Organizational Culture and Professional Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Work Control

ELENA Voitenko

PhD in psychology, associate professor, Department of Psychology,  State University of Trade and Economics, Kyiv, Ukraine

ABSTRACT

In the search for psychological determinants of professional well-being, organizational culture attracts attention as a potentially influential factor, in particular, such a mediating effect as work control, since the type of organizational culture determines how control is implemented, which, in turn, can affect the professional well-being of an employee. The purpose of this study is to identify the presence and nature of the relationship between the type of organizational culture, job control, and employees' professional well-being. The aim of the study was implemented by using a cross-sectional method using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) by Cameron and Quinn, the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) by Spector, and the Work Control Scale by Dwyer, & Ganster. The study involved 92 Ukrainian higher education teachers. The statistical processing of the results included mediation analysis and correlation analysis. The results of the study found that organizational culture is a determinant of professional well-being when an employee has control over their work. The complete mediation of the opposite types of organizational cultures by perceived control over work signifies the universality of this variable and demonstrates its importance for achieving professional well-being under any working conditions. The mediating effect we identified in the relationship between the studied variables deepens the understanding of the role of organizational culture in shaping the professional well-being of employees and opens new opportunities for effective prevention of its violations.

Keywords: Professional Well-Being, Work Control, Mediation Analysis, Organizational Behavior, Job Satisfaction, Work Environment

 

In the study of psychological determinants of professional well-being, organizational culture attracts attention as a potentially influential factor, since the formation of employees' behavioral models depends on it. Organizational culture determines the work style, nature of communications, and level of openness in the team (Vasconcelos et al., 2022), creating conditions for the realization of employees' potential and influencing daily organizational practices, which, in aggregate, can shape their professional well-being (Meng & Berger, 2019). Each organization has its own unique culture that generates a system of values, determines attitudes towards mistakes and development, regulates the norms of interaction between employees and monitors their compliance, which creates a general psychological climate (Petrunko, 2022). Research into how different types of organizational culture is associated with different aspects of employee well-being demonstrates somewhat conflicting data. Research shows that employees are more satisfied with their jobs in cultures that support collaboration and innovation (team and adhocratically) than in those that focus on control and competition (hierarchical and market) (Lund, 2003). Our previous study, on the contrary, established the presence of statistically significant moderate negative correlations between indicators of clan culture and adhocracy culture with professional well-being; the presence of a positive relationship between hierarchy culture and professional well-being of employees, as well as the absence of linear relationships between market culture and professional well-being of employees (Voitenko et al., 2025). The conflicting results may indicate that the relationship between organizational culture and professional well-being is influenced by additional factors, including the level of control in the workplace, which varies depending on the type of culture. The issue of workplace control has long been the focus of researchers in the context of studying occupational stress and employee health. However, the nomological network of work control and positive psychological outcomes is still far from a comprehensive study and needs additions. The purpose of our study is to identify the presence and nature of the relationship between the type of organizational culture, control over work, and the professional well-being of employees.

Literature Review

“Perceived control” or autonomy is the degree of direct or indirect control that an employee believes they have over their environment to make it less threatening or beneficial (Ganster & Fusilier, 1989). Organizational culture determines how employee control over work tasks, schedules, and work methods is exercised (Cameron & Quinn, 2011). A clan culture focused on team, trust, and development encourages employee self-control, feedback, and mentoring. An adhocratic culture, as the embodiment of innovation and flexibility for its implementation, provides employees with autonomy for experimentation and minimal control from management, focused on results. A hierarchical culture, characterized by clear rules, regulations, and reporting, establishes formalized procedural control over work processes, which, accordingly, minimizes employee control. Market culture emphasizes control, competitiveness, and results. Because there is pressure to produce results and achieve goals, it is unlikely that employees in this culture can independently determine their own behavior. As Macena and Bastos (2020) there are positive relationship HR practices, organizational climate and employee well-being.

