Can Knowledge of Administrative Law Impact Constructive Deviance and Task Performance: Empirical Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

In today’s volatile, uncertain and hyper-competitive business environment, enhancing employees’ task performance is a major concern. Therefore, organizations need to find out the antecedents of task performance. In this context, the present study was undertaken to find the relationship between employees’ knowledge of administrative law, political skills, workplace dignity, constructive deviance and task performance. To our knowledge, no previous study investigated the simultaneous relationships between these variables. Data were collected through questionnaires from 117 faculty members across different universities in Saudi Arabia. Since there was a lack of valid scales to measure knowledge of administrative law, the study developed a questionnaire to assess the same. Drawing support from the personal initiative theory, affective events theory and self-determination theory, the present study found that knowledge about administrative law influences employees’ political skills and workplace dignity, motivating them to exhibit constructive deviance, ultimately improving task performance. This is the first such study to be conducted in Saudi Arabia, as no previous studies have empirically examined this aspect. Hence, it is a new significant contribution to management literature.