DefinePK

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.