10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

Understanding how distinct work-ethics orientations translate into improved organisational performance is especially important in public institutions, where service quality depends not only on formal duties but also on employees' discretionary conduct. This study examined the direct and indirect effects of Islamic work ethics (IWE) and conventional work ethics (CWE) on organisational performance in The Gambia's public service. It addressed three research objectives: (i) to assess the effects of IWE and CWE on organisational performance; (ii) to determine whether organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) mediates the relationships between the two work-ethics constructs and organisational performance; and (iii) to establish which work-ethics construct exerts the stronger influence on organisational performance. A quantitative survey was conducted among civil servants in three priority ministries. Data were collected from 214 respondents through a self-administered questionnaire, representing a response rate of 56 per cent, and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS version 3.3. The findings indicate high levels of both IWE and CWE among respondents. IWE, CWE and OCB were associated with organisational performance, while OCB mediated the relationship between each work-ethics construct and organisational performance. CWE emerged as the more influential predictor of organisational performance. The study concludes that OCB is an important mechanism through which work ethics translate into improved organisational performance and that a public-service culture combining clear ethical standards with citizenship-oriented behaviour can enhance institutional effectiveness. The study recommends that public-sector leaders institutionalise comprehensive ethics training, strengthen and consistently enforce codes of conduct, promote values-based leadership, and introduce recognition and human-resource practices that encourage cooperation, initiative and responsible conduct beyond formal job requirements. Although CWE demonstrated the stronger effect, ethical-development programmes should adopt an inclusive approach that reinforces both conventional and Islamic work-ethics principles. Ministries should also undertake periodic assessments of ethical climate, OCB and organisational performance, while future studies should extend the analysis to additional ministries and public institutions to test the generalisability of the findings.