In research on job control, the focus is mainly on how a lack of control in the workplace can contribute to poorer employee health, as low control has been repeatedly empirically proven to be associated with illness, and on whether work control can mitigate the adverse effects of stressful work conditions. It has been found that job control fully mediates the negative relationship between self-employment and work stress (Hessels et al., 2017), and between physical activity and depressive symptoms (Precht et al., 2023). It has been shown that employees who had high control at work, as well as support from their manager, were less likely to experience psychophysical discomfort even under conditions of high workload and pace of work (Sommovigo et al., 2019). Taking together, the existing evidence convincingly supports the link between low levels of work control in all its forms and high levels of physical and psychological symptoms of ill health. Job control also has the potential to contribute to positive health and well-being beyond the mere absence of physical or psychological disorders and illnesses. The importance of perceived job control has been studied in relation to positive feelings about work (Eatough & Spector, 2014), motivation, and career success (Riachi et al., 2024). Overall, the results indicate that the presence of control contributes to increased employee well-being, given that a sense of control is an important resource that helps people maintain emotional stability. But there are also studies with conflicting findings. For example, significant differences in the desire for control in the workplace have been found (Hackman & Oldham, 1980), so a perceived lack of control in the workplace may cause stress in some workers but not in others. Some employees may prefer minimal control in their work, as they may not want the increased responsibility that often comes with greater work autonomy. In such situations, a greater degree of control over work will not necessarily be associated with any positive effect. Research on ethnic differences suggests that members of collectivist cultures or subcultures may benefit less from a sense of personal control, relying instead on a socially conditioned sense of control (Thompson, 2021). These findings suggest that work control is a potentially influential factor in the relationship between organizational culture type and positive psychological outcomes, but the conceptual framework that describes this relationship remains understudied and requires further empirical elaboration.

Therefore, the relevance of the problem of professional well-being, the search for its psychological determinants and the identification of ways to preserve it, as well as the contradictions identified in the scientific literature indicate the need for empirical verification of the nature of the relationship between organizational culture, control over work, and professional well-being. Our research will expand our understanding of the essence of professional well-being and its psychological determinants. The purpose of this stage of the study is to determine the nature of the relationship between organizational culture characteristics, work control, and an individual's professional well-being, in particular, to test the mediating role of work control in the relationship between organizational culture and professional well-being. Based on the results of the theoretical analysis, the research program was built based on several hypotheses:

H1: Perceived type of organizational culture is associated with employees’ professional well-being.

H2: There is a direct positive relationship between employees' professional well-being and work control.

H3: Work control mediates the effect of organizational culture on employees' professional well-being.

Method

This stage of the study is a continuation of the scientific search for organizational and psychological determinants of professional well-being of an individual, which determined the use of the same methods and part of the diagnostic tools described in the previous publications (Voitenko et al., 2025; Voitenko & Pustovalov, 2024). In accordance with the purpose of the study, a cross-sectional method was applied using the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) by Spector (2022), the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) (Quinn & Spreitzer, 1991), and the Work Control Scale (Dwyer & Ganster, 1991). The original scales were translated from English into Ukrainian using the back-translation method. The survey was conducted online using Google Forms. For statistical data processing, correlation analysis and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) were used using the Enter method without including a constant in the equation. The strength and direction of the relationship between variables were assessed by the parametric linear correlation coefficient r-Pearson. The mediation hypothesis was tested according to established mediation criteria (Baron & Kenny, 1986). Calculations were performed in SPSS Statistics 23.0.

Paul Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) (Spector, 2022) was used to assess professional well-being. The scale allows you to assess employee satisfaction with various aspects of professional activity. Satisfaction is determined on a six-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”. The job satisfaction scale is designed for different types of organizations. The author gives high indicators of the psychometric properties of the scale (Spector, 2022).

Cultural profiles were assessed using the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) (Cameron & Quinn, 2011). The questionnaire is designed to determine the current type of culture in the organization, and helps to determine the culture that, in the opinion of the organization's members, should be developed to meet the future environmental demands and opportunities that the company will face. The questionnaire consists of 24 items that relate to six key aspects of organizational culture: dominant characteristics, organizational leadership, employee management, organizational “glue”, strategic emphases, and success criteria. For each aspect, the four statements reflect four types or profiles of organizational culture. These indicators reflect what employees value in the organization's activities. In other words, the four clusters of criteria define the core values ​​based on which judgments about organizations are made. Respondents rated each statement on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being assigned to the statement they believed best represented their organization. There is evidence in the scientific literature of the reliability and validity of the OCAI (Quinn & Spreitzer, 1991).

The Work Control Scale (Dwyer & Ganster, 1991) was used to diagnose the level of perceived control. The scale consists of 22 items that determine the level of control employees perceive over various aspects of the work environment. These aspects include controlling the variety of tasks performed, the order in which tasks are performed, the pace of their completion, task planning, workload, task performance procedures, and workspace organization. The Job Control Scale is characterized by reliable psychometric properties (Dwyer & Ganster, 1991), in particular, a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient is .87).

In this stage of the study, a convenient sample of volunteers was used. The survey participants were 92 academic staff members of universities. The most important socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents are presented in Table 1.

Table 1

General Characteristics of the Sample of Academic Staff of Higher Education İnstitutions

(N=92)

Age	N	%	Gender	N	%	Position	N	%
25-35 36-45 46-55 > 56	14 36 26 16	15.2 39.1 28.3 17.4	Male	36	39	Head of Department Lecturer Senior Lecturer Associate Professor Professor	22 8 8 42 12	24 8.7 8.7 45.7 23.9
			Female	56	61
Total	92	100		92	100		92	100

 

The survey participants were representatives of various universities and different educational fields. Based on the data in Table 1, it can be concluded that the study sample covers all age groups and academic positions, which indicates its representativeness.

