THE EFFECT OF WORKLOAD AND NON-PHYSICAL WORK ENVIRONMENT ON JOB CREATIVITY OF SALES ENGINEERS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: THE INTERVENING ROLE OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
This study aims to analyze the influence of workload and the non-physical work environment on the job creativity of sales engineers in the precision instruments industry in Southeast Asia. It further investigates the mediating role of intrinsic motivation in these relationships. A quantitative approach was employed, with data collected through a questionnaire distributed to 125 sales engineers from a multinational precision instrument company across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, resulting in 95 valid responses. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that the non-physical work environment and workload have a significant positive effect on job creativity. The non-physical work environment also positively influences intrinsic motivation, whereas workload has a significant negative effect on intrinsic motivation. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation was found to significantly and positively mediate the relationship between both the non-physical work environment and workload on job creativity. These findings suggest that while a challenging workload can stimulate creativity, it may simultaneously diminish intrinsic motivation. Therefore, fostering a supportive non-physical work environment is crucial for enhancing intrinsic motivation, which in turn boosts the job creativity required to succeed in a competitive technical sales landscape.
Keywords: Job Creativity; Workload; Non-Physical Work Environment; Intrinsic Motivation; Sales Engineer; Southeast Asia
