ISSN: 2226-3624
Open access
The study examines the influence of psychological empowerment on career satisfaction among academic staff in Malaysian Research Universities. 101 respondents were involved in this study collected from, and a questionnaire was used to collect the data. Next, the data was analysed using SPSS and Smart PLS Software statistical software. The findings showed that there is a positive and significant impact of psychological empowerment on academics staffs career satisfaction. The result signified that empowering practice fosters relational interactions that cultivate mutual trust, meaningful work, and delegation of power and thus increasing the sense of personal consequences of academics at work. As a consequence, implementation of empowerment boosts the best interest to satisfy academics staff careers. Hence, the higher institutions of learning can develop strategies to increase career satisfaction by identifying suitable empowerment practices.
Abdulrab, M., Zumrah, A. R., Almaamari, Q., & Altahitah, A. (2017). The role of psychological empowerment on work engagement: The development of conceptual framework. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research (IJBMER), 8(6), 1157–1163.
Said, A. M., Mohd Rasdi, R., Abu Samah, B., & Silong, A. D. (2015). A career success model for academics at Malaysian research universities. European Journal of Training and Development, 39(9), 815–835.
Ahmad, A., Nabila, S., Ambad, A., Jamal, S., Nasir, A., Lajuni, N., Lajuni, N. (2021). The moderation effect of job tenure on psychological empowerment and employee performance in Malaysia public sector. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(4), 780–796.
Alwedyan, A., Soumadi, M. M., Aldiabat, M., Almarshad, M., Aityassine, F., & Obeidat, S. F. (2023). The impact of the Human Resources Empowerment Strategy on achieving strategic objectives in commercial banks in Jordan. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 8(3), e0881–e0881.
Athanasou, J. A., & Van Esbroeck, R. (2008). Decision-making models and career guidance. International Handbook of Career Guidance (pp.115-129). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030251529?wt_m
Awang, Y., Mohamed, N., Ahmad, S., & Mohd Nasir, N. E. (2021). Examining the Influence of Academic and Non-academic Responsibilities on Academicians’ Job-related Stress in Higher Education. Asian Journal of University Education, 17(4), 498–510.
Aydogmus, C. (2019). Millennial knowledge workers: The roles of protean career attitudes and psychological empowerment on the relationship between emotional intelligence and subjective career success. Career Development International, 24(4), 297–314.
Bae, G., Lee, S., & Kim, D. Y. (2021). Interactions between service recovery efforts and customer characteristics: Apology, compensation, and empowerment. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 22(2), 218–244.
Ba?ci, Z., & Camgöz, Ö. (2019). Personeli güçlendirme ve örgütsel vatanda?l?k davran??? aras?ndaki ili?ki: Bankac?l?k sektöründe bir ara?t?rma. Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Meslek Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 22(2), 362–373.
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological review, 84(2), 191.
Basarudin, N. A., Yeon, A. L., Yaacob, N., & Abd Rahman, R. (2016). Faculty workload and employment benefits in public universities. International Review of Management and Marketing, 6(7), 73–82.
Bedeian, A. G. (1996). Twelve suggestions for optimizing career success. Rhythms of academic life: Personal accounts of careers in academia, 4, 3.
Biemann, T., Kearney, E., & Marggraf, K. (2015). Empowering leadership and managers’ career perceptions: Examining effects at both the individual and the team level. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(5), 775–789.
Blais, A. R., Gillet, N., Houle, S. A., Comeau, C. A., & Morin, A. J. S. (2020). Work fatigue profiles: Nature, implications, and associations with psychological empowerment. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 596206.
Bodine Al-Sharif, M. A., García, H. A., & McNaughtan, J. (2021). Making meaning of the mid-level administrator roles in international student service centers. The Journal of Higher Education, 92(1), 116–139.
Boonyarit, I., Chomphupart, S., & Arin, N. (2010). Leadership, empowerment, and attitude outcomes. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 5(1), 1–14.
