Social innovation policies applied to SMEs in the Dominican Republic:
Analysis of their impact on working conditions and their influence on employee satisfaction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51896/ocsi.v6i1.823Keywords:
Policies, Innovation, Working Conditions, Satisfaction, EmployeesAbstract
This research aims to evaluate the impact of such policies on employee well-being. To this end, this study analyzes improvements in working conditions and their impact on employee satisfaction in the northwest region of the Dominican Republic. A quantitative approach based on a structured Likert-scale questionnaire, validated using the Delphi method and a pilot test, was used. The sample included 391 SME employees. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM, assessing the validity and reliability of the constructs and testing hypotheses about the relationship between working conditions and job satisfaction. Working conditions explain 74.6% of the variance in job satisfaction, highlighting factors such as stability, equity, open dialogue, and organizational support. The model showed high explanatory power (R²=0.746) and predictive relevance (Q²=0.743). This highlights the importance of working conditions as critical determinants of employee well-being and engagement. The findings highlight the need to improve working conditions in rural SMEs by promoting policies that ensure equity, security, and work-life balance. The implementation of digital transformation strategies and professional development programs can boost well-being and productivity. The study provides empirical evidence on the relationship between working conditions and satisfaction in rural settings, an underexplored area. The findings can guide the formulation of specific policies to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs by promoting the comprehensive well-being of their employees.
Downloads
References
Agirre-Aramburo, I., Freundlich, F., & Blázquez-Díaz, T. (2024). Job insecurity and moral disengagement in frontline employees: A moderated mediation effect of perceived organizational support and occupational regret. Intangible Capital, 20(2), 412-424.
Akdere, M., & Egan, T. (2020). Transformational leadership and human resource development: Linking employee learning, job satisfaction, and organizational performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 31(4), 393-421.
Ali, B. J., & Anwar, G. (2021). An empirical study of employees’ motivation and its influence job satisfaction. Ali, BJ, & Anwar, G. (2021). An Empirical Study of Employees’ Motivation and its Influence Job Satisfaction. International Journal of Engineering, Business and Management, 5(2), 21-30.
Basalamah, S. A. (2021). The role of work motivation and work environment in improving job satisfaction. Golden Ratio of Human Resource Management, 1(2), 94-103.
Berg, J., Green, F., Nurski, L., & Spencer, D. A. (2023). Risks to job quality from digital technologies: Are industrial relations in Europe ready for the challenge? European Journal of Industrial Relations, 29(4), 347-365.
Bhardwaj, A., Mishra, S., & Jain, T. K. (2021). An analysis to understanding the job satisfaction of employees in banking industry. Materials Today: Proceedings, 37, 170-174.
Bortagaray, I., & Aguirre-Bastos, C. (2021). Innovation Policies for Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Insights from the Central American Region. Policy and Governance of Science, Technology, and Innovation: Social Inclusion and Sustainable Development in Latin América, 55-79.
Chen, S. C., Jiang, W., & Ma, Y. (2020). Decent work in a transition economy: An empirical study of employees in China. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 153, 119947.
Cvenkel, N. (2021). Work-life balance and well-being at work: Employees’ perspective to promote a psychologically healthy workplace. The Palgrave handbook of corporate social responsibility, 429-451.
Díaz-Carrión, R., Navajas-Romero, V., & Casas-Rosal, J. C. (2020). Comparing working conditions and job satisfaction in hospitality workers across Europe. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 90, 102631.
Dirgiatmo, Y. (2023). Testing The Discriminant Validity and Heterotrait–Monotrait Ratio of Correlation (HTMT): A Case in Indonesian SMEs. In Macroeconomic Risk and Growth in the Southeast Asian Countries: Insight from Indonesia (pp. 157-170). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Dziuba, S. T., Ingaldi, M., & Zhuravskaya, M. (2020). Employees’ job satisfaction and their work performance as elements influencing work safety. System Safety: Human-Technical Facility-Environment, 2(1), 18-25.
Elsamani, Y., Mejia, C., & Kajikawa, Y. (2023). Employee well-being and innovativeness: A multi-level conceptual framework based on citation network analysis and data mining techniques. Plos one, 18(1), e0280005.
Emre, O., & De Spiegeleare, S. (2021). The role of work–life balance and autonomy in the relationship between commuting, employee commitment and well-being. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 32(11), 2443-2467.
Fastje, F., Mesmer-Magnus, J., Guidice, R., & Andrews, M. C. (2023). Employee burnout: the dark side of performance-driven work climates. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 10(1), 1-21.
Ferdiana, S., Khan, Z., & Ray, S. (2023). Investigating the impact of career development, organizational commitment, and organizational support on employee retention. Journal of Management Studies and Development, 2(02), 117-128.
Fey, C. F., Hu, T., & Delios, A. (2023). The measurement and communication of effect sizes in management research. Management and Organization Review, 19(1), 176-197.
Fox, K. E., Johnson, S. T., Berkman, L. F., Sianoja, M., Soh, Y., Kubzansky, L. D., & Kelly, E. L. (2022). Organisational-and group-level workplace interventions and their effect on multiple domains of worker well-being: A systematic review. Work & Stress, 36(1), 30-59.
