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Providing Safe Space for Honest Mistakes in the Public Sector Is the Most Important Predictor for Work Engagement after Strategic Clarity

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  • Thais Gargantini

    (Department of Psychology, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel)

  • Michael Daly

    (Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA)

  • Joseph Sherlock

    (Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA)

  • Teddy Lazebnik

    (Department of Cancer Biology, Cancer Institute, University College London, London WC1E 7HU, UK)

Abstract

Multiple studies highlight the link between engagement at work and performance, influencing organizations to put more effort into improving employee engagement levels. In this study, we begin to examine the influence of multiple psychological parameters on employees’ work engagement (WE) within the public sector. The idea is to break the concept of WE down into eight individually measurable parameters that will allow for a better understanding and development of stronger interventions. Based on this analysis, we reproduce the outcome that strategic clarity is the most connected property to WE. More importantly, we introduce a new concept, honest mistakes, and show that having a safe space for making mistakes and learning from it is the second most important property of WE. This result is of interest, as allowing mistakes, even if they were made innocently, is considered taboo in the public sector. These outcomes are based on the reports of n = 7682 public sector employees from Brazil. In particular, the analysis shows that these outcomes hold for both professional and management positions across the health, administrative, justice, police, social work, and education offices.

Suggested Citation

  • Thais Gargantini & Michael Daly & Joseph Sherlock & Teddy Lazebnik, 2022. "Providing Safe Space for Honest Mistakes in the Public Sector Is the Most Important Predictor for Work Engagement after Strategic Clarity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-12, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7051-:d:834707
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Aleksandar M. Damnjanovic & Vladimir Dimitrijevic & Sandra Nesic & Miroslav Miskic & Gordana Mrdak & Sinisa M. Arsic, 2023. "Risk Influence of Employee Productivity on Business Failure: Evidence Found in Serbian SMEs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-17, March.

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