Boštjan?i?, E., & Petrov?i?, A. (2019). Exploring the relationship between job satisfaction, work engagement and career satisfaction: The study from public university. Human systems management, 38(4), 411–422.
Burke, R. J. (2007). Career development of managerial women: Attracting and managing talent. Handbook on Women in Business and Management, 109–131.
Çankaya, M., & Eri?, H. (2022). Examining the relationship between perception of psychological empowerment and career satisfaction in health workers. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 9(7), 8117-8129.
Carvajal, M. J., Popovici, I., & Hardigan, P. C. (2021). Gender and pharmacists’ career satisfaction in the United States. Pharmacy, 9(4), 173.
Cassia, F., & Magno, F. (2021). Antecedents of professionals’ self-efficacy in professional service firms: effects of external source credibility and content quality. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 36(13), 187-198.
Chan, J. (2023, June 7). Survey shows one in two working Malaysians ready to quit for better work-life balance as more bosses push for working fully from the office. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/07/survey-showsone-in-two-working-malaysiansready-to-quit-for-better-work-life-balance-as-more-bosses-push-for-working-fully-from-the-office/73036#google_vignette.
Chowdhury, S. R., Kabir, H., Mazumder, S., Akter, N., Chowdhury, M. R., & Hossain, A. (2022). Workplace violence, bullying, burnout, job satisfaction and their correlation with depression among Bangladeshi nurses: A cross-sectional survey during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS ONE, 17(9), e0274965.
Darus, A., Azizan, F. L., & Ahmad, F. (2016). Work stress, pay satisfaction, psychological empowerment and organisational commitment among academic staff. International journal of management studies, 23(1), 51–72.
Demirer, M. C. (2020). Yap?sal ve psikolojik güçlendirmenin kariyer tatmini ve yenilikçi i? davran??? üzerine etkisi. Eski?ehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi ?ktisadi ve ?dari Bilimler Dergisi, 15(1), 165–184.
Eljaaidi, N. M. (2016). Structural & psychological empowerment: A literature review, theory clarifications and strategy building. Journal of Economics and Political Science, (7), 446–479.
Erer, B. (2021). Psikolojik Güçlendirme Alg?s?n?n Örgütsel Özde?le?me Üzerindeki Etkisinde Kariyer Memnuniyetinin Arac?l?k Rolü. Business and Economics Research Journal, 12(2), 443–457.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). SEM with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: Algebra and Statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 382–388.
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., & Wormley, W. M. (1990). Effects Of Race On Organizational Experiences, Job Perform. Academy of Management Journal, 33(1), 64-86.
Guo, G., & Cheng, B. (2021). Effects of customer empowering behaviors on employees’ career growth: Perspective of self-determination theory. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 53(2), 215-228
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2009). Multivariate data analysis (7th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. https://www.drnishikantjha.com/papersCollection/Multivariate%20Data%20Analysis.pdf
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed). Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA. https://eli.johogo.com/Class/CCU/SEM/_A%20Primer%20on%20Partial%20Least%20Squares%20Structural%20Equation%20Modeling_Hair.pdf.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2014). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications. ISBN: 978-1-4522-1744-4. 307 pp. Reviewed by Lawrence Hoc Nang Fong and Rob Law, European Journal of Tourism Research 6(2), 211-213.
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), 139–152.
Hamjah, S. H. (2020, August 31). Bahagiakah seorang pensyarah?. SInar Harian. https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/99042/khas/pendapat/bahagiakah-seorang-pensyarah#google_vignette
Helland, E., Christensen, M., & Innstrand, S. T. (2020). The Relationship between empowering leadership, work characteristics, and work engagement among academics: A Sem Mediation Analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5(1), 11, 1–13.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of marketing Science, (43), 115–135.
Hofmans, J., Dries, N., & Pepermans, R. (2008). The Career Satisfaction Scale: Response bias among men and women. Journal of Vocational Behavior. Elsevier Inc., 73(3), 397–403.
