Ethical Work Climate, Social Trust, and Decision-Making in Malaysian Public Administration: The Case of MECD Malaysia
Abstract
Organisational dynamics all over the world have been unstable due to COVID-19. In public administration, public servants were required to serve the community professionally, without exception. This paper examines the role of social trust in influencing an ethical work climate and decision-making. MRA was used to analyse the relationship between rules and procedures, company interest, friendship, team play, and personal morality on the one hand, and social trust and decision-making on the other. Questionnaires were completed by all 349 employees at MECD Malaysia, which allowed for a comprehensive overview. Results show that company interest, friendship, team play, and personal morality were closely related to increasing social trust (p <0.05). Social trust also mediated a positive impact of company interest, friendship, team play, and personal morality on decision-making with p <0.05. Some less logical observations were made regarding the relationship between rules and procedures and both social trust and decision-making, as indicated by p> 0.05. Eight hypotheses were confirmed, while two were rejected. Social trust is not crucial in moderating and
advancing rules and procedures for decision-making. Finally, we suggest implications for studies related to ethical work climate practices in the public sector.