Determinants of Public Sector Job Performance: An Integrated Role of Islamic Work Ethics, Job Characteristics, and Public Service Motivation

Abstract: It is an imperative pursuit to investigate attributes of Islamic ethics in the bureaucracy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, necessitating examination to unveil the synthesis of Islamic ethics and job characteristics with governance. Likewise, the study aimed to investigate the impact of Islamic Work Ethics (IWE) and Job Characteristics (JC) on Job Performance (JP) with the mediation of Public Service Motivation (PSM), underpinning IWE with Other Orientation Theory (OOT) and JC with Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Background: This exploratory study employed a self-reported questionnaire for data analysis, using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to estimate regression coefficients. Methods: A quantitative research technique, with an ordinal scale, was employed to collect data from 400 civil servants. Findings of this innovative study concluded a direct relationship between IWE and JP as a statistically significant and positive relationship (IWE-JP) with ennobling mediation of PSM. Results: Whereas, the study expounded a significant and positive relationship between JC and JP through direct correlation and via mediation of PSM. This research accentuated upon implications of IWE and JC as a substantial variable for enhancing civil services’ JP. This novel study provided basis and avenues for academicians, think tanks, and policy makers with empirically tested performance model, entailing theoretical and practical implications.