Beyond Routine: Unleashing Potential of Motivation, Self-Efficacy, and Internal Process Climate in Fostering Personal Initiative

Despite extensive research on proactive workplace behaviors, the influence of the organizational climate of public organizations on employees' personal initiative remains underexplored. Personal Initiative a critical source of innovation and continuous improvement enabling organizations to achieve meaningful sustainability outcomes beyond compliance or routine operations. This study investigates how intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy drive personal initiative in public sector employees, with a particular focus on the moderating role of organizational tradition and formalization. A quantitative study was conducted with 217 employees from the Directorate General of Education in Dhofar Governorate, Oman, using a survey and structural equation modeling (SEM) for analysis. The results confirm that intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy have a moderate positive impact on personal initiative. Tradition was found to negatively moderate these relationships, while formalization does not significantly influence personal initiative. This study offers noteworthy theoretical contributions primarily focused on green HRD within educational settings, and accentuates the importance of developing personal initiative in employees, a critical aspect of their growth and adaptability in an evolving educational landscape.