Hojat, M., Kowitt, B., Doria, C., & Gonnella, J. S. (2010). Career satisfaction and professional accomplishments. Medical education, 44(10), 969–976.
Hu, C., Zhang, S., Chen, Y. Y., & Griggs, T. L. (2022). A meta-analytic study of subjective career plateaus. Journal of Vocational Behavior, (132), 103649.
Huang, C.-C., Wang, Y.-M., Wu, T.-W., & Wang, P. A. (2013). An Empirical Analysis of the Antecedents and Performance Consequences of Using the Moodle Platform. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 3(2), 217–221.
Indarti, S., Solimun, Fernandes, A. A. R., & Hakim, W. (2017). The effect of OCB in relationship between personality, organizational commitment and job satisfaction on performance. Journal of Management Development, 36(10), 1283–1293.
Iqbal, Q., Ahmad, N. H., Nasim, A., & Khan, S. A. R. (2020). A moderated-mediation analysis of psychological empowerment: Sustainable leadership and sustainable performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 262(121429).
Jabeen, F., & Isakovic, A. A. (2018). Examining the impact of organizational culture on trust and career satisfaction in the UAE public sector: A competing values perspective. Employee Relations, 40(6), 1036-1053.
Joo, B., & Nam, K. (2019). The effects of transformational leadership, learning goal orientation, and psychological empowerment on career satisfaction. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 31(3), 47–64.
Judge, T. A., Cable, D. M., Boudreau, J. W., & Bretz, R. D. J. (1995). An Empirical Investigation of the Predictors of Executive Career Success. Personnel Psychology, 48(3), 485–519.
Karatepe, O. M., & Karadas, G. (2015). Do psychological capital and work engagement foster frontline employees’ satisfaction?: A study in the hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(6), 1254–1278.
Kim, M., & Beehr, T. A. (2017). Directing our own careers, but getting help from empowering leaders. Career Development International, 22(3), 300–317.
Kraimer, M. L., Greco, L., Seibert, S. E., & Sargent, L. D. (2019). An investigation of academic career success: The new tempo of academic life. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 18(2), 128–152.
Kumar, P. (2022). Human Resource Practices and Job Satisfaction in the Hotel sector in India: An Organizational Perspective with Smart PLS Analysis. Srusti Management Review, 15(2), 40–51.
Kwiek, M., & Antonowicz, D. (2015). The changing paths in academic careers in European universities: Minor steps and major milestones. Academic work and careers in Europe: Trends, challenges, perspectives, 41–68.
Lee, K. P., Wong, C., Chan, D., Kung, K., Luk, L., Wong, M. C. S., & Wong, S. Y. S. (2019). Family medicine vocational training and career satisfaction in Hong Kong. BMC Family Practice, (20), 1–8.
Lee, M., & Koh, J. (2001). Is empowerment really a new concept?. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(4), 684–695.
Loes, C. N., & Tobin, M. B. (2020). Organizational trust, psychological empowerment, and organizational commitment among licensed practical nurses. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 44(2), 179–187.
Macário, C. A., Ribeiro, C., & Pereira, P. (2020). O contributo do compromisso organizacional e do empowerment psicológico para as organizações positivas. Gestão e Desenvolvimento, (28), 29–55.
Malaysia Educational Statistics. 2020. Quick Facts: Educational Data Sector Educational Planning and Research Division. Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE). pp. 1–53. https://anyflip.com/mlmid/dasi/basic
Meng, Q., & Sun, F. (2019). The impact of psychological empowerment on work engagement among university faculty members in China. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 983–990.
Mohammad, A. W. (2020, June 27). Universiti penyelidikan “enjin” pertumbuhan ekonomi negara. BH Online. https://www.bharian.com.my/rencana/muka10/2020/06/704629/universiti-penyelidikan-enjin-pertumbuhan-ekonomi-negara
Muda, A. L., & Fook, C. Y. (2020). Psychological Empowerment and Organisational Commitment among Academic Staff of Public Universities in Malaysia. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(2), 26–35.
