Why Does PSM Lead to Higher Work Stress? Exploring the Role that Organizational Identity Theory has on the Relationship between Public Service Motivation and External-Related Stress among Federal Government Employees

Public Employees ◽

Federal Employees ◽

Government Employees ◽

Work Stressors ◽

Federal Government Employees ◽

Related Stress ◽

AbstractThis study explored the effects that organizational identity and perceptions of prestige have on the relationship between public service motivation (PSM) and public employees’ concerns regarding external-related work stressors. Using a sample of federal employees, the findings reveal that the relationship PSM has to perceptions of external-related stress were fully mediated by employee’s organizational identity (OI) and perceptions of organizational prestige (POP). Public employees with high levels of PSM were significantly more likely to report having a stronger bond with their organization and more favorable perceptions of outsider views of their organization. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Does Perceptions of Organizational Prestige Mediate the Relationship Between Public Service Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and the Turnover Intentions of Federal Employees?

Public Personnel Management ◽

10.1177/0091026020952818 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 009102602095281

Author(s):

Leonard Bright

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Public Service ◽

Turnover Intentions ◽

Public Employees ◽

Federal Employees ◽

The Public ◽

Transportation Security Administration ◽

Negative Images ◽

Public opinion polls consistently suggest that government employment is not considered to be highly prestigious by most Americans. These negative images are likely to stifle the public sector’s recruitment and retention efforts. Scholars have suggested that individuals with high levels of public service motivation (PSM) are better equipped to work in these environments, yet no studies can be found that have directly explored the relationships between PSM and the perceptions that public employees hold regarding the images that citizens hold of their organizations. This article sought to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the extent to which perceptions of organizational prestige (POP) mediate the relationship between PSM and the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of public employees. Using a sample of federal employees working for the Transportation Security Administration in Oregon, this study found that POP fully mediated the relationship between PSM and turnover intentions and partially mediated the relationship between PSM and job satisfaction. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Does Person Organization Fit and Person-Job Fit Mediate the Relationship between Public Service Motivation and Work Stress among U.S. Federal Employees?

Administrative Sciences ◽

10.3390/admsci11020037 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 37

Author(s):

Leonard Bright

Keyword(s):

Work Stress ◽

Public Service ◽

High Stress ◽

The United States ◽

Public Organizations ◽

Public Employees ◽

Federal Employees ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Indirect Relationship

A plethora of research has extolled the benefits of public service motivation (PSM) in public organizations. However, much less empirical attention has focused on its relationship to work stress. Even though it has been theorized that high levels of PSM causes individuals to be more resilient in stressful public service work environments, empirical research has failed to provide support. Only one study has been conducted which has revealed that high levels of PSM is directly associated with high levels of job stress among public employees, but that its beneficial effects are partially mediated by person-organization (PO) fit. That is, employees with high levels of PSM and high levels of fit to their organizations did not appear to suffer from high stress. This study sought to add to this limited body of research and explore the extent to which person-job (PJ) improves the field’s understanding of the relationships among PSM, PO fit, and work stress. Based on a sample of federal employees in the United States, this study challenged and confirmed the findings of existing research. For instance, PSM had no direct relationship to work stress. However, PSM maintained an indirect relationship to stress through PO fit. The respondents with high levels of PSM reported that they had high levels of fit to their organizations which was associated with significantly lower levels of work stress. Similarly, PSM was not directly related to PJ fit, but was indirectly related through its association with PO fit. PSM was associated with high levels of fit between employees and public organizations, which was subsequently associated with high levels of fit with public service jobs and lower work stress. Above all, this research clarifies the process of how PSM influences work stress among public employees, through PO fit and PJ fit.

Public Service Motivation and Individual Job Performance

Managing for Public Service Performance ◽

10.1093/oso/9780192893420.003.0014 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 254-277

Author(s):

Adrian Ritz ◽

Wouter Vandenabeele ◽

Dominik Vogel

Keyword(s):

Public Service ◽

Indirect Effects ◽

Individual Performance ◽

Service Performance ◽

Future Research ◽

Public Employees ◽

Great Relevance ◽

When pressure on human resource departments to make government more efficient is increasing, it is of great relevance to understand employees’ motivation and the fit of an employee with their job, as both contribute strongly to service performance. Therefore, this chapter discusses the role of public employees’ motivation and its relationship to individual performance. More specifically, this relationship is examined by focusing on public service motivation (PSM), a stream of research developed during the last three decades stressing the service orientation of public employees’ identity. Theoretically, how the relationship between PSM and individual performance is dependent on institutions is discussed, and an overview of the existing empirical evidence concerning this relationship is provided. The literature review discusses a variety of aspects such as direct vs. indirect effects, type of performance used, how performance is measured, and effect sizes. Finally, several avenues for future research are proposed, including methodological strategies.

Higher Public Service Motivation for Accepting Public Sector Pension Reform? Evidence from Korean Government Organizations

Korean Journal of Policy Studies ◽

10.52372/kjps34102 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 23-42

Author(s):

Kim Yunho ◽

Jung Yunjin ◽

Seoh Dongwook ◽

Im Tobin

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Public Service ◽

Pension Reform ◽

Organizational Changes ◽

Government Employees ◽

Public Servants ◽

Government Organizations ◽

Organizational reforms that employees do not voluntary accept are likely to negatively affect organizational effectiveness in the long term. We conducted an empirical analysis with survey data by reviewing related studies on public service motivation (PSM) and acceptance of organizational changes, the goal being to verify the relationship between government employees’ PSMand their acceptance of public sector pension reform in Korea. Results show that public servants highly driven by PSM are willing to accept this pension reform even though it reduces their own benefits. This study is distinguished from existing literature of PSM and responses to organizational changes because it reduces the possibility of endogeneity problems.

Why Do Public Employees Desire Intrinsic Nonmonetary Opportunities?

Public Personnel Management ◽

10.1177/009102600903800302 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 15-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Leonard Bright

Keyword(s):

Private Sector ◽

Public Administration ◽

Empirical Research ◽

Current Literature ◽

Public Service ◽

Public Employees ◽

Public administration research has consistently demonstrated that public employees possess a higher desire for intrinsic nonmonetary opportunities than their private sector counterparts. Yet it is not entirely clear why. Researchers have largely assumed that public service motivation is the reason for these findings. However, no empirical research to date has directly tested this assumption while also taking into account alternate explanations. This study aims to fill that gap in the literature by empirically investigating the relationship that public service motivation has to the intrinsic nonmonetary preferences of public employees while controlling for several confounding explanations. This article closes with some summary findings, a discussion of contributions to the current literature on public service motivation, and the identification of a few issues that deserve further investigation.

Does Person-Organization Fit Mediate the Relationship Between Public Service Motivation and the Job Performance of Public Employees?

Review of Public Personnel Administration ◽

10.1177/0734371x07307149 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 361-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 178

Author(s):

Leonard Bright

Keyword(s):

Job Performance ◽

Public Service ◽

Public Employees ◽

Person Organization Fit ◽

The Mediating Effect of Public Service Motivation on the Relationship between Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Organizational Commitment among Local Government Employees in Davao Region

International Journal of Management Excellence ◽

10.17722/ijme.v10i2.975 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 1305-1322

Author(s):

Ernie Dango De la Salde ◽

Gloria Pacifico Gempes

Keyword(s):

Organizational Commitment ◽

Local Government ◽

Organizational Citizenship ◽

Public Service ◽

Organizational Citizenship Behavior ◽

Mediating Effect ◽

Citizenship Behavior ◽

Government Employees ◽

The purpose of the study was to determine if the public service motivation has a significant mediating effect on the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and organizational commitment among the local government employees in selected cities in Davao Region, Philippines. The design used was non-experimental quantitative research utilizing correlation technique. Descriptive statistics, Pearson r, Regression Analysis, Mediation through Sobel test and Medgraph were the tools employed to attain the objectives of the study. The 600 respondents were found to show high levels of organizational citizenship behavior and organizational commitment, while the overall level of public service motivation was very high. It was found out that the three variables were significantly correlated. However, the result failed to prove the mediating effect of public service motivation on the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior of government employees and their organizational commitment. The result, signify that the significant influence of organizational citizenship behavior on organizational commitment was not affected by public service motivation.

Volunteerism in Times of Crisis: An Unconventional Response to Processing Unemployment Insurance Claims

State and Local Government Review ◽

10.1177/0160323x21991640 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 214-225

Author(s):

ChiaKo Hung ◽

Morgen S. Johansen ◽

Jennifer Kagan ◽

David Lee ◽

Helen H. Yu

Keyword(s):

Unemployment Insurance ◽

Public Service ◽

Insurance Claims ◽

Public Servants ◽

Public Agency ◽

This essay provides a reflective commentary outlining Hawai’i’s unconventional response for employing a volunteer workforce of public servants when faced with the task of processing an unprecedented backlog of unemployment insurance claims triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although efforts are still ongoing, this essay applies volunteerism and public service motivation as a framework to explain why public servants would serve in a voluntary capacity at another public agency. The intent of this essay is to spur conversation on how public servants are further stepping up to the frontlines during times of crisis, as well as expand knowledge on the relationship between volunteerism and public service motivation.

Public service motivation and organizational performance in Chinese provincial governments

Chinese Management Studies ◽

10.1108/cms-08-2016-0168 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 770-786 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Chunkui Zhu ◽

Chen Wu

Keyword(s):

Organizational Performance ◽

Public Service ◽

Provincial Government ◽

Civil Servants ◽

Hunan Province ◽

Government Employees ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

The Government

Purpose This paper aims to examine different hypotheses concerning the effects of public service motivation (PSM) and other attitudinal or institutional dimensions on organizational performance (OP). Specifically, based on the experience of Chinese provincial governments, this study provides new evidence about how PSM may affect OP. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from a survey of different provincial government departments in Sichuan Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province and Chongqing Municipality in 2011. Using data from 761 respondents, Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis were used to explore the relationships between related factors. Findings PSM, job satisfaction, affective commitment and job involvement have statistically significant effects on OP, and these results are consistent with the findings of previous researches that PSM positively affected OP at a significant level. The results suggest that, if civil servants have a strong PSM, the performance of their organizations will be high. Research limitations/implications Future research should look for additional factors that affect OP, comparing employees’ perceptions of an organization’s performance with objective data to determine whether, and to what degree, subjective measures of performance are valid measures of OP in the public sector. Practical implications In the process of improving government performance, it is significant to give attention to the government employees’ mentality. The government training and promotion system should encourage civil servants to care about the public interest. A more flattened organization should be considered as part of the next steps in government reform, and more opportunities should be provided to involve more government employees in policy making. Originality/value This study helps to clarify the effects of individual factors of PSM on OP in China in a tightly controlled bureaucratic environment, where related data are hardly accessible.

The dimensional linkage between public service motivation and innovative behavior in public sector institutions; the mediating role of psychological empowerment

European Journal of Innovation Management ◽

10.1108/ejim-02-2021-0098 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Muhammad Asim Rafique ◽

Yumei Hou ◽

Muhammad Adnan Zahid Chudhery ◽

Nida Gull ◽

Syed Jameel Ahmed

Keyword(s):

Public Sector ◽

Public Service ◽

Psychological Empowerment ◽

Innovative Behavior ◽

Content Type ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Relationship Of ◽

PurposeInnovations are imperative for organizational growth and sustainability. This study focuses on the employees' innovative behavior, a source of organizational innovations, which has received substantial attention from the researchers. Based on the psychological empowerment theory, the study exposes the effect of the various dimensions of public service motivation (PSM) on employees' