Psychological climate, catharsis, organizational anomie, psychological wellness and ethical procurement behaviour in ugandaʼs public sector
| Published date | 01 March 2011 |
| Date | 01 March 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JOPP-11-01-2011-B001 |
| Pages | 1-32 |
| Author | Joseph Mpeera Ntayi,Augustine Ahiauzu,Sarah Eyaa |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Politics,Public adminstration & management,Government,Economics,Public Finance/economics,Texation/public revenue |
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC PROCUREMENT, VOLUME 11, ISSUE 1, 1-32 SPRING 2011
PSYCHOLOGICAL CLIMATE, CATHARSIS, ORGANIZATIONAL ANOMIE,
PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLNESS AND ETHICAL PROCUREMENT
BEHAVIOUR IN UGANDA'S PUBLIC SECTOR
Joseph Mpeera Ntayi, Augustine Ahiauzu and Sarah Eyaa*
ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship
between psychological climate, catharsis, organizational anomie,
psychological wellness and ethical procurement behaviour in Uganda's
public sector, in order to understand better the conditions that foster or
diminish procurement ethics in a developing country. Data for this study
were collected from a sample of 1100 respondents out of which 460 usable
questionnaires, representing a 42% response rate were received and
analyzed. Results reveal that psychological climate, procurement planning
and organizational anomie were significant predictors, accounting for 64% of
the variance in ethical procurement behaviour. These results have both
policy and managerial implications which we present and discuss in this
paper.
INTRODUCTION
Extant research has suggested that the social climate or
atmosphere created in a workplace has significant consequences on
employee behaviour. The perceived availability of social support from
colleagues and superiors is an important dimension of the
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* Joseph Mpeera Ntayi, Ph.D., is a senior lecturer, Faculty of Computing and
Management Science, Business School, Makerere University (Uganda). His
teaching and research interests are in procurement, business ethics,
industrial marketing, purchasing and supply chain management. Augustine
Ahiauzu, Ph.D., is a Professor, Faculty of Management, Business School,
Makerere University. His teaching and research interests are in
management, innovation and industrial psychology. Sarah Eyaa, MBA., is a
Lecturer, Department of Procurement & Logistics Management, Makerere
University. Her teaching and research interests are in procurement,
purchasing, supply chain management and marketing.
Copyright © 2011 by PrAcademics Press
2 NTAYI, AHIAUZU & EYAA
psychological climate in an organization (Martin, Jones, & Callan,
2005). Psychological climate has been conceptualized as “a set of
attributes specific to a particular organization that may be
induced from the way the organization deals with its members
and its environment. For the individual member within an
organization, climate takes the form of a set of attitudes and
expectancies which describe the organization in terms of static
characteristics ... and behavior-outcome and outcome-outcome
contingencies” (Campbell et al., 1970, p. 390). In the
workplace, the term refers to the perceptual and
experiential components of a reciprocal interaction between the
organizational environment and the employee (Michela, Lukaszwski &
Allegrante, 1995). A great deal of research has indicated that
psychological climate is related to a variety of individual outcomes
and behaviour (Carr, Schmidt, Ford, & DeShon, 2003). Results from
two meta-analytic studies provide strong support for this relationship
(Carr et al., 2003; Parker et al., 2003). The prevailing procurement
related deviant behaviours in Uganda’s public sector may be an
indicator of the prevailing psychological climate, absence or weak
psychological wellness and work anomie. Anomie refers to the
reduced social control against deviant behaviour that is due to a
disregard of norms, standards and organizational values (Bass, 1990,
p.915).
The case of the purchase of “junk choppers” by the government
of Uganda in 1996 signaled both organizational and individual
anomie and unethical procurement behaviour. Organizationally, the
Ministry of Defense failed to meet a minimum set of common
workplace norms, yet the enactment of the Public Procurement and
Disposal of Assets Act 2003 (PPDA), was an attempt to constrain
anomic behaviour in public procurement and promote ethical
procurement. The PPDA is the regulatory body for public procurement
and disposal in Uganda. It was established through the Public
Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act No.1 of 2003, with the
primary objective of issuing the various tools and guidelines for
conducting public procurement, disposal and compliance with the
law. Consistent with the procurement law in Uganda, all public
procuring entities are required to ensure economy and efficiency,
transparency, competition, accountability, non-discrimination,
reservation, fairness, confidentiality, ethics and preference. It is also
ETHICAL PROCUREMENT BEHAVIOUR IN UGANDA'S PUBLIC SECTOR 3
a prerequisite that the user departments of the procuring entities
work with the procurement and disposal unit to ensure orderly
procurement of works and services (PPDA, 2003, Part V, Section 59-
61). The “junk choppers” transaction had implications at an
individual level in the form of lack of integrity, collusion with suppliers
and conflict of interest which may be attributed to weak and /or
absence of both psychological wellness and low procurement
planning behaviour. Bakunda (2007) revealed that the corporate
planning behaviours of managers in Uganda is still low, characterized
by lack of discipline, absence of rolling plans, adhocism and
emergency in nature. This may partly explain the unethical conduct in
both local and central government procurements. Further, anecdotal
evidence suggests the existence of an unfavorable work environment
that may have discouraged catharsis and instead encouraged
feelings of emptiness, isolation, adjustment problems and deviant
behaviours in Uganda’s public procurement activities within both
local and central government despite the presence of the PPDA Act
2003.
Public procurement, especially at the local and central
government level, is believed to be one of the principal areas where
unethical behaviour in Uganda takes place (National Public
Procurement Integrity Survey, 2006). For example the identifiable
direct losses due to corruption in procurement at both central and
local government levels in FY 2004-2005 was estimated to be Ush
117.0 – 148.5 billion (US$64.28 – 84.88 million) (National Public
Procurement Integrity Survey, 2006). Despite Uganda’s commitment
to strengthening procurement ethics among the public sector through
the PPDA Act 2003, unethical conduct in procurement is still
common. The major causes of unethical conduct in Uganda’s public
sector may be attributed to anomie, weak procurement planning,
absence of psychological wellness, psychological climate, extensive
discretionary powers of public officials and social and cultural norms
that tend to glorify unethical conduct. Despite this revelation, there is
a paucity of literature linking psychological climate and work related
anomie behaviour in Uganda’s public procurement. What exists is
speculative and at best anecdotal. Further, there is an obvious lack of
research examining the individual effects of psychological climate,
catharsis, psychological wellness, procurement planning behaviour,
organizational anomie at the same time to ascertain their relative
impacts on procurement ethical behaviour. The purpose of this study
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