Breaking the Cycle of Procrastination: How Organizational Sanctity Fosters a Productive Work Environment?

The novelty of this study lies in its pioneering exploration of organizational sanctity as a cultural and ethical construct influencing procrastination behavior in high-pressure healthcare settings. While previous research has predominantly focused on individual-level predictors of procrastination, this study introduces macro-level organizational factors—specifically value alignment, deep-rooted values, and value legitimacy—as critical tools for mitigating procrastination. It also contributes to theory by linking Ashforth and Vaidyanath’s conceptualization of organizations as secular religions with Steel’s model of procrastination, offering new insights into how organizational culture can buffer against self-regulatory failure. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between organizational sanctity and chronic procrastination in the workplace, within the applied context of the Al-Sadr Teaching Hospital. The study sought to bridge the research gap regarding the impact of these two variables in a healthcare work environment. To achieve the study's objectives, a specialized questionnaire was designed to collect data from nurses at the surveyed hospital, distributed using a simple random sampling method. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed, with 262 valid responses retrieved for statistical analysis, yielding a response rate of approximately 87.3%. Quantitative data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS V.24 and SmartPLS V.4. The results revealed a significant negative effect of organizational sanctity on chronic procrastination, highlighting its importance in improving the work environment and reducing negative behaviors. Future studies could explore cross-cultural comparisons of organizational sanctity's impact on procrastination and examine mediating factors like leadership styles or employee well-being. Additionally, longitudinal research and sector-specific analyses would strengthen the generalizability of these findings.