Behavioral Orientations and Self-Rated Performance Among University Employees in Vietnam

Abstract

University work increasingly combines professional discretion with digital change, accountability demands, and cross-unit coordination. This cross-sectional study examined associations among five work-related behavioral orientations responsibility, discipline, engagement, cooperation, and adaptability and four domains of self-rated performance among 450 university employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A four-point questionnaire was analyzed using a reflective composite-based PLS path model with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Reliability and convergent validity were strong across the nine constructs, although several conceptually adjacent constructs showed high HTMT values and were therefore interpreted cautiously. All five orientations showed positive bivariate relationships with performance, but their unique multivariable associations were uneven. Adaptability and cooperation showed the most consistent unique associations across the four performance domains, whereas several responsibility, discipline, and engagement paths were small or nonsignificant after shared variance was considered. Discipline was strongly associated with responsibility, engagement, cooperation, and adaptability, and several model-based indirect associations with performance were observed. These findings support a differentiated but interconnected view of work behavior rather than a single generic positive attitude. Because predictors and outcomes were measured concurrently from the same respondents, the results do not establish temporal mediation or causal effects.