Gómez-Valenzuela, V. (2020). STI policies in the Dominican Republic: the influence of economic rationales from a context-development perspective. Science and Public Policy, 47(3), 371-383.
Hair Jr, J. F., Matthews, L. M., Matthews, R. L., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). PLS-SEM or CB-SEM: updated guidelines on which method to use. International Journal of Multivariate Data Analysis, 1(2), 107-123.
Hannah, S. T., Perez, A. L., Lester, P. B., & Quick, J. C. (2020). Bolstering workplace psychological well-being through transactional and transformational leadership. Journal of leadership & organizational studies, 27(3), 222-240.
Hayat, A., & Afshari, L. (2021). Supportive organizational climate: a moderated mediation model of workplace bullying and employee well-being. Personnel review, 50(7/8), 1685-1704.
Hussain, A. B., & Endut, N. (2018). Do decent working conditions contribute to work–life balance: A study of small enterprises in Bangladesh. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(1), 90-104.
Inayat, W., & Jahanzeb Khan, M. (2021). A study of job satisfaction and its effect on the performance of employees working in private sector organizations, Peshawar. Education Research International, 2021(1), 1751495.
Indrayani, I., Nurhatisyah, N., Damsar, D., & Wibisono, C. (2024). How does millennial employee job satisfaction affect performance? Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 14(1), 22-40.
Jiménez, P. A. (2023). Optimizing the financing access in Latin America: the case of the Dominican Republic microenterprises (Doctoral dissertation, Université de Bordeaux).
Khalid, A., & Syed, J. (2024). Mental health and well-being at work: A systematic review of literature and directions for future research. Human Resource Management Review, 34(1), 100998.
Kumar Dahal, R., Ghimire, B., & Budathoki Magar, S. (2024). Human resources management practices and organisational performance in the Nepalese development banks: Insights from structural equation modelling. Intangible Capital, 20(3), 478-496.
Kumar Gautam, P., & Kumar Gautam, D. (2024). Job insecurity and moral disengagement in frontline employees: A moderated mediation effect of perceived organizational support and occupational regret. Intangible Capital, 20(2), 412-424.
Kwon, K., & Jang, S. (2022). There is no good war for talent: A critical review of the literature on talent management. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 44(1), 94-120.
Li, K., Wang, D., Sheng, Z., & Griffin, M. A. (2022). A deep dive into worker psychological well-being in the construction industry: A systematic review and conceptual framework. Journal of Management in Engineering, 38(5), 04022051.
Mabaso, C. M., & Dlamini, B. I. (2021). Recent study on the impact of compensation and benefits on job satisfaction. Insights into Economics and Management, 7(1), 55-68.
Mendoza-Ocasal, D., Navarro, E., Ramírez, J., García-Tirado, J., & Román, F. (2024). The effect of subjective well-being at work in successful organizational management. Intangible Capital, 20(2), 361-375.
OGTIC (2023). República Dominicana da primeros pasos hacia el pacto por la innovación. Santo Domingo, Oficina Gubernamental de Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (OGTIC).
Palumbo, R., & Cavallone, M. (2024). Is work digitalization without risk? Unveiling the psycho-social hazards of digitalization in the education and healthcare workplace. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, 36(6), 1136-1149.
Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2012). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual review of psychology, 63, 539-569. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452
Riyanto, S., Endri, E., & Herlisha, N. (2021). Effect of work motivation and job satisfaction on employee performance: Mediating role of employee engagement. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(3), 162.
Sánchez-Vera, M. D. M., & López-Vicent, P. L. (2024). The competence of digital entrepreneurship in education: Analysis of the perception of university students. Intangible Capital, 20(2), 376-392.
Santhanam, N., & Srinivas, S. (2020). Modeling the impact of employee engagement and happiness on burnout and turnover intention among blue-collar workers at a manufacturing company. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 27(2), 499-516.
Sarstedt, M., & Liu, Y. (2024). Advanced marketing analytics using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Journal of Marketing Analytics, 12(1), 1-5.
Silverio, A. K., Suresh, S., Renukappa, S., & Heesom, D. (2023). Status of BIM implementation in the Dominican Republic construction industry–an empirical study. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 21(2), 417-441.
Sorensen, G., Dennerlein, J. T., Peters, S. E., Sabbath, E. L., Kelly, E. L., & Wagner, G. R. (2021). The future of research on work, safety, health and wellbeing: A guiding conceptual framework. Social science & medicine, 269, 113593.
Tummers, L. G., & Bakker, A. B. (2021). Leadership and job demands-resources theory: A systematic review. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 722080.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Garibaldy de Jesús Bonilla Matias, Francisco Orgaz Agüera, Cándida María Domínguez Valerio
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Usted es libre de:
- Compartir — copiar y redistribuir el material en cualquier medio o formato
- Adaptar — remezclar, transformar y construir a partir del material
Bajo los siguientes términos:
-
Atribución — Usted debe dar crédito de manera adecuada, brindar un enlace a la licencia, e indicar si se han realizado cambios. Puede hacerlo en cualquier forma razonable, pero no de forma tal que sugiera que usted o su uso tienen el apoyo de la licenciante.
-
NoComercial — Usted no puede hacer uso del material con propósitos comerciales.
