A Structural Model of the Effect of Decent Work, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment on Employee Creativity

Authors

Keywords:

decent work; job satisfaction; organizational commitment; employee creativity

Abstract

The primary objective of this research is to study the relationship between decent work, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee creativity. A sample size of 109 participants was conveniently sampled from major retailers in Bulawayo Urban. To achieve the purposes of this study and test the hypotheses, the structural equation model (SEM) was employed. Results revealed that decent work has a significant positive relationship with job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This means a decent work environment is responsible for highly satisfied workers who, in turn, become committed to the organization. A relatively strong association between organizational commitment and employee creativity was established. A committed workforce is bound to display creative work behaviors. However, an insignificant relationship between job satisfaction and employee creativity was found. If one is satisfied with their job, it does not translate to being creative at work. The study also established that a decent work environment does not predict employee creativity. These results have revealed the role and importance of securing decent work as a significant job resource in the retail sector. Employee creativity has also been shown to be a complex subject that requires further research on how it can be enhanced in the retail sector. The findings hope to contribute to a better understanding of the impact of decent work on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and employee creativity, and how all these relate to one another in contributing to a viable business economy in the retail sector.

References

Abdullah, A. (2011). Evaluation of Allen and Meyer’s organizational commitment scale: A cross-cultural application in Pakistan. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 1(3), 80-86. http://dx.doi.org/10.22610/jevr.v1i3.13

Akgunduz, Y. Alkan, C., & Gök. O. A. (2018). Perceived organizational support, employee creativity and proactive personality: The mediating effect of meaning of work. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 34(5), 105-114. https://doi.org/0.1016/j.jhtm.2018.01.004

Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J.P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of effective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 63(1), 1-18.

Amabile, T. M. (1988). A model of creativity and innovation in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 10, 123-167.

Antonites, A. (2014). Inducing entrepreneurial creativity, innovation and opportunity-finding skills. South Africa Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 8(3), 255-271. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v8i3.1197

Aybas, M. Özçelik, G., & Uyargil, C. (2022). Can decent work explain employee-level outcomes? The role of work–family and family–work conflict. Sustainability, 14(18), 11488. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811488

Blustein, D. L. Kenny, M. E. Di Fabio, A., & Guichard, J. (2019). Expanding the impact of psychology of working: Engaging psychology in the struggle for decent work and human rights. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(10), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072718774002

Chada, L., Mashavira, N., & Mathibe, M. (2022). The role of decent work in the Zimbabwe retail sector: Testing a job engagement-turnover intention model. South Africa Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(3), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v20i0.2029

Chinomona, R., & Dhuruo, M. (2014). The influence of the quality of working life on employee job satisfaction, job commitment and tenure intention in the SME sector in Zimbabwe. South Africa Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 17(4), 363-378.

De Vaus, D. (2012). Research design in social research (1st ed). Sage Publications Ltd.

Duffy, R. D., Blustein, D. L., Diemer, M. A., & Autin, K. L. (2016). The psychology of working theory. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 63(2), 127. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000140

El-Kassar, A. N., Dagher, G. K., Lythreatis, S., & Azakir, M. (2022). Antecedents and consequences of knowledge hiding: The roles of HR practices, organizational support for creativity, creativity, innovative work behavior, and task performance. Journal of Business Research, 140, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.11.079

Ferraro, T. Pais, L. Rebelo dos Santos, N., & Moreira, J. M. (2018). The decent work questionnaire (DWQ): Development and validation in two samples of knowledge workers. International Labour Review, 157(2), 243-265. https://doi.org/10.1111/ilr.12039

Ganesan, S., & Weitz, S.B.A. (1996). The impact of staffing policies on retail buyer job attitudes and employee socialization. Journal of Retailing, 72(1), 31-56.

Hair Jr., J. F. Hult, G. T. M. Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2016). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications.

Heritage, B., Pollock, C., & Roberts, L.D. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis of Warr, Cook and Wall’s (1979) job satisfaction scale. Australian Psychologist, 50(2), 122-129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ap.12103

Hobfoll, S. E. (2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested self in the stress process: Advancing Conservation of Resources Theory. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 50(3), 337-421. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/1464-0597.00062

Hosseinabadi, R., Karamporian, A., Beiranvand, S., & Pournia, Y. (2012). The effect of quality circles on job satisfaction and quality of work-life of staff in emergency medical services. International Emergency Nursing, 21(4), 264-270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ienj.2012.10.002

Hou, Y. Goo, G. Wang, F., & Li, T. (2011). Organizational commitment and creativity: the influence of thinking styles. Annals of Economics and Finance, 12(2), 411-431. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-013-1937-2

Huang, G. H., Zhang, Y., Zhang, X., & Long, L. (2021). Job insecurity, commitment and proactivity towards the organization and one's career: Age as a condition. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(2), 532-552. https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12322

Isik, E., Kozan, S., & Isik, A. N. (2018). Cross-cultural validation of the Turkish version of the decent work scale. Journal of Career Assessment, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072718763636

Jongbo, O. C. (2014). The role of research design in a purpose-driven enquiry. Review of Public Administration and Management, 3(6), 87-94.

