Work Ethic

2nd

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH (2nd

ICBER 2011) PROCEEDING

225

WORK ETHIC OF MALAYSIAN CIVIL SERVANTS

Othman Mohd. Yunus Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak

[email protected]

Abdul Rahman Abdul Rahim Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia

[email protected]

Alwi Bin Shabuddin Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia

[email protected]

Munira Mazlan [email protected]

Abstract This paper seeks to explore work ethic of Malaysian civil servants. Positive work ethic among others emphasize on hard work, commitment and dedication, and avoidance of wealth accumulation through unethical methods. This ethic is indeed valued by organizations. Employees holding strongly to positive work ethic ensure organization of its goal. The questionnaire used to gauge the level of work ethic among Malaysian civil servants is the Islamic work ethic developed by Ali (1988). A total of 90 civil servants of the Islamic faith responded to the questionnaire. The result shows respondents hold strongly to Islamic work ethic. Field of Research: Human Resource Management, Organizational Behavior, Ethic Introduction

Positive attitudes towards work are an important aspect of workplace dynamics. Noe, Hollenbech, Gerhart, and Wright (1999), believe that a strong positive attitude towards work can lead to higher productivity on both individual and organizational levels. Therefore, having positive work ethic that is a commitment to the value and the importance of hard work is the essence to employees and organizational success. Ali and Azim (1995), Eisenberger (1989), and Sacks (1998) however, believe that work ethic among workers is declining may it be in America as well as in other industrialized countries. Many researchers have associated the decline in work ethic to an increase in workplace deviant behaviors. Yandle (1992) argues that a decline in work ethic can leads to a lower levels of job performance. Klebnikov (1993) and Shimko (1992) on the other hand, suggest that a decline in work ethic leads to higher levels of absenteeism and

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turnover, while Sheehy (1990) believes that the decline leads to an increase counterproductive behaviors ranging from unauthorized breaks to employee theft. Thus, it is apparent that employees’ positive attitude toward work is of importance to the employers. Flynn (1994) reported that in circumstances where candidates possess the basic skills necessary to perform the job; nearly 60% of American managers have ranked work ethic as the most important factor when hiring an administrative employee. Work ethic is also being ranked higher than other employee characteristics like intelligence (23%), enthusiasm (12%), and education (4%). This study explores the level of work ethic among Malaysian workers working in the government sector. Understanding the level of work ethic that exists is important in assisting managers in the various government departments and sectors to better manage their workforce. The study of work ethic originates from Weber’s work. According to Weber (1958) an individual espousing a high work ethic would place great value on hard work, autonomy, fairness, wise and efficient use of time, delay of gratification, and the intrinsic value of work. Similar views had been espoused by Dubin (1963), Wollack, Goodale, Wijting, & Smith (1971), Cherrington (1980), Furnham (1984), and Ho and Lloyd (1984). Thus, work ethics has been conceptualized as an attitudinal construct pertaining to work-oriented values. At the core of Weber´s thesis is the Protestant ethic which is considered to have inspired the “spirit of capitalism” thus, facilitated the rise of industrial capitalism. According to Weber (1958), Protestant reformation has lead to the formation of new attitudes and new behaviors which are explicitly favorable to economic development thus foster the development of industrial capitalism. This is because at the heart of the Protestant Ethic is hard works and profit seeking and these values are being paired with strict avoidance of any worldly pleasure, idleness or waste of time (Weber, 1958). Once established, capitalism would no longer need the support of the religious beliefs that have helped create it. Accordingly, people would strive for success and wealth because the values associated with the work ethic would become entrenched in society and considered expected behavior thus, no longer aligned with any one set of religious beliefs (Weber, 1958). This has lead Ray (1982) to conclude that Protestant Work Ethic (PWE) values are nowadays shared universally; regardless of religious orientations since all major religions are also stressing the importance of work. Although the concept of work ethic originated from a religious context, it has become secularized, and thus, universally shared rather than particularly among the Protestants. To simply put it, Protestant work ethic although is certainly not dead, it is just no longer Protestant (Ray, 1982). While work ethic as advocated by Max Weber has been considered as a universal value however, the applicability of the model must be limited to Western societies especially in countries and societies which profess Christianity since it relied on Christianity as its source (Yousef, 2001). Therefore, in countries of Muslim populace there is a need to have a measurement of work ethic based on Islam. As such Ali (1988) and Yousef

