MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS HO CHI MINH CITY Tran Quynh Hoa FACTORS INFLUENCING JOB PERFORMANCE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR: THREE APPROACHES FROM VIET NAM Major: Human Resource Management Major code: 9340404 Ph. Ho Viet Tien 2. Nguyen Van Phuong Ho Chi Minh City – 2024 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I am very appreciative of all the invaluable guidance and support that my supervisors have given me throughout this study, despite their busy schedules. Their feedback and recommendations have greatly enhanced the development of my research ideas.
I also want to show my heartfelt appreciation to the University of Economics for facilitating my research process by providing clear timelines and ample guidance materials. Moreover, I send my sincere thanks to all my instructors in the Human Resouce Management Ph. program for their great lectures, which provided the inspiration for my research topics and laid the foundation for my research design and methodologies. Besides that, my colleagues and Ph.
friends deserve recognition for their support in undertaking this research endeavor. Furthermore, I want to extend my thanks to those who generously participated in my survey. Their contributions were invaluable to the completion of my research. Lastly, I express my deep gratitude to my family for their unwavering encouragement during this project endeavor.
Their consistent support and assistance were instrumental in ensuring the timely submission of this work. ii ABSTRACT Despite extensive research on the antecedents of job satisfaction and job performance, significant gaps remain, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has profoundly impacted employee engagement due to increased remote work, lack of social interaction, blurred work-life boundaries, and anxiety over job security. While organizational emotional engagement has gained attention in the private sector, it remains underexplored in the public sector, with a limited understanding of its impact on job satisfaction.
Moreover, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence on the effect of internal social media on employee outcomes through employee engagement. Additionally, career adaptability has emerged as a critical focus in career development, emphasizing the ability to make meaningful career choices. However, previous research often separates work and life outcomes, limiting understanding of how career adaptability influences positive work outcomes via well-being factors. Therefore, through three separate studies, this thesis investigates factors influencing job performance in Vietnam’s public sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first study focuses on the role of organizational emotional engagement and its antecedents in stimulating job satisfaction and job performance. The second study explores the impact of internal public relations on employees’ life satisfaction and job performance. The third study examines how employees’ career adaptability leads to enhanced job performance through well-being indicators. The studies focused on public servants in Ho Chi Minh City and Long An Province, as well as aviation industry employees in Southern Vietnam.
To evaluate research models, Study 1 and Study 2 utilized partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), while Study 3 used covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM). The research results found that factors such as relational contracts, senior management receptiveness, and upward employee communication significantly affect organizational emotional engagement, which in turn affects job iii performance and job satisfaction. Additionally, internal public relations practices, including internal social media, perceived organizational transparency, and organizational identification, were significant determinants of employee engagement, positively impacting life satisfaction and job performance. Career adaptability was also found to be essential in enhancing employee job performance through well-being experiences.
This study contributes to the literature by addressing the gap in research concerning organizational emotional engagement in the public sector and shedding light on the effective use of internal public relations to enhance employees’ life satisfaction and job performance. It also provides insights into promoting career adaptability to improve job performance and well-being in work and life contexts. The analyzed results offer future directions and managerial implications to enhance employee performance in organizations. Keywords: Relational contract, senior management receptiveness, upward employee communication, perceived organizational transparency, internal social media, organizational identification, employee engagement, organizational emotional engagement, career adaptability, life meaning, life satisfaction, job satisfaction, job performance iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS. viii LIST OF TABLES .x LIST OF FIGURES. xi Chapter 1 - INTRODUCTION .1 Organizational emotional engagement and job satisfaction .2 Internal public relations and job performance .3 Career adaptability, job satisfaction and job performance .4 Overall research methods.5 Significance of the study.
11 Chapter 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW AND OVERALL MODEL .2 Organizational emotional engagement (OEE).4 Senior management receptiveness (SMR) and upward employee communication (UEC) .5 Internal Social Media (ISM) .6 Perceived organizational transparency (POT) and organizational identification (OI) .1 Relational contract, employee voice, organizational emotional engagement and job satisfaction .2 Internal public relations and favorable employee outcomes .3 Career adaptability and its dual outcomes on work and life. Factors influencing job satisfaction and performance in the public sector. Employee engagement, internal public relations and job performance. Career adaptability, well-being indicators and job performance.
