.

Practice-Integrated Study Programs in Agriculture Sciences for A Better School to Work Transition in Albania and Kosovo: A Stakeholders Overview

The quality of study programs in higher education plays a crucial role in helping graduates transition from university to the labor market. There is a risk of losing qualified human resources in a knowledge-based society and economy if the education provided does not meet the needs of the labor market. This has led governments and higher education institutions in Albania and Kosovo to reconsider their academic offerings and study program curriculums to better integrate graduates into the labor market. This study examines how stakeholders, both private and public institutions, perceive the practical orientation of higher education study programs in agricultural sciences. A structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions using a Likert rating scale was used to analyze the views and expectations of employees in the public and private sectors about the practical skills that graduates in agricultural sciences should possess. The total number of analyzed questionnaires was 294. Employers in the labor market consider work-based placements, continuous training, and international training of students as "very important" to meet the demand for skills in the labor market. More than 91% of public institution executives stressed the importance of "practice" in reducing the practical skills gap for students, compared to 78% of private sector employees. The findings revealed that public employees are more aware than private sector employers that close cooperation between HEIs and work-life partners is crucial for producing a “university product” that meets future society's needs.

Impact of institutions of higher learning on population and employment: a panel study for Germany

ABSTRACT We analyse the impact of newly established institutions of higher learning on employment by industry group and on population by age group. The study is conducted on German panel data on the county level from 2002 to 2018. During this time, numerous new institutions of higher learning were established in counties thus far not serviced. To account for the likely non-randomness of our treatment variable, the relatively small number of counties that switch from zero to at least one institution of higher learning, and the staggered nature of the individual county treatments, we utilize the newly devised generalized synthetic control method. We find that the share of manufacturing and financial services in employment rises a few years after a treatment, while the share of public sector employment declines. The level and share of young adults in the age group 18 to 35 tends to increase, in particular for rural counties. However, there is no evidence of a sustained rise in overall population or employment for counties.

Kapabilitas Humas Perguruan Tinggi Di Jakarta Dalam Tata Kelola Komunikasi MBKM Saat Pandemi COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public relations in Higher Education (PT) is facing new changes. The public relations capability is to maintain relations with the media, internal and external communications other stakeholders. This is related to the PT's public relations capabilities in information management during COVID-19, which can provide clear and good information and maintain the reputation and image of the organization. This research aims to understand the Public Relations Capabilities in (PT) for information management during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research to used by Macnamara (2018) regarding Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)/ Competencies, Competency, and Competence. This research uses qualitative methods and data collection using Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with 13 public relations employees from universities in Jakarta. PT's public relations capability in managing information to the internal and external via social media channels effectively regarding MBKM. Public relations officer can carry out a competency test which is useful for becoming a reliable and competent public relations officer and understanding the basics of the PR code of ethics. Public relations in (PT) capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic by having public relations competencies that have a role in professional performance ethics. Evaluation and monitoring have successfully navigated academic activities during the pandemic and ready to face the new normal. The role of public relations in (PT) is related to the Good Reputation of the organization and its stakeholders. Public relations in (PT) to attract the attention of the audience (lecturers and students) by creating interesting content about MBKM uploaded via social media and collaborating with other campus partners. Public relations in (PT) has implemented strich health protocols and established pandemic response task forces.

Dampak Rendahnya Sikap/Perilaku Harmonis, Adaptif dan Kolaboratif terhadap Kerja Berkelanjutan Pegawai Publik

The impact of low levels of harmonious, adaptive and collaborative attitudes and behavior on the sustainability of public employees' work. Sustainable work is a necessity for public employees to achieve organizational goals and provide optimal public services. However, low attitudes and behavior can hamper productivity and work efficiency. A harmonious attitude reflects the ability to work well with colleagues, adaptive behavior means being able to adapt to changes in the work environment, and a collaborative attitude means being able to work together with other people to achieve common goals. Harmonious, adaptive and collaborative attitudes are very important, these attitudes in the context of public employees. Adaptive and collaborative attitudes are fundamental pillars in achieving success for public employees in providing services to the community. In the rapidly changing era of globalization, civil servants need to have adaptive abilities to remain productive and provide the best service. The low level of harmonious, adaptive and collaborative attitudes can be caused by a work environment that is not conducive and a lack of adequate training and development. The causes of low levels of harmonious, adaptive and collaborative attitudes and the importance of condescending support in developing these attitudes. By understanding and overcoming these obstacles, public employees can work sustainably, achieve organizational goals, and provide optimal public services.

Embracing green: antecedents of Generation Z tourists’ pro-environmental behaviour in national parks

ABSTRACT Encouraging environmentally-friendly behaviours among tourists, especially younger generations, is a pressing and vital task for both government authorities and industry practitioners. Our study investigates the impact of public environmental facilities, awe, and employee helpfulness on Generation Z tourists’ environmental commitment and their intention to protect the environment in national park tourism. We utilised an online survey to collect data from Chinese adult tourists born in or after 1995 who had visited national parks within the past one year. Based on the data analysis of 289 valid cases, we found that commitment to the environment significantly mediates the impact of awe and employee helpfulness on Generation Z tourists’ intention to protect the environment in national parks. However, public environmental facilities did not significantly affect commitment to the environment. The theoretical contributions and practical implications of the current study are elaborated upon.