Results

Statistically significant correlations were found between perceived organizational culture type and job control except for adhocracy culture (p > .05), as well as a significant correlation between job control and professional well-being (Table 2).

 

Table 2

Descriptive Statistics and Correlations Between Study Variables (N=92)

ariables	M	SD	S	K	Professional well-being	Work control
Clan Culture	2.40	.93	.08	-1.2	-.41**	-.27**
Adhocracy Culture	2.78	.62	.10	-.84	-.29**	-.14
Market Culture	2.59	.66	-.07	-.93	.10	.22*
Hierarchy Culture	2.22	.72	.35	-.84	.27**	.39**
Professional Well-Being	137.2	20.09	-.54	-.55	1	.69**
Work Control	67.89	11.18	-.39	.46	.69**	1

Note. M – mean; SD – standard deviation; S – skewness; K – kurtosis. ** – correlation statistically significant at the 0.001 level (2-sided). * – correlation statistically significant at the 0.05 level (2-sided)

 

Correlation analysis also allowed us to establish the presence of statistically significant correlations between organizational culture and employee well-being, except for market culture (p > .05), which was excluded from further analysis.

The Mediating Effect of Job Control in the Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Culture and Professional Well-Being

To test the hypothesis that the relationship between perceived organizational culture and occupational well-being operates through the mediation of work control, an analysis of three regression equations was conducted: first, regression of the mediator (work control) on the independent variable (organizational culture), second, regression of the dependent variable (occupational well-being) on ​​the independent variable (organizational culture), third, regression of the dependent variable (occupational well-being) on ​​both the independent variable (organizational culture) and the mediator (work control). Linear regression was applied using the Enter method without including a constant in the equation. Significance tests were performed using F-tests, t-tests, and adjusted R².

Regression of the Mediator (Job Control) on the Independent Variable (Organizational Culture)

In the first stage, the regression of the mediator on the independent variable was estimated (Table 3).

 

Table 3

Regression of the Mediator (Job Control) on the Independent Variable (Organizational Culture)^*

Model			Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients		p
			B	SE	β	t
1	Clan Culture (CC)	WC**	.03	.00	.90	20.27	.000
2	Adhocracy Culture (CA)	WC	.04	.00	.95	31.94	.000
3	Hierarchy Culture (CH)	WC	.03	.00	.95	32.24	.000

Note. ^*Linear Regression through the Origin. ^**Work control

 

Regression analysis confirmed a statistically significant effect of the perceived type of organizational culture on work control: clan culture (CC) (F = 411.18; p < .001; R² = .81), adhocracy culture (CA) (F = 1020.46; df = 1; p < .001; R² = .91), hierarchy culture (CH) (F = 1039.81; df = 1; p < .001; R² = .92).

Regression of the Dependent Variable (Occupational Well-Being) on ​​the Independent Variable (Organizational Culture)

In the second stage, the regression of the dependent variable on the independent variable was estimated (Table 4).

A statistically significant influence of the perceived type of organizational culture on the professional well-being of employees was confirmed: clan culture (CC) (F = 397.89; df = 1; p < .001; R² = .81), adhocracy culture (CA) (F = 980.99; df = 1; p < .001; R² = .91), hierarchy culture (CH) (F = 925.02; df = 1; p < .001; R² = .91).

 

Table 4

Regression of the Dependent Variable (Professional Well-Being) on the Independent Variable (Organizational Culture)*

Models			Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	p
			B	SE	β
1	Clan Culture (CC)	PWB**	48.65	2.43	.90	19.94	.000
2	Adhocracy Culture (CA)	PWB	46.63	1.48	.95	31.32	.000
3	Hierarchy Culture (CH)	PWB	56.60	1.86	.95	30.41	.000

Note. ^*Linear Regression through the Origin. ^**Professional well-being (професійне благополуччя)

 

Regression of the Dependent Variable (Professional Well-Being) on ​​Both the İndependent Variable (Organizational Culture) and the Mediator (Job Control)

In the third stage, to confirm the mediator's effect on the dependent variable while controlling for the independent variable, the regression models included, in addition to work control, the perceived type of organizational culture to predict employees' professional well-being (Table 5).

