Advancing the Innovation in Organizational Climate and Teachers’ Quality of Work Life for Cambodia: The Mediating Role of Collaborative Work Responsibility
Keywords:
Innovation, High School Teachers, Organizational Climate, Quality of Work Life, Work Responsibility
Abstract
One of the most crucial elements for boosting job satisfaction and human motivation is quality of work life (QWL). QWL is the term used to describe how employees feel about and are satisfied with the quality of their work lives at their working place. Therefore, teachers’ QWL is crucial for sustainable education reform. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of innovation in organizational climate (IOC) on quality of work life (QWL), with collaborative work responsibility (CWR) as a moderating mechanism in the Cambodian context. A total of 760 high school teachers teaching from grades 7 to 12 participated in this study. This study used the surveyed questionnaire as the main instrument with its reliability at 0.85. Collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and SEM via computer software. The results show that IOC has a significant positive effect on QWL (β = 0.722, p < 0.001), both directly and indirectly through CWR. The study confirms that an innovative and collaborative work climate is an important factor in improving the quality of teachers’ work life in emerging educational contexts. This study enhances teachers’ quality of work life and support sustainable educational improvement in Cambodia and contributes to international educational leadership literature by offering empirical evidence from Cambodia.
References
Ahmad, M., Suryadi, S., Matin, M., & Sugiarto, S. (2023). Organizational climate and
quality of work-life in the creativity of teachers. International Journal of
Evaluation and Research in Education, 12(2), 905–913.
https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v12i2.22738
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
Ang, C. M., & Buenaventura, V. P. (2025). Quality of work life as a function of
organizational learning capability and school climate. European Journal of
Education Studies.
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological
Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. John Wiley & Sons.
Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. Wiley.
Buijtendijk, H., van Heiningen, J., & Duineveld, M. (2021). The productive role of
innovation in a large tourism organisation (TUI). Tourism Management, 85,
Article 104312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104312
Byrne, B. M. (2006). Structural equation modeling with EQS: Basic concepts,
applications, and programming (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Canney, C., & Byrne, A. (2006). Evaluating Circle Time as a support to social skills
development: Reflections on a journey in school-based research. British Journal
of Special Education, 33(1), 19–24.
Cohen, J., McCabe, E. M., Michelli, N. M., & Pickeral, T. (2009). School climate:
Research, policy, practice, and teacher education. Teachers College Record,
111(1), 180–213.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.
de Vries, N., Meeter, M., & Huizinga, M. (2024). Why, when, and for whom does career
education in secondary schools work? Education Sciences, 14(7), 681.
Di, H., Li, H., & Wang, Y. (2023). Kindergarten teachers’ quality of work life in China.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4596.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
Gittell, J. H. (2002). Relational coordination as a mediator of quality and efficiency
outcomes. Management Science, 48(11), 1408–1426.
Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performances. Harvard
Business Review Press.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a
theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data
analysis (7th ed.). Pearson.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data
analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to
report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24.
Hoegl, M., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2001). Teamwork quality and the success of innovative
projects: A theoretical concept and empirical evidence. Organization Science,
12(4), 435–449.
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure
analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation
Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
Ilgan, A., Ata, A., Zepeda, S. J., & Ozu-Cengiz, O. (2014). Validity and reliability study of
Quality of School Work Life (QSWL) scale. International Journal of Human
Sciences, 11(2), 114–137. https://doi.org/10.14687/ijhs.v11i2.2866
Ingersoll, R. (2003). Out-of-field teaching and the limits of teacher policy. The Center for
the Study of Teaching and Policy & The Consortium for Policy Research in
Education.
Janiukštis, A., Kovaitė, K., Butvilas, T., & Šūmakaris, P. (2024). Impact of Organizational
Climate on Employee Well-Being and Healthy Relationships at Work: A Case of
Social Service Centres. Administrative Sciences, 14(10), 237.
https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14100237
Jin, L., Wen, Y., & Zeng, X. (2023). An analysis of factors influencing secondary school
students’ career planning. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences,
8, 4629.
Kahn, R. L., Wolfe, D. M., Quinn, R. P., Snoek, J. D., & Rosenthal, R. A. (1964).
Organizational stress: Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. New York, NY:
John Wiley & Sons.
Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.).
Guilford Press.
Liu, Q., & Sun, Y. (2025). Impact of collaborative atmosphere on innovative work
behavior. Frontiers in Psychology.
Majumder, S., & Biswas, S. (2024). Factors affecting the quality of work life. Public
Health Journal.
Meier, K. S. (2018). How to write roles & responsibilities. Work - Chron.com.
https://work.chron.com
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. (2024). Education statistics and indicators
2023–2024. Royal Government of Cambodia.
