AHRMR

Article Details

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): June

Adaptive Performance in Public Sector Reform: Psychological Capital and Work Engagement

https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v6i2.4000

Abstract

Purpose: This research is intended to analyze how psychological capital influences adaptive performance among civil servants affected by bureaucratic simplification, both directly and indirectly through work engagement. The analysis focuses on adaptive performance at the dimensional level to identify specific psychological mechanisms operating in a public sector reform context.

Research Methodology: The study was conducted at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Indonesia, using a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Data were gathered from 165 civil servants whose positions shifted from structural to functional roles following bureaucratic reform. Psychological capital was measured using the Compound Psychological Capital Scale (CPC-12), work engagement using the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), and adaptive performance using a multidimensional adaptive performance scale. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS was employed to analyze the data.

Results: Psychological capital significantly enhances work engagement and positively affects all dimensions of adaptive performance. However, work engagement does not significantly influence interpersonal adaptability and training effort. Consequently, work engagement only partially mediates the relationship between psychological capital and adaptive performance.

Conclusions: Psychological capital plays a central role in strengthening adaptive performance during bureaucratic simplification, although engagement operates unevenly across adaptive dimensions.

Limitations: The findings should be interpreted with caution due to the cross-sectional design and single-organization context, which may limit causal inference and generalizability. Additionally, the use of self-reported data in this study may introduce potential bias.

Contributions: This study extends psychological capital theory to public sector reform and provides dimensional-level evidence relevant to public administration and human resource development.

Keywords

Adaptive Performance Bureaucratic Simplification Civil Servants Psychological Capital Work Engagement

How to Cite

Palupi, D. A., & Rachmawati, R. (2026). Adaptive Performance in Public Sector Reform: Psychological Capital and Work Engagement. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 6(2), 117–135. https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v6i2.4000

