HOW DO INDIVIDUAL FACTORS AND WORK ENGAGEMENT DRIVE INNOVATIVE WORK BEHAVIOUR OF MALAYSIAN PUBLIC SERVANTS?

Abstract

Compared to any other field, the research on the Innovative Work Behaviour (IWB) among Malaysian public servants has been a neglected area. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the determinant factors influencing IWB among public servants at Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia (JKDM). Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was underpinned to determine the relationship between individual factors [self-efficacy (SE), intrinsic motivation (IM), proactive personality (PP)] and work engagement (WE). This study also included WE as a mediating variable in the relationship between individual factors and IWB. It is important to analyze how these dimensions tend to influence the IWB. Data for this study was collected from 111 public servant at JKDM and the collected data was analyzed by using Smart-PLS. The findings revealed that PP has an insignificant relationship with WE. Furthermore, WE was found to be insignificant in mediating PP and IWB. This study is subject to several limitations. Firstly, this study only focuses on one public sector department, namely JKDM. Thus, there might be limited information gained for the overall results. It is suggested to further examine IWB in other public sector agencies and departments. Secondly, this study only uses three independent variables, which are SE, IM, and PP. Hence, it is suggested for future research to apply other independent variables to determine the potential contributing factor that will enhance IWB. The third limitation of this study is that WE as a mediating variable was exploited. Therefore, future research may consider using other mediating variables, such as trust and empowerment.