Jothi, J. A. J., & Hin, C. W. (2015). Private higher education institutions in Malaysia. Global Perspective on Private Higher Education, 4(06), 131-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-100872-0.00008-2

Kalleberg. A, L. (2009). Precarious work, insecure workers: Employment relations in transition. American Sociological Review, 74(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/000312240907400101

Kankaaranta, T. (2013). Factors influencing economic crime investigators’ job commitment. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 14(1),53-65. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2012.727595

Khan, K. Abbas, M. Gul, A., & Raja, U. (2016). Organizational justice and job outcomes: Moderating role of Islamic work ethic. Journal of Business Ethics, 126(2), 235-246.

Legault, L. (2017). Self-determination theory. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1162-1

Li, W., Bhutto, T. A., Xuhui, W., Maitlo, Q., Zafar, A. U., & Ahmed Bhutto, N. (2020). Unlocking employees’ green creativity: The effects of green transformational leadership, green intrinsic, and extrinsic motivation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 255, 120229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jclep ro.2020.120229

Luebker, M. (2008). Employment, unemployment and informality in Zimbabwe: Concepts and data for coherent policy-making (Issues Paper No. 32 & Integration Working Paper No. 90). International Labour Office.

Magnavita, N., Fileni, A., & Bergamaschi, A. (2009). Satisfaction at work among radiologists. Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology, 114, 1330–1344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11547-009-0461-z

Makanyeza, C., & Dzvuke, G. (2015). The influence of innovation on the performance of small to medium enterprises in Zimbabwe. Journal of African Business, 16(1-2), 198-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2015.1061406

Mani, A., Lamce, N., & Hoxhalli, G. (2020). Job satisfaction and creativity: The case of a transition country. In Proceedings of the Third Economics, Business and Organization Research (EBOR) Conference. Rome, Italy.

Mapuranga, M., Maziriri, E. T., Rukuni, T. F., & Lose, T. (2021). Employee commitment and the mediating role of work locus of control and employee job satisfaction: The perspective of SME workers. Centre for Entrepreneurship and Rapid Incubator (CFERI), South Africa.

Martin, L., & Wilson, N. (2018). The Palgrave Handbook of Creativity at Work. Palgrave Macmillan.

McIlveen, P., Hoare, P. N., Perera, H. N., Kossen, C., Mason, L., Munday, S., Alchin, C., Creed, A., & McDonald, N. (2021). Decent work’s association with job satisfaction, work engagement, and withdrawal intentions in Australian working adults. Journal of Career Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072720922959

Mclaggan, E. Bezuidenhout, A., & Botha, C.T. (2013). Leadership style and organizational commitment in the mining industry in Mpumalanga. South Africa Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(1), 483-492. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v11i1.483

Moshoeu, A. N., & Geldenhuys, D. J. (2015). Job insecurity, organizational commitment and work engagement among staff in an open distance learning institution. Southern African Business Review, 19(1), 22-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.25159/1998-8125/5832

Muchichwa, T. W. C. (2017). Making a living and moving on: exploring the livelihoods of regularised Zimbabweans in Johannesburg, South Africa. University of the Witwatersrand. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24532

Nani, G. (2017). Business Imitations: The dearth of creativity and/or innovation? A case study of the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe. Journal of Contemporary Management, 14, 60-83.

Ndofirepi, T. M. (2016). The impact of technological creativity and entrepreneurship education on the entrepreneurship intentions of students from tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe and South Africa (Doctoral dissertation, Central University of Technology, Free State). http://ir.cut.ac.za/handle/11462/1368

Ndudzo, D. (2013). Assessing employee satisfaction at the Zimbabwe Open University. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1(2), 2320-9720.