Ministry of Planning. (2019). General population census of Cambodia 2019. Royal
Government of Cambodia.
Nagaraju, S. (2018). A study on quality of work life. National Journal of Advances in
Management.
Nguyen, T. H., Pham, T. T. H., & Dau, M. L. (2026). Quality of Work Life and Job
Satisfaction among Vietnamese Teachers: The Role of Job Performance. Journal
of Educational and Social Research, 16(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-
2026-0239
Ololube, N. P. (2016). Educational reform and development: Enhancing quality and
service delivery in education. International Journal of Social Sciences and
Management Studies, 3(4), 317–324.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2010). The high cost of low
educational performance: The long-run economic impact of improving PISA
outcomes. OECD Publishing.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2019). Education policy outlook 2019: Policy priorities and trends. OECD Publishing.
Qu, G. (2024). Perceived school climate, collective teacher efficacy, self-compassion, and subjective well-being. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, Article 1600.
Qu, L. (2025). Educational reform: An essential pathway to successful education. Science Insights Education Frontiers, 27(1), 4385–4387.
Rizzo, J. R., House, R. J., & Lirtzman, S. I. (1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in
complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15(2), 150–163.
Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental research statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a “Big Five” in teamwork? Small
Group Research, 36(5), 555–599.
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Schneider, B. (1990). Organizational climate and culture. Jossey-Bass.
Segars, A. H., & Grover, V. (1993). Re-examining perceived ease of use and usefulness: A
confirmatory factor analysis. MIS Quarterly, 17(4), 517–525.
Sirgy, M. J., Efraty, D., Siegel, P., & Lee, D. J. (2001). A new measure of quality of work
life (QWL) based on need satisfaction and spillover theories. Social Indicators
Research, 55(3), 241–302.
UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives.
UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2023, July 27). Cambodia: Better teachers produce better students.
https://www.unesco.org
UNESCO. (2024). Global education monitoring report 2024: Gender report—Technology
on her terms. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report
UNESCO. (2025, February 24). MoEYS and UNESCO launch the strategic plan for
teacher education reform 2024–2030 at the National Education Congress 2025. https://www.unesco.org
Vischer, J. C., & Wifi, M. (2015). The effect of workplace design. In Handbook of
environmental psychology (pp. 1–24). Springer.
West, M. A., & Farr, J. L. (Eds.). (1990). Innovation and creativity at work: Psychological
and organizational strategies. Wiley.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). How to be an effective teacher: The first day of
school. Harry K. Wong Publications.
World Bank. (2018). World development report 2018: Learning to realize education’s
promise. World Bank.
quality of work-life in the creativity of teachers. International Journal of
Evaluation and Research in Education, 12(2), 905–913.
https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v12i2.22738
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.
Ang, C. M., & Buenaventura, V. P. (2025). Quality of work life as a function of
organizational learning capability and school climate. European Journal of
Education Studies.
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological
Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246.
Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. John Wiley & Sons.
Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. Wiley.
Buijtendijk, H., van Heiningen, J., & Duineveld, M. (2021). The productive role of
innovation in a large tourism organisation (TUI). Tourism Management, 85,
Article 104312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104312
Byrne, B. M. (2006). Structural equation modeling with EQS: Basic concepts,
applications, and programming (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Canney, C., & Byrne, A. (2006). Evaluating Circle Time as a support to social skills
development: Reflections on a journey in school-based research. British Journal
of Special Education, 33(1), 19–24.
Cohen, J., McCabe, E. M., Michelli, N. M., & Pickeral, T. (2009). School climate:
Research, policy, practice, and teacher education. Teachers College Record,
111(1), 180–213.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage.
de Vries, N., Meeter, M., & Huizinga, M. (2024). Why, when, and for whom does career
education in secondary schools work? Education Sciences, 14(7), 681.
Di, H., Li, H., & Wang, Y. (2023). Kindergarten teachers’ quality of work life in China.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 4596.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
Gittell, J. H. (2002). Relational coordination as a mediator of quality and efficiency
outcomes. Management Science, 48(11), 1408–1426.
Hackman, J. R. (2002). Leading teams: Setting the stage for great performances. Harvard
Business Review Press.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a
theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data
analysis (7th ed.). Pearson.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data
analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to
report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24.
Hoegl, M., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2001). Teamwork quality and the success of innovative
projects: A theoretical concept and empirical evidence. Organization Science,
12(4), 435–449.
Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure
analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation
Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
Ilgan, A., Ata, A., Zepeda, S. J., & Ozu-Cengiz, O. (2014). Validity and reliability study of
Quality of School Work Life (QSWL) scale. International Journal of Human
Sciences, 11(2), 114–137. https://doi.org/10.14687/ijhs.v11i2.2866
Ingersoll, R. (2003). Out-of-field teaching and the limits of teacher policy. The Center for
the Study of Teaching and Policy & The Consortium for Policy Research in
Education.
Janiukštis, A., Kovaitė, K., Butvilas, T., & Šūmakaris, P. (2024). Impact of Organizational
Climate on Employee Well-Being and Healthy Relationships at Work: A Case of
Social Service Centres. Administrative Sciences, 14(10), 237.
https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14100237
Jin, L., Wen, Y., & Zeng, X. (2023). An analysis of factors influencing secondary school
students’ career planning. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences,
8, 4629.
Kahn, R. L., Wolfe, D. M., Quinn, R. P., Snoek, J. D., & Rosenthal, R. A. (1964).
Organizational stress: Studies in role conflict and ambiguity. New York, NY:
John Wiley & Sons.
Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed.).
Guilford Press.
Liu, Q., & Sun, Y. (2025). Impact of collaborative atmosphere on innovative work
behavior. Frontiers in Psychology.
Majumder, S., & Biswas, S. (2024). Factors affecting the quality of work life. Public
Health Journal.
Meier, K. S. (2018). How to write roles & responsibilities. Work - Chron.com.
https://work.chron.com
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. (2024). Education statistics and indicators
2023–2024. Royal Government of Cambodia.
Ministry of Planning. (2019). General population census of Cambodia 2019. Royal
Government of Cambodia.
Nagaraju, S. (2018). A study on quality of work life. National Journal of Advances in
Management.
Nguyen, T. H., Pham, T. T. H., & Dau, M. L. (2026). Quality of Work Life and Job
Satisfaction among Vietnamese Teachers: The Role of Job Performance. Journal
of Educational and Social Research, 16(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-
2026-0239
Ololube, N. P. (2016). Educational reform and development: Enhancing quality and
service delivery in education. International Journal of Social Sciences and
Management Studies, 3(4), 317–324.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2010). The high cost of low
educational performance: The long-run economic impact of improving PISA
outcomes. OECD Publishing.
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2019). Education policy outlook 2019: Policy priorities and trends. OECD Publishing.
Qu, G. (2024). Perceived school climate, collective teacher efficacy, self-compassion, and subjective well-being. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11, Article 1600.
Qu, L. (2025). Educational reform: An essential pathway to successful education. Science Insights Education Frontiers, 27(1), 4385–4387.
Rizzo, J. R., House, R. J., & Lirtzman, S. I. (1970). Role conflict and ambiguity in
complex organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 15(2), 150–163.
Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental research statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a “Big Five” in teamwork? Small
Group Research, 36(5), 555–599.
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Schneider, B. (1990). Organizational climate and culture. Jossey-Bass.
Segars, A. H., & Grover, V. (1993). Re-examining perceived ease of use and usefulness: A
confirmatory factor analysis. MIS Quarterly, 17(4), 517–525.
Sirgy, M. J., Efraty, D., Siegel, P., & Lee, D. J. (2001). A new measure of quality of work
life (QWL) based on need satisfaction and spillover theories. Social Indicators
Research, 55(3), 241–302.
UNESCO. (2017). Education for sustainable development goals: Learning objectives.
UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2023, July 27). Cambodia: Better teachers produce better students.
https://www.unesco.org
UNESCO. (2024). Global education monitoring report 2024: Gender report—Technology
on her terms. https://www.unesco.org/gem-report
UNESCO. (2025, February 24). MoEYS and UNESCO launch the strategic plan for
teacher education reform 2024–2030 at the National Education Congress 2025. https://www.unesco.org
Vischer, J. C., & Wifi, M. (2015). The effect of workplace design. In Handbook of
environmental psychology (pp. 1–24). Springer.
West, M. A., & Farr, J. L. (Eds.). (1990). Innovation and creativity at work: Psychological
and organizational strategies. Wiley.
Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (1998). How to be an effective teacher: The first day of
school. Harry K. Wong Publications.
World Bank. (2018). World development report 2018: Learning to realize education’s
promise. World Bank.
Published
2026-06-14
How to Cite
Pann, S., Mok, S., Chan, S., & Lim, S. (2026). Advancing the Innovation in Organizational Climate and Teachers’ Quality of Work Life for Cambodia: The Mediating Role of Collaborative Work Responsibility. International Journal of Education, Vocational and Social Science , 5(03), 1189-1207. https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i03.4271
Contact Person +6282139474255
Email : ijevss@citakonsultindo.or.id / editor.ijevss@gmail.com