FACTORS INFLUENCING JOB SATISFACTION AND PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SECTOR .2 Validity and reliability. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT, INTERNAL PUBLIC RELATIONS AND JOB PERFORMANCE .2 Validity and reliability. THE INFLUENCE OF CAREER ADAPTABILITY ON WELL-BEING INDICATORS AND JOB PERFORMANCE .2 Validity and reliability .74 Chapter 6 – CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS .4 Limitations and future directions. The process of adjusting scales .98 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Abbreviations Meaning AVE Average variance extracted CA Career adaptability CB-SEM Covariance-based structural equation modeling CFI Comparative fit index CLF Common latent factor CMB Common method bias CR Composite reliability DV Dependent Variable EE Employee engagement EFA Exploratory factor analysis EV Employee voice HCMC Ho Chi Minh City HR Human resource HRM Human Resource Management IFI Incremental fit index ISM Internal social media IPR Internal public relations IV Independent Variable JE Job engagement JP Job performance JS Job satisfaction KMO Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin LM Life meaning LS Life satisfaction M Mediator NFI Normed Fit Index ix OE Organizational engagement OEE Organizational emotional engagement OI Organizational identification PLS-SEM Partial least squares structural equation modeling POT Perceived organizational transparency RC Relational contracts RMSEA Root mean square error of approximation SD Standard deviations SEM Structural equation modeling SMR Senior management receptiveness SRMR Standardized Root Mean Residual TLI Tucker–Lewis index UEC Upward employee communication χ2/df χ2 per degree of freedom x LIST OF TABLES Table 3.1 Demographics of the Study 1 respondents .2 Convergent and reliability of Study 1 .3 Discriminant validity of Study 1 .4 Discriminant validity (Heterotrait-Monotrait ratios) of Study 1 .5 Model fitness indexes .6 Estimated results of Study 1 .1 Demographics of the Study 2 respondents .2 Reliability and convergent validity of the Study 2 latent constructs.5 Results of Study 2 hypothesis testing .6 Results of Study 2 mediating effects .1 Demographics of the Study 2 respondents .2 Reliability analysis of Study 3 .3 CFA and SEM model fit indices of Study 3 .4 Hypothesis testing of Study 3 .1 Measured items of Study 1 .2 Measured items of Study 2 .3 Measured items of Study 3 .4 Các câu hỏi đo lường của Nghiên cứu 1 .5 Các câu hỏi đo lường của Nghiên cứu 2 .6 Các câu hỏi đo lường của Nghiên cứu 3.
111 xi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Overall model of dissertation .2 Research model of Study 1 .3 Research model of Study 2 .4 Research model of Study 3 .1 Results of Study 1 hypothesis testing .1 Results of Study 2 hypothesis testing .1 Study rationale It is essential to consider that people's careers are influenced by their perceptions and feelings of career success and satisfaction, and are intimately connected to the organizations they work for (Coetzee & Stoltz, 2015). Research has emphasized the interdependency between individuals and organizations, suggesting that organizational success is tied to employees’ career satisfaction and aligning business needs with their career goals (Fleisher et al. Thus, achieving optimal job performance requires collaboration between organizations and employees. This study introduces three approaches to improving job performance, which involve efforts from organizations, self-reflection by employees, or joint initiatives from both sides.
The first approach is based on organizational emotional engagement, fostered through relational contracts, senior management receptiveness, and upward employee communication, which emphasizes the interaction between employees and management. The second approach focuses on employee engagement, which can be enhanced through the use of internal social media within the organization. By promoting open, collaborative, and participative dialogue, social media as an organization’s internal practice helps create employees' sense of belongingness and identification. The third approach emphasizes career adaptability, where individuals adjust to better align personal preferences and needs with the structure of their career pursuits.
The detailed rationale for each study is presented below.1 Organizational emotional engagement and job satisfaction Human capital is a valuable asset of an organization in today's competitive market. Retaining talented employees is one of the major business strategies for long- term growth, enabling firms to create and maintain competitive advantages (Chan & Ao, 2019). Governmental and non-profit organizations also need professional labor forces to function efficiently. However, public sector employees often express less job satisfaction than their private sector equivalents (Steel & Warner, 1990).
This 2 dissatisfaction can be attributed partly to the structural constraints within public organizations, characterized by bureaucracy and conflicts, which impede the fulfillment of employees' selfless or elevated needs (De Simone et al. Public servants often navigate contradictions and paradoxes in their roles within linear, traditional, and hierarchical environments (Franken et al. The public sector also faces other specific constraints, including democratic decision-making, the need for public support, lack of market pressure, and employment constraints like lower salaries (Ludviga & Kalvina, 2024). Disengaged employees are costly to public organizations and can adversely affect public service delivery (Mostafa & Abed El- Motalib, 2020).
This situation is further intensified by the external impact of COVID- 19, a global crisis that has significantly affected job satisfaction and emotional well- being. In public sector bureaucracies, traditional strategic planning has been effective in stable environments, but it now faces increasing challenges requiring rapid adaptation to environmental changes (Ludviga & Kalvina, 2024). The slow adaptability of these organizations may not effectively mitigate employees' worries, uncertainties, and fluctuating emotional states during this period. Engagement has emerged as a central concern within business psychology, garnering significant academic attention.
One key aspect of engagement is organizational emotional engagement, also known as work engagement, which pertains to employees' emotional commitment to their company. Engaged employees exhibit positive sentiments and cognitions, find meaning in their work, and strongly identify with their organizational role (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). This emotional investment drives them to utilize their capabilities and expertise effectively, eventually fulfilling their job responsibilities (Côté et al.Despite its importance, the link between work engagement and job satisfaction has not been extensively researched. There is a scarcity of research exploring this association, particularly in the government sector and developing nations like Vietnam.
Therefore, this study seeks to augment the current literature on engagement in public institutions by examining the correlations between emotional engagement and job satisfaction. 3 Additionally, it will explore understudied antecedents of organizational emotional engagement, including relational contracts and employee voice and link job satisfaction with job performance.2 Internal public relations and job performance Amidst the lockdown, many organizations have implemented a work-from- home arrangement, which presents employee challenges. Working from home can lead to a lack of concentration due to frequent interruptions from family members, resulting in a conflict between work and personal life. Consequently, employee engagement becomes essential.
It is the organization's responsibility to prioritize the well-being of its employees and ensure they are properly engaged. Leaders should deliver motivational speeches, uplift their team's spirits, and establish a secure and open environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their concerns. Internal public relations can be the means to synergize these two parties effectively (Kennan & Hazleton, 2006), particularly through the utilization of internal social media to strengthen organizational transparency and identity, ultimately driving employee engagement.