Nisar, A. Butt, T. H. Abid, G. Farooqi, S., & Qazi, T. F. (2020). Impact of grit on voice behavior: Mediating role of organizational commitment. Future Business Journal, 6, 1–14. http://doi.org//10.1186/s43093-020-00028-7

Nyanga, T. Mudhovozi, P. Chireshe, R., & Maunganidze, L. (2012). A survey of job satisfaction of employees at higher learning institutions in Masvingo Province, Zimbabwe. The Anthropologist, 14(1), 73-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2012.11891223

Nyawu, P., & Schults, C. (2020). Managing employee creativity and innovation in selected Zimbabwean manufacturing companies. Southern African Business Review, 24, https://doi.org/10.25159/1998-8125/6836

O’Hara, D. (2017). The intrinsic motivation of Richard Ryan and Edward Deci. American Psychological Association.

Perreira, S. Dos Santos, N., & Pais, L. (2019). Empirical research on decent work: A literature review. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 4(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.16993/sjwop.53

Pouyuad, J. (2016). For a psychosocial approach to decent work. Frontier Psychology, 7, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00422

Rao, H. M., & Zaidi, U. (2020). What different perceived leadership styles have an influence on organizational commitment in tourism SMEs? African Journal of Hospitality Tourism and Leisure, 9(1), 1-16.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1037110003-066X.55.1.68

Ryan, R. M. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development and wellness. Guilford Press.

Sanhokwe, H., & Takawira, S. (2022). Evaluating the decent work scale measurement model in Zimbabwe. Journal of Career Development, 50(3), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/08948453221120961

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2015). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Pearson.

Schumacker, R. E., & Lomax, R. G. (2010). A beginner’s guide to structural equation modelling. Taylor & Francis Group.

Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (6th ed.). John Wiley and Sons Limited.

Shipton, A., Aasland, M. S. Nielsen, M. B. Hetland, J. Matthiesen, S. B., & Einarsen, S. (2014). The relative effects of constructive, laissez-faire, and tyrannical leadership on subordinate job satisfaction. Zeitschrift Für Psychologie, 222(4), 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1027/21512604/a000189

Siregar, Z. M. E., Sujana, F. R., Pranowo, A. S., & Supriadi, Y. N. (2021). Job autonomy and innovative work behavior of marketing employees in the automotive industry in Indonesia: The mediating role of organizational commitment. Quality - Access to Success, 22(180), 97–102.

Sothan, Y. Baoku, L., & Xiang, W.Z. (2016). Study of the effect of organizational commitment on employee creativity: Mediating role of knowledge sharing. International Journal of Management, Accounting and Economics, 3(7), 399-410.

Standing, G. (2014). Work after globalization: Building occupational citizenship. Edward Elgar.

Taheri, R, H. (2020). Impact of working environment on job satisfaction. European Journal of Business and Management, 5(6), 1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/ejbmr.2020.5.6.643

Taherkhani, E. (2015). Review of the relation between creativity and job satisfaction of physical education teachers. Cumhuriyet University Science Journal, 36(3), 279-287.

Van Der Zee, D. J. (2009). Organizational commitment and job satisfaction: A quantitative study at the Durban office of the Department of Labour (Master’s thesis, University of KwaZulu-Natal).

Warr, P., Cook, J., & Wall, T. (1979). Scales for measurement of some work attitudes and aspects of psychological wellbeing. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 52, 129-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1979.tb00448.x

Xu, Y. Liu, D., & Tang, D.S. (2022). Decent work and innovative work behavior: Mediating roles of work engagement, intrinsic motivation and job self-efficacy. Creativity and Innovation Management, 31(4), 49-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/caim.12480

Yadav, R. (2016). Young consumers' intention towards buying green products in a developing nation: Extending the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Cleaner Production, 135, 732-739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.06.120

Yeh, S., & Huan, T. (2017). Assessing the impact of work environment factors on employee creative performance in a dining restaurant. Tourism Management, 58, 119-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.006

Yin, R. K. (2016). Qualitative research from Start to finish (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

Yousef, D. A. (2002). Job satisfaction as a mediator of the relationship between role stressors and organizational commitment: A study from an Arabic cultural perspective. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17(4), 250-266. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1108/02683940210428074

Zhou, J., & George, J.M. (2003). Awakening employee creativity: The role of leader emotional intelligence. Leadership Quarterly, 14, 545-56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(03)00051-1

Zhou, J., & Hoever, I.J. (2014). Research on workplace creativity: Review and redirection. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 333-359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091226

Downloads

Published

2025-09-26

How to Cite

MASHAVIRA, N., CHADA, L., CHIRISA, S. B., ADEWUMI, S. A., CHIPUNZA , C., & MUPANI, H. (2025). A Structural Model of the Effect of Decent Work, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment on Employee Creativity . Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 13(3), 251–267. Retrieved from https://www.managementdynamics.ro/index.php/journal/article/view/684

Issue

Section

Articles