References

  1. Abukhalifa, A. M. S., Mohd Kamil, N. L., & Yong, C. C. (2024). How psychological capital shapes social workers’ job performance: The mediating role of work engagement? Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 34(1), 16-37. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2022.2144581
  2. Alessandri, G., Consiglio, C., Luthans, F., & Borgogni, L. (2018). Testing a dynamic model of the impact of psychological capital on work engagement and job performance. Career Development International, 23(1), 33-47. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-11-2016-0210
  3. Apriansyah, N., & Maharini, M. (2024). Tata kelola kebijakan sistem kerja pegawai di lingkungan kementerian hukum dan HAM dalam kerangka penyederhanaan birokrasi. Jurnal Ilmiah Kebijakan Hukum, 18(3), 255-272. doi:https://doi.org/10.30641/kebijakan.2024.V18.255-272
  4. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands?resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309-328. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
  5. Becker, J.-M., Cheah, J.-H., Gholamzade, R., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2023). PLS-SEM’s most wanted guidance. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(1), 321-346. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2022-0474
  6. Budhiraja, S., & Rathi, N. (2023). Continuous learning during crises: achieving change-efficacy, meaningful work and adaptive performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 72(8), 2317-2334. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-09-2021-0551
  7. Charbonnier?Voirin, A., & Roussel, P. (2012). Adaptive performance: A new scale to measure individual performance in organizations. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l'Administration, 29(3), 280-293. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/CJAS.232
  8. Debets, M., Scheepers, R., Silkens, M., & Lombarts, K. (2022). Structural equation modelling analysis on relationships of job demands and resources with work engagement, burnout and work ability: an observational study among physicians in Dutch hospitals. BMJ Open, 12(12), 1-10. doi:https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062603
  9. Demerouti, E., Bakker, A. B., Nachreiner, F., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2001). The job demands-resources model of burnout. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 499-512. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.499
  10. Devassy, S., & Jindal, P. (2024). The impact of psychological capital, cognitive diversity and temporal ambidexterity on adaptive performance through innovative work behaviour among IT employees in India. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-04-2024-0196
  11. Dewi, K. S., & Soeling, P. D. (2024). Does psychological capital mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and adaptive performance of civil servant? Technium Social Sciences Journal, 53, 12-30. doi:https://doi.org/10.47577/tssj.v53i1.10322
  12. Do, H., Chu, L. X., & Shipton, H. (2025). How and when AI-driven HRM promotes employee resilience and adaptive performance: A self-determination theory. Journal of Business Research, 192, 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2025.115279
  13. Dudasova, L., Prochazka, J., Vaculik, M., & Lorenz, T. (2021). Measuring psychological capital: Revision of the compound psychological capital scale (CPC-12). PloS One, 16(3), 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0247114
  14. Hair, J., & Alamer, A. (2022). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), 100027. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmal.2022.100027
  15. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate Data Analysis
  16. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM): Third Edition
  17. Hairul, H., Wibisono, C., & Catrayasa, I. (2024). The influence of the e-performance appraisal system, education and competence on employee performance through spiritual motivation in the regional office of the Ministry of Religion Riau Islands Province. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic and Practice Studies, 2(3), 669-685. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jomaps.v2i3.2384
  18. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  19. Ibrahim, M. (2025). The most appropriate scale for behavioral research is a seven-point rating. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(4), 2025126. doi:https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025126
  20. Jia, L., & Zhang, P. (2025). The impact of psychological capital on job performance among government employees in China. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-98045-5
  21. Jundt, D. K., & Shoss, M. K. (2023). A process perspective on adaptive performance: Research insights and new directions. Group & Organization Management, 48(2), 405-435. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/10596011231161404
  22. Kaltiainen, J., & Hakanen, J. (2022). Fostering task and adaptive performance through employee well-being: The role of servant leadership. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 25(1), 28-43. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/2340944420981599
  23. Karim, R. A., Jebunnesa, U., & Rabiul, M. K. (2025). Linking talent management, work engagement and sustainable organizational performance: the mediating role of perceived supervisor support and perceived organizational support. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-06-2024-0383
  24. Katsaros, K. K. (2025). Gen Z employees’ adaptive performance in hybrid workplaces: the role of inclusive leadership, creativity, and work engagement. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 61(4), 636-657. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/00218863251315493
  25. Kaya, B., & Karatepe, O. M. (2020). Does servant leadership better explain work engagement, career satisfaction and adaptive performance than authentic leadership? International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(6), 2075-2095. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-05-2019-0438
  26. Kock, F., Berbekova, A., & Assaf, A. G. (2021). Understanding and managing the threat of common method bias: Detection, prevention and control. Tourism Management, 86, 104330. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104330
  27. Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Table for determining sample size from a given population. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607-610. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
  28. Krijgsheld, M., Tummers, L. L., & Scheepers, F. F. (2026). Adaptive performance and personality traits in the context of healthcare. Current Research in Behavioral Sciences, 10, 100204. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crbeha.2026.100204
  29. Larasandi, D. S., & Satrya, A. (2025). High-performance work systems and psychosocial safety climate influence work engagement through job satisfaction pathways. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 5(3), 257-270. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i3.2913
  30. Liu, J., Xu, R., & Wang, Z. (2024). The effects of psychological capital, work engagement and job autonomy on job performance in platform flexible employees. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 18434. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69484-3
  31. Liu, X., Guo, P., & Zhao, J. (2025). From adaptation to transformation: how to stimulate leaders’ change-oriented organizational citizenship behaviors in project-based temporary organizations. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 38(1), 204-229. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-07-2024-0390
  32. Luo, C.-Y., Tsai, C.-H. K., Su, C.-H. J., Kim, H. J., Gao, J.-L., & Chen, M.-H. (2022). How does hotel employees’ psychological capital promote adaptive performance? The role of change readiness. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 51, 491-501. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2022.05.006