 

Table 5

Regression of the Dependent Variable (Occupational Well-Being) on ​​Both the İndependent Variable (Organizational Culture) and the Mediator (Work Control)*

Моделі			Unstandardized Coefficients		Standardized Coefficients	t	p
			B	SE	β
1	PWB	Clan Culture (CC)	1.16	1.61	.02	0.72	.470
		Work Control (WC)	1.96	0.06	.97	32.56	.000
2	PWB	Adhocracy Culture (CA)	3.25	2.14	.06	1.51	.133
		Work Control (WC)	1.87	0.08	.92	21.09	.000
3	PWB	Hierarchy Culture (CH)	1.69	2.66	.02	0.63	.527
		Work Control (WC)	1.94	0.09	.96	21.51	.000

Note. ^*Linear Regression through the Origin

 

The ANOVA test confirmed the reliability of the constructed regression models; therefore, these models can be meaningfully interpreted. The joint effect of work control (WC) and clan culture (CC) (R² = .98; F = 3045.91; df = 2; p < .001), work control (WC) and adhocracy culture (CA) (R² = .98; F = 3106.55; df = 2; p < .001), work control (WC) and hierarchy culture (CH) (R² = .98; F = 3041.76; df = 2; p < .001) was statistically confirmed.

Statistically confirmed full mediation by work control of the influence of clan culture, adhocracy culture, and hierarchy culture on professional well-being. Regression coefficients which demonstrate the contribution of clan culture (β = .02), adhocracy culture (β = .06), and hierarchy culture (β = .02) to the variability of occupational well-being lost statistical significance (p > .05) after introducing job control as a mediator, indicating the existence of a single dominant mediator (Baron & Kenny, 1986).

Discussion

Correlation analysis confirmed the hypothesis of a direct positive relationship between job control and professional well-being (r = .691; p < .001). This result is in good agreement with previous studies, in which the idea of ​​a link between job control and various aspects of employee well-being received substantial support. The importance of work control has been studied in relation to positive work attitudes, motivation, and career success, and it has been confirmed that the ability to control contributes to positive outcomes in selected aspects (Riachi et al., 2024; Sommovigo et al., 2019). The best-studied positive outcome associated with work control is job satisfaction (Sindu, 2021; Singh et al., 2023).

The results of the analysis of the mediation of work control in the relationship between the perceived type of organizational culture and professional well-being confirmed the assumption that work control mediates the influence of organizational culture on the professional well-being of employees. The identified mediating effect of job control in the relationship between perceived organizational culture and occupational well-being is consistent with existing data in the literature, which also confirmed the impact of job control on various aspects of occupational well-being (Sindu, 2021; Singh et al., 2023), as well as its mediating functions, for example, between self-employment and work stress (Hessels et al., 2017); between physical activity and mental health (Precht et al., 2023). The mediation function of a third variable reveals the mechanism by which the independent variable can influence the dependent variable, helping to better understand the causal relationship between these variables (Tingley et al., 2014). The mediator shows how and why these influences arise, that is, it is a condition for their occurrence. Therefore, organizational culture is a determinant of professional well-being when an employee has control over their work.

The full mediation we found of the practically opposite types of organizational cultures by perceived control over work indicates the universality of this variable and demonstrates its importance for achieving professional well-being under any working conditions. In teamwork under clan culture conditions, control provides the opportunity to determine specific procedures for completing tasks, planning, and coordinating with other employees. In the context of innovation and risk inherent in an adhocracy culture, control over the decision-making process in an organization is important. In a hierarchical culture with clear lines of authority, standardized rules and accounting procedures, work control determines the order and pace of task completion. Thus, through these various mechanisms, job control can contribute to meeting employees' individual psychological needs and influence their professional well-being. Therefore, the study confirms that a sense of control is an integral part of professional well-being.

Conclusion

The results confirmed a significant positive relationship between perceived work control and employees' professional well-being, as well as a statistically significant relationship between professional well-being and the type of organizational culture other than market culture, which was excluded from further analysis.

It has been established that organizational culture is a determinant of professional well-being when an employee has control over their work. Mediation analysis confirmed that the impact of organizational culture on employees' professional well-being is mediated by the presence of control over work. Perceived work control exerts a full mediating effect on the relationship between professional well-being and clan culture, adhocracy culture, and hierarchy culture. The complete mediation of virtually opposite types of organizational cultures by perceived control over work signifies the universality of this variable and demonstrates its importance for achieving professional well-being under any working conditions.

Given that employee well-being is an important condition for their productivity, our contribution to the study of this problem acquires important practical significance. The mediating effects we identified in the relationship between the studied variables and professional well-being complement the existing body of knowledge about the psychological mechanisms of forming professional well-being of employees and open new prospects for increasing their level in academic employees and effectively preventing its violations. However, despite its academic contribution, our study has some limitations. Conducting the study online made it impossible to control the voluntariness of respondents' participation, which could have led to a formality of responses and in some way influenced the results. The prospect of further research should be to find ways to psychologically ensure the professional well-being of employees.

 

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