The effect of employees’ psychological ownership on the relationship between ethical decision making, job characteristics, and proactive behaviour of employees in governmental hospitals in Sharkeya governorate

The current study aimed at assessing the effect of employees’ psychological ownership on the relationship between ethical decision making, job characteristics, and proactive behavior of employees in governmental hospitals in Sharkeya governorate. Seven hypotheses have been developed and a questionnaire has been used to collect data from 356 employees from governmental hospitals in Sharkeya governorate. Simple and multiple regressions have been used to test the first five hypotheses. Results showed that there are significant relationships between employees’ perception of ethical decision making and employees’ psychological ownership, job characteristics and employees’ psychological ownership, and employees’ psychological ownership and employees’ proactive behavior. Structure Equation Model (SEM) – throught WarpPls (v.5) programme - has been used to test the sixth and seventh hypotheses. Results showed that employees’ psychological ownership mediates the relationship between ethical decision making and proactive behavior. Employees’ psychologycal ownership also mediates the relationship between job characteristics and proactive behavior of employees in governmental hospitals in Sharkeya governorate. Also job characteristics had a greater influence on proactive behavior throght psychological ownership than ethical decision making did. Therefore, this study contributed in developing literature of employees' psychological ownership through presenting a model of its mediating role on the relationship between ethical decision making, job characteristics, and proactive behavior of employees in governmental hospitals in Sharkeya governorate. Discussion, empirical, and practical implications have been presented. Based on the study’s limitations, several future researches have been suggested.