IMPACT OF PROTESTANT WORK ETHICS ON WORK CONTROL WITH THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED JOB AUTONOMY AND THE MODERATING ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE IN THE HEALTH SECTOR

Abstract

to test whether perceived job autonomy mediates that relationship, and to assess whether organizational structure moderates the PWE → work control link.

Methods: Cross-sectional pilot study of 53 full-time healthcare employees in Punjab (Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore). Validated instruments (Mirels and Garrett’s Protestant Ethic Scale (PWE), Dwyer & Ganster’s Work Control Scale (WC), Breaugh’s Work Autonomy Scale (PJA), and an adapted organizational-structure measure) were used. Responses used Likert scales; internal consistency was high (αPWE = .925; αWC = .899; αPJA = .882; OS α = 1.00). Analyses (IBM SPSS) included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, hierarchical regression, and mediation/moderation testing via PROCESS (Hayes).

Results: PWE correlated positively with work control (r = .427, p = .001) and with perceived job autonomy (r = .565, p < .001); perceived job autonomy correlated strongly with work control (r = .673, p < .001). Organizational structure showed a modest positive correlation with work control (r = .325, p = .018). Hierarchical regression indicated that PWE significantly predicted work control (β = .42, p < .01). The PWE × organizational-structure interaction was not significant (B = .178, p = .379), indicating no moderating effect. Mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of PWE on work control through perceived job autonomy (indirect B = .075, p < .001), consistent with full mediation via autonomy.

Conclusions: In this healthcare pilot sample, stronger PWE is associated with greater perceived work control, and this relationship operates primarily through enhanced perceptions of job autonomy; organizational structure did not moderate the effect. These findings suggest that autonomy-supportive job design may be the key mechanism by which PWE translates into employees’ sense of control, with implications for job redesign and HR interventions in healthcare settings.