Mudrak, J., Zabrodska, K., Kveton, P., Jelinek, M., Blatny, M., Solcova, I., & Machovcova, K. (2018). Occupational well-being among university faculty: A job demands-resources model. Research in Higher Education, 59(325–348).
Namasivayam, K., Guchait, P., & Lei, P. (2014). The influence of leader empowering behaviors and employee psychological empowerment on customer satisfaction. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 26(1), 69–84.
Ng, T. W. H., Eby, L. T., Sorensen, K. L., & Feldman, D. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 367–408.
Ngah, R., Ramayah, T., & Sarmidy, R. (2018). Partial Least Square Analysis on Micro Enterprises’ Intellectual Capital and Performance: the Mediating Effect of Tacit Knowledge Sharing. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 2(2), 22–33.
Oliveira, M., Andrade, J. R., Ratten, V., & Santos, E. (2023). Psychological empowerment for the future of work: Evidence from Portugal. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 42(5), 65–78.
Purwanto, A., & Sudargini, Y. (2021). Partial Least Squares Structural Squation Modeling (PLS-SEM) Analysis for Social and Management Research: A Literature Review. Journal of Industrial Engineering & Management Research, 2(4), 114–123.
Putra, A. S. B., Kusumawati, E. D., & Kartikasari, D. (2024). Psychological Empowerment And Psychological Well-Being As Job Performance Mediators. Journal of Business Management and Economic Development, 2(01), 127–141.
Ramayah, T., Cheac, J., Chuah, F., Ting, H., & Memon, M. A. (2018). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3.0. An updated guide and practical guide to statistical analysis, 967-978.
Raubenheimer, J., & Ngulube, P. (2019). Career success – the perception of Open Distance Learning library middle managers. Library Management, 40(6–7), 379–391.
Safari, A., Adelpanah, A., Soleimani, R., Heidari Aqagoli, P., Eidizadeh, R., & Salehzadeh, R. (2020). The effect of psychological empowerment on job burnout and competitive advantage: The mediating role of organizational commitment and creativity. Management Research, 18(1), 47–71.
Sahraoui Bentaleb, D. (2016). Getting to the top: Trajectories for breaking through the glass ceiling in Morocco. Question (s) de Management, (4), 57–69.
Saira (2019). Authentic Leadership Linking Psychological Empowerment to Follower’s Behavior. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(11), 61–84.
Saleh, M. O., Eshah, N. F., & Rayan, A. H. (2022). Empowerment predicting nurses’ work motivation and occupational mental health. SAGE Open Nursing, 8(23779608221076812).
Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., Smith, D., Reams, R., & Hair Jr, J. F. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): A useful tool for family business researchers. Journal of family business strategy, 5(1), 105-115.
Schermuly, C. C., Creon, L., Gerlach, P., Graßmann, C., & Koch, J. (2022). Leadership styles and psychological empowerment: A meta-analysis. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 29(1), 73–95.
Schunk, D. H., & DiBenedetto, M. K. (2021). Self-efficacy and human motivation. In Advances in motivation science, 8, 153–179.
Sheriff, N. M. (2017). Research Universities in Malaysia: What Beholds?. Asian Journal of University Education, 13(2), 35–50.
Smale, A., Bagdadli, S., Cotton, R., Dello Russo, S., Dickmann, M., Dysvik, A., & Unite, J. (2019). Proactive career behaviors and subjective career success: The moderating role of national culture. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(1), 105–122.
Smithikrai, C. (2022). Antecedents and consequences of proactive work behavior among Thai employees. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 17(1), 43–57.
Spreitzer, G. (1995). Psychological Empowerment in the Workplace - Dimensions, Measurement and Validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1442–1465.
Spreitzer, G. M. (2008). Taking stock: A review of more than twenty years of research on empowerment at work. Handbook of organizational behavior, 1, 54–72.
Spurk, D., Abele, A. E., & Volmer, J. (2011). The Career Satisfaction Scale: Longitudinal measurement invariance and latent growth analysis. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 84(2), 315–326.