  33. Lupsa, D., Baciu, L., & Virga, D. (2020). Psychological capital, organizational justice and health: The mediating role of work engagement. Personnel Review, 49(1), 87-103. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2018-0292
  34. Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., & Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60(3), 541-572. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00083.x
  35. Luthans, F., Luthans, K. W., & Luthans, B. C. (2004). Positive psychological capital: Beyond human and social capital. Business Horizons, 47(1), 45-50. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2003.11.007
  36. Manley, S. C., Hair Jr, J. F., Williams Jr, R. I., & McDowell, W. C. (2021). Essential new PLS-SEM analysis methods for your entrepreneurship analytical toolbox. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 17(4), 1805-1825. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-020-00687-6
  37. Meria, L., Yohana, C., & Purwohedi, U. (2023). Enhancing lecturer readiness to change: The mediation role of work engagement. Cogent Business & Management, 10(3), 2290616. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2290616
  38. Mohammad, S., Sa?san, M., & ?e?en, H. (2024). The impact of “learning organizations” on innovation: The mediating role of “employee resilience” and work engagement. SAGE Open, 14(4), 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241289185
  39. Mori, K., Adi, N. P., Odagami, K., & Nagata, T. (2024). Bridging perceived organizational support with learning motivation and work engagement: the mediating role of focus on opportunity. J Occup Health, 66(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/joccuh/uiae024
  40. Nguyen, T. D., Cao, T. H., Nguyen, T. M., & Nguyen, T. T. (2024). Psychological capital: a literature review and research trends. Asian Journal of Economics and Banking, 8(3), 412-429. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/AJEB-08-2023-0076
  41. Nisa, M., & Pertiwi, K. (2022). “Incorrect pills”: Civil servants' perspectives on delayering and specialization in Indonesian public sector Contemporary Research on Management and Business (pp. 132-135): CRC Press.
  42. Nurullah, C. A., Ibrahim, M., Djalil, M. A., & Putra, T. R. I. (2026). Bureaucratic simplification and organizational effectiveness: the mediating role of administrative efficiency and the moderating roles of transformational and digital leadership. International Journal of Public Leadership, 22(1), 67-81. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-07-2025-0112
  43. Orgambídez, A., Borrego, Y., & Vázquez?Aguado, O. (2019). Self?efficacy and organizational commitment among Spanish nurses: the role of work engagement. International Nursing Review, 66(3), 381-388. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/inr.12526
  44. Park, S., & Ha, Y. (2025). The relationship between positive psychological capital and work engagement in clinical nurses: mediation effect of job crafting. BMC Nursing, 24(1), 117. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02600-w
  45. Pelgrim, E., Hissink, E., Bus, L., van der Schaaf, M., Nieuwenhuis, L., van Tartwijk, J., & Kuijer-Siebelink, W. (2022). Professionals’ adaptive expertise and adaptive performance in educational and workplace settings: an overview of reviews. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 27(5), 1245-1263. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-022-10190-y
  46. Pulakos, E. D., Arad, S., Donovan, M. A., & Plamondon, K. E. (2000). Adaptability in the workplace: development of a taxonomy of adaptive performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 85(4), 612. doi:https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.85.4.612
  47. Rahman, K. A., & Shahriar, K. (2016). Public and private organizations: How different or similar are they. ?????? ?????????? ???????????? ????????????. ???????????? ?????, 9(12), 2873-2885. doi:https://doi.org/10.17516/1997-1370-2016-9-12-2873-2885
  48. Rozkwitalska, M., Basinska, B. A., Okumus, F., & Karatepe, O. M. (2022). The effects of relational and psychological capital on work engagement: the mediation of learning goal orientation. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 35(3), 616-629. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-07-2021-0222
  49. Salubre, P. L. R., Bahalla, J. L., & Almagro, R. E. (2024). Psychological capital of employee and innovativeness of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 5(3), 203-223. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v5i3.2242
  50. Sanjaya, R., Chablullah, W., & Sajiyo, S. (2024). The influence of bureaucratic leadership style, work culture, and work discipline on the performance of employees of the Riau Islands Provincial secretariat with work motivation as an intervening variable. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic and Practice Studies, 2(4), 374-397. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jomaps.v2i4.2496
  51. Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701-716. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471
  52. ?engüllendi, M. F. (2026). How does organizational sacralization affect healthcare professionals’ work engagement and turnover intentions through perceived organizational support? Journal of Health Organization and Management, 40(1), 124-149. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-08-2024-0352
  53. Susiawati, M., Nugraha, H., & Priyantoro, A. (2025). Bureaucratic simplification: Changes in organizational structure from structural to functional in the Central Java provincial government. International Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting Research (IJEBAR), 9(1), 46-58. doi:https://doi.org/10.29040/ijebar.v9i1.16764
  54. Taherdoost, H. (2019). What is the best response scale for survey and questionnaire design; review of different lengths of rating scale/attitude scale/Likert scale. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM), 8(1), 1-10.
  55. Tsaur, S.-H., Hsu, F.-S., & Lin, H. (2019). Workplace fun and work engagement in tourism and hospitality: The role of psychological capital. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 81, 131-140. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.03.016
  56. Virani, A., & Van Der Wal, Z. (2023). Enhancing the effectiveness of public sector performance regimes: A proposed causal model for aligning governance design with performance logics. Perspectives on Public Management and Governance, 6(1), 54-65. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/ppmgov/gvac026
  57. Viterouli, M., Belias, D., Koustelios, A., & Tsigilis, N. (2025). Building public servant adaptability: how self-directedness moderates transformative learning experiences. International Journal of Public Administration, 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2025.2511022
  58. Widjajakusuma, K., & Anindita, R. (2025). Transformational leadership, organizational culture, change management, and employee engagement. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 5(3), 421-436. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i3.3542
  59. Zeng, M., Li, M., Fan, W., & Leong, F. T. L. (2025). Do grit and interdependent personality predict adaptive performance in the Chinese workplace? The moderating role of work–life balance. Current Psychology, 44(20), 16456-16470. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-025-08386-7
  60. Zhou, M., Lin, Z., Xu, J., Wang, Q., Bian, W., Li, F., & Chen, L. (2025). The impact of hindrance-challenge stress on nurses’ work engagement: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing, 24(1), 1122. doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03676-8
WhatsApp Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Email