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(2001), proposed the development of the Islamic Work Ethic based on the Qur’an and Sunnah. According to Ali (1992) in a manner similar to Weberian Protestantism, Islam also provides the ideological foundation for a variety of personal attributes that promote economic development. Indeed, Ali (2005) noted that the application of Islamic ethics have brought the Muslims to the golden ages in the eighth until the fourteenth century. Yousef (2001) also recognizes that both Islamic Work Ethic (IWE) and PWE rest upon very similar assumptions which emphasize on hard work, commitment, dedication to work, work creativity, avoidance of unethical method of wealth accumulation, cooperation and competitiveness at the work place. The major differences however, IWE does not only focus on work as an obligatory activity and a virtue but also emphasizes that success and progress on the job depends on hard work and commitment to one´s job (Ali, 1988). In fact the Quran is against laziness and waste of time. Islam forbids the ummah from remaining idle or engaging in unproductive activity (Yousef, 2001). As a standard measurement of work ethic both Ali (1988) and Yousef (2001) see IWE exceeds PWE since it also emphasizes on cooperation in work, and consultation is seen as a way of overcoming obstacles and avoiding mistakes. Literature Hitt (1990) describes the principles of ethic as synonymous to values. In fact, any references to an individual’s ethic would revolve around his or her values. Indeed, it is the individual’s value set is what guides his or her life. Therefore, work ethic or work values can be made reference to what Cherrinton (1980) referred to as a positive attitude towards work. Persons who enjoy their work are considered to have a better work ethic than those who did not enjoy their work. In the context of Islamic Work Ethic, Beekun (1997) defined it as the set of moral principles that distinguish what is right from what is wrong in the Islamic context. It is based on the Qur’an, the teachings of the Prophet who denoted that hard work caused sins to be absolved (Ali, 2005). According to Rizk (2008), IWE is an orientation towards work and approaches work as a virtue in human’s lives. Since work ethic is made reference to the positive attitude towards work (Cherrinton, 1980) therefore, many of the research on work ethic circle on job satisfaction (Yousef, 2001; Koh and Boo, 2001; Viswesvaran and Deshpande, 1996; Vitell and Davis, 1990). This, according to Robbins (2005) is simply because job satisfaction is a collection of feelings that individual holds towards his or her job. Thus, an employee who has a high level of job satisfaction will hold positive feeling towards job and vice versa. Further, job satisfaction can also be made reference to an employee’s evaluation of the overall quality of his or her present job. Therefore, understanding the relationship between work ethic and job satisfaction according to Yousef (2000) is essential in determining methods on intervention and strategies for mitigating factors that reduce satisfaction towards the work conditions. Study conducted by Nik Mu’ tasim Ab. Rahman et al. (2006) also concurs that there is a direct, positive and significant relationship between commitment towards works and Islamic work ethic.

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Using Islamic Work Ethic survey questionnaire Yousef (1999) found that Arab expatriates, local and other nationals working in several organizations in United Arab Emirates, score high on the Islamic work ethic. However, in comparison the Arab expatriates score higher than the Asian expatriates. This result is consistent with the findings by Ali (1992) and Ali and Azim (1994) who also found that Arab managers scored high on the Islamic work ethic. Work ethic has also been linked to organizational commitment (Yousef, 2001; Kidron, 1979; Peterson, 2003). Since organizational commitment is a psychological state that attaches an employee to an organization, therefore, being committed to the organization help reduces the incidence of turnover (Allen and Mayer, 1990). Accordingly, Putti, Aryee, and Ling (1989) found that commitment toward organization is more closely related to intrinsic work values rather than extrinsic work values. Other research works on work ethic also examined the impact of individual variables on work ethic. Using Wollack’s Work Values Survey on Palestinian Arabs, Abboushi (1990), found occupation influenced employees’ work values which relates to pride in work, job involvement, social status, and attitude toward earnings. Abboushi (1990) also found that employees’ level of formal education has significant influence on pride in work, job involvement, and attitude toward earnings; while employees’ age has significant influence on the social prestige connotations of work. Employees’ work experience on the other hand, was found to influence the work ethic of upward striving. Using a modified version of Hofstede's Values Survey Module, Frick (1995) found that employees’ educational fields and levels are the most important demographic variables that relates to work ethic considerations. The study also found occupational fields and levels relates significantly with work ethic. Ali, Falcone, and Azim (1995) study in the USA and Canada on the other hand, found work ethic differs across age, organizational and education levels. Dipboye and Anderson (1959) and Wijting et al. (1978) also reported a significant association between work ethic and education. Taylor and Thompson (1976) on the other hand, discovered a significant association between age and work ethic. While personality has been found to have a significant association with work ethic (Davidson, 1983); a significant relationship is also found between work ethic, tenure and work experience (Gomez-Mejia, 1983 and Whelen, 1972). However, there have been mix results on the study of work ethic across gender. Fruehling (1980) reported a significant association between work ethic and gender. Frick’s (1995) study using Hofstede's Values Survey Module found that work ethic does not differ significantly across gender. Ali, Falcone, and Azim (1995) study in the USA and Canada on the other hand, found work ethic differs across gender. Mannheim (1993), using Wollack’s Work Values survey instrument on 209 working men and 136 working women in a metropolitan area in Israel found that there were no differences between men and women in terms of their work ethic. Using Manhardt's Scale on a convenience sample of 29 males and 43 females from the southwestern part of Nigeria, Adeyemi-Bello (1994) also reported that both males and females in general have similar work ethics. Rowe and Snizek (1995) in their study also found no significant differences between males and

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females in terms of work ethic. Using Rokeach's Value Survey Scale to examine gender differences in ethic among managers, Chusmir and Parker (1991) reported strikingly similar work ethic between women and men managers. However, when Manhardt's Scale, was administered on a sample of 202 advanced undergraduate business students Beutell and Brenner (1986) found there were significant gender differences with females rating higher than males. Based on the literature, this study sets to explore work ethic of Malaysian civil servants in the context of their demographic factors. This objective is achieved through the following questions:

1. Do Malaysian civil servants have high orientation in Islamic work ethic? 2. Are there differences in Islamic work ethic orientation among Malaysian civil

servants according to gender, marital status, age, job status and length of service categories?

Research Method Malaysia has some 1.3 million civil servants which include those in the Police department, Education, Military and other agencies within the established Ministries to serve its 27 million populations. Since this is an exploratory study, only one department within the civil services was randomly chosen. Using the name list of employees in this organization 100 questionnaires were randomly distributed among Muslim employees. However, only 90 responded and were suitable to be used in the final analysis. Distribution of respondents and their demographic characteristics is shown in Figure 1. This study uses self-administered Islamic Work Ethic questionnaire as the data collection technique. The original Islamic work ethic (IWE) instrument used to gauge respondents work ethic was developed by Ali (1988), and consisted of 46 items. The internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's Alpha) was reported as 0.89 (Ali, 1992). The use of IWE instrument to gauge work ethic for this study was simply because the majority of the Malaysian civil servants are Muslims. According to Nasr (1984), the Islamic work ethic deserves a serious inquiry because it is the ideal which Muslims seek to realize. In addition, Islam being the official religion of Malaysia is one of the most influential factor which have shaped Malaysian work value systems. For the purpose of this study the shorter version of IWE was used. This instrument consisted of 17 items. Among the items in this instrument are statements such as: “dedication to work is a virtue”, “life has no meaning without work" and “justice and generosity in the work place are a necessary condition for the societal welfare.” This short version has been used in Saudi Arabia, UEA, Kuwait, and Cronbach’s alpha of the scale was 0.85 (Wahibur Rokhman, 2010). According to Flynn et al. (1994) an empirically-validated scale can be used directly in other studies in the field for different populations and for longitudinal studies. Nevertheless, the Cronbach’s Alpha of IWE in this study is 0.82. Nunnally (1978) however, suggested that for an exploratory research such as this study an alpha value of 0.60 is sufficient.

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Figure 1: Distribution of respondents (N=90) Demographic Factors Frequency Percentage (%) Gender Male Female Total

23 67 90

26 74 100

Marital Status Married Single Total

63 27 90

70 30 100

Job Status Junior Support group Senior Support group Junior Management and Professional group Senior Management and Professional group. Total

3 65 13 9 90

3.3 72.2 14.4 10 100

Age 20 - 25 years 26-35 years 36-45 years 46-55 years Total

18 32 8 32 90

20 35.5 9 35.5 100

Period of Services Under 5 years 5 to 10 years 11 to 15 years 16 to 20 years 21 to 25 years 26 years above Total

36 14 2 3 8 26 90

40 16 2 4 9 29 100

Respondents had to indicate their agreement or disagreement with each item on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The score were averaged to yield a summary score reflecting the Islamic work ethic. A cut-off score of 70 was used to divide the respondents into low and high in Islamic work ethic orientation. In getting the respondents to participate they were assured of confidentiality and that participation was voluntary. In enhancing respondents to respond to the questionnaire, every question in its original English version is accompanied with a Malay translation. This was simply because most respondents speak only in Bahasa Malaysia. The Malay translation was developed through careful translation and back-translation techniques as suggested by Brislin (1970) and McGorry (2000). The seventeen-item IWE scale was first translated into Malay and then back-translated into English by a bilingual expert. This process minimizes the discrepancies between the English and the Malay measurements. This is consistent with

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Berry’s (1980) suggestions that the goal of translation is to obtain instruments that elicit responses which convey similar meanings to members of various groups (i.e. "conceptual equivalence"). Phillips (1959) cautioned that a literal translation of an instrument is not sufficient for conveying the equivalent of an instrument in cross-cultural research but noted that a complete semantic equivalence in cross-cultural studies is a statistical fiction. In ensuring the Malay version of IWE is reliable a part-whole correlations test between individual items and the overall scale was carried out. This is to determine whether individual items correlate with the overall scale. Result of the test shows that all individual items of the Malay version strongly correlate with the overall scale. For analysis, this study uses descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentage. For research question 1 the overall mean score is used as a basis to determine work ethic orientation among Malaysian civil servants. For research question 2, independent sample comparison of mean are used to see the differences while to test for significant differences t-test analysis and ANOVA test are used. Results and Discussions Overall the result of this study shows that respondents (N=90) recorded a relatively high mean score of 73.80 (SD = 6.48) on the Islamic work ethic scale. Therefore, it is concluded that Malaysian civil servants have high orientation in Islamic work ethic. This can be interpreted that Malaysian civil servants strongly support and adhere to IWE. The positive orientation of Malaysian civil servants toward IWE is considered good for Malaysia as the country strives to achieve a high income nation status and vision 2020. This is because work ethic has been positively linked to job satisfaction (Yousef, 2001; Koh and Boo, 2001; Viswesvaran and Deshpande, 1996; Vitell and Davis, 1990) and organizational commitment (Mu’ tasim Ab. Rahman et al., 2006). It is also because IWE takes root from the Qur’an, the teachings of the Prophet who denoted that hard work caused sins to be absolved (Ali, 2005). As IWE is an orientation towards work and approaches work as a virtue in human’s lives (Rizk, 2008) therefore, employees holding strongly to Islamic work ethic can help department heads in various government agencies to overcome work related problems arising from attitude and behaviors of their staffs. The finding of this study is also of importance as argued by Yandle (1992), any decline in work ethic can lead to a lower levels of job performance; a higher level of absenteeism and turnover (Klebnikov, 1993; Shimko, 1992); and can also lead to an increase in counterproductive behavior ranging from unauthorized breaks to employee theft (Sheehy, 1990). Further as IWE has been defined as the set of moral principles that distinguish what is right from what is wrong in the Islamic context Beekun (1997); and that Yousef (2001) recognizes IWE as a principle way of avoiding unethical method of wealth accumulation. Therefore, civil servants holding high on IWE can help the government of Malaysia in its fight against corruption and malpractices in all sectors of the public services.

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In the context of gender differences the results of this study show that female respondents score a little higher (M=74.27, SD=6.43) than the male respondents (M=72.43, SD=6.59). However, the results of the independent sample t-test to compare work ethic score for gender showed that there was no significant difference between male and female respondents [t(88) = -1.173, p = 0.24]. Thus, the results of this study are in support of findings of Chusmir and Parker (1991), Adeyemi-Bello (1994), and Rowe and Snizek (1995) that both males and females in general have similar work ethic and that there was no significant differences between males and females in terms of work ethic. As for marital status, the findings show that the total means score for married employees is M=74.27 (SD=6.93) while for employees who are single is M=73.41 (SD=5.38). Although the married respondents score slightly higher on the Islamic work ethic scale the differences is not significant [t(88) = -0.374, p = 0.71]. Thus, the result shows that there is no significant difference between married and single employees. Since the finding shows that Malaysian civil servants either married or single hold high on IWE therefore, this finding concludes that they are in strong support and adhere to Islamic work ethic. Figure 2 shows the means score for age, job status, and length of service. In terms of age group differences, the results show that the total means score for respondents of the age group 20-25 is M=73.89 (SD=6.53), age group of 26-35 is M=74.28 (SD=6.44), age group of 36-45 is M=74.50 (SD=4.93), and those of age group 46 and above is M=73.80 (SD=7.03). Results of the ANOVA test on the sample size (n=90) show that there is no significant differences between the age groups on the Islamic work value scale [F (3, 86) = 0.21, p=0.88]. The findings of this study however do not support the findings of Taylor and Thompson (1976) and Ali, Falcone, and Azim (1995) that found there was a significant association between age and work ethic. In contexts of job status the results of this study shows a relatively high mean score of Islamic work ethic for all employees in the category. However, the Junior Support group have a slightly higher mean score of M=76.0 (SD=14.57) and followed by the Senior Management group with a mean score of M=75.67 (SD=14.01). The mean score for Senior Support group is M=73.51 (SD=13.37), and Junior Management group is M=73.46 (SD=11.42). Results of the ANOVA test on the sample size (n=90) however, shows that there is no significant differences between the job status groups on the Islamic work value scale [F (3, 86) =0.412, p=0.75]. Thus, this study concludes that there is no significant difference in the level of Islamic work ethic among civil servants according to job status. Therefore, whether civil servants are in the category of Management group or Support group the results show that they are in strong support and adhere to IWE. The results of this study also show that all employees irrespective of their length of service have a relatively high mean score in the Islamic work ethic scale. For those who have served below 5 years the mean score is M=74.25 (SD=13.60), 5 to 10 years is M=72.79 (SD=13.43), 11 to 15 years is M=74.50 (SD=9.90), 16 to 20 years is M=77.00 (SD=8.96), 21 to 25 years is M=76.38 (SD=7.45) and lastly those who have served for more than 26 years have a mean score of M=72.38 (SD=11.90). Result of the ANOVA

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test on the sample size (n=90) however, shows that there is no significant differences among the length of service category on the Islamic work ethic scale [F (5, 84) =0.794, p=0.56]. Therefore, regardless of number of years in service, the results of this study show that respondents have strong support and adhere to IWE. The findings of this study do not support the findings of Gomez-Mejia (1983) and Whelen (1972) that there is a significant relationship between work ethic and tenure. Figure 2: Respondents’ Islamic Work Ethic Orientation (N=90) Demographic Factors Mean (M) SD Age 20-25 years old 26-35 years old 36-45 years old 46 and above

73.89 74.28 74.50 73.80

6.53 6.44 4.93 7.03

Job Status Junior Support Group Senior Support Group Junior Management Group Senior Management group

76.0 73.51 73.46 75.67

14.57 13.37 11.42 14.01

Length of Service under 5 years 5 to 10 years 11 to 15 years 16 to 20 years 21 to 25 years 26 years above

74.25 72.79 74.50 77.00 76.38 72.38

13.60 13.43 9.90 8.96 7.45 11.90

The results of this study thus far show that not only Malaysian civil servants have high orientation in Islamic work ethic but also there were no significant differences among gender, marital status, age, job status and length of service categories. These findings are in support of the theoretical foundation on which Islamic work ethic is being developed. Cherrinton, (1980) refers to work ethic as the positive attitude towards work while, Hitt, (1990) emphasizes that the principles of ethic is synonymous to values and that an individual’s ethics revolve around his or her values. The developments of individual’s values are very much influenced by the religion he or she professes. Religion provides the paradigm of what is good and what is bad, and the do’s and the don’ts. All Muslim regardless of race or sex will strive to be good Muslims. In the Quran, Allah s.w.t says, “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted” (Al-Quran, 49:13). Since IWE takes its root from the Quran therefore, an individual Muslim employee regardless of gender, marital status, age, job status and length of service who hold strong in Islamic faith will also have high orientation in Islamic work values.

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Limitation The results of this study should however be viewed with caution because of the limited generalisability of the finding of this study. First, this study involves a small sample size and confines to only one of the many government agencies. To this extent this study cannot truly reflect that these respondents represent the whole population of Malaysian civil servants. However, the results of this study are truly reflective of the work ethic the respondents carry as they embark on their careers. This work ethic should also be reflective of the community in which they live i.e. an Islamic community. Second, since the data being reported came from a questionnaire survey therefore, several other limitations are associated with it such as; general issues of questionnaire understandability and readability, scaling issues, and measurement errors. Furthermore, there is no assurance that the respondents' responses are a true reflection of their ethical judgments for some of the respondents could have provided socially desired answers. Conclusion The exploration of IWE among Malaysian civil servants in this research is intended only to show a general idea of an employee attitude towards work, rather than provide information about how he or she views his or her job. This study indicates that respondents have high orientation in Islamic work ethic. While this study does not carry the intention to formulate opinions on Malaysian civil servants level of job satisfaction and commitment towards work and organization, nevertheless, inferences can be made to literature. This will go well with the Malaysian government’s effort in achieving vision 2020. Future research should also examine the Islamic work ethic among Malaysian civil servants using a larger and representative sample size to see whether the results of the current study hold. Future studies should also include other Malaysian civil servants from other ethnic and religious background. -------- References Abboushi, S. (1990). ``Impact of individual variables on the work values of Palestinian

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Work Ethic