Spurk, D., Hirschi, A., & Dries, N. (2019). Antecedents and Outcomes of Objective Versus Subjective Career Success: Competing Perspectives and Future Directions. Journal of Management, 45(1), 35–69.
Spurk, D., Kauffeld, S., Barthauer, L., & Heinemann, N. S. (2015). Fostering networking behavior, career planning and optimism, and subjective career success: An intervention study. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 87, 134–144.
Sturges, J. (1999). What it Means to Succeed: Personal Conceptions of Career Success Held by Male and Female Managers at Different Ages. British Journal of Management, 10(3), 239–252.
Sun, B., Zhu, F., Lin, S., Sun, J., Wu, Y., & Xiao, W. (2022). How Is Professional Identity Associated with Teacher Career Satisfaction? A Cross-Sectional Design to Test the Multiple Mediating Roles of Psychological Empowerment and Work Engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9009.
Supriyanto, A. S., Ekowati, V. M., Rokhman, W., Ahamed, F., Munir, M., & Miranti, T. (2023). Empowerment leadership as a predictor of the organizational innovation in higher education. International Journal of Professional Business Review: Int. J. Prof. Bus. Rev., 8(2), 10.
Tahiry, M. A., & Ekmekcioglu, E. B. (2023). Supervisor support, career satisfaction, and career adaptability of healthcare sector employees. Vilakshan-XIMB Journal of Management, 20(2), 292–301.
Tharanganie, M. G., & Perera, G. D. N. (2021). The role of psychological empowerment on human resource-related performance outcomes among Generation Y employees in the hotel industry in Sri Lanka. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 20(3), 368–389.
Türe, A., & Akkoç, I. (2020). The mediating role of social support in the effect of perceived organizational support and psychological empowerment on career satisfaction in nurses. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 56(4).
Vu, H. M. (2020). Employee Empowerment and Empowering Leadership: A Literature Review. Technium: Romanian Journal of Applied Sciences and Techonology, 2(7), 20–28.
Yang, J., Yang, F., & Gao, N. (2022). Enhancing career satisfaction: The roles of spiritual leadership, basic need satisfaction, and power distance orientation. Current Psychology, 41(4), 1856–1867.
Yap, J. (2021, Jan 25). Cabaran kerjaya pensyarah. Sinar Harian. https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/120731/sebagaimana-bidang-lain-kerjaya-sebagai-pensyarah-universiti-juga-semakin-mencabar-sejak-awal-tahun-lepas-apabila-malaysia-dan-seluruh-dunia-dilanda-wabak-covid-19#google_vignette.
Yilmaz, R. (2023). The Impact of Empowering Leadership Behavior on Organization-Based Self-Esteem: Is Employees’ Self-Efficacy Perception a Mediator?. Third Sector Social Economic Review, 58(4), 3050–3067.
Yunus, A. S. M., & Pang, V. (2015). Academic promotion in Malaysia: Meeting academics’ expectation and institutional needs. In RIHE International Seminar Reports (Vol. 23, No. 0, pp. 61–81). Research Institute for Higher Education, Hiroshima University.
Yusuf, M., Haryoto, C., & Husainah, N. (2022). The Effect of Self-Efficiency and Organizational Justice On Lecturers’ Career Development With Work Motivation as A Variable Mediation At Muhammadiyah Higher Education In DKI Jakarta. Devotion: Journal of Community Service, 3(14), 2639–2651.
Zacher, H., Rudolph, C., Todorovic, T., & Ammann, D. (2019). Academic career development: A review and research Agenda. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 110, 357–373.
Aziz, N. M. A., Wahab, S. R. A., Vijayakumaran, N., Nathan, S. O., Yoo, D., & Mija, So. (2024). Exploring the Role of Psychological Empowerment in Enhancing Career Satisfaction among Academics Staff: A Pilot Study in Malaysian Research Universities. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 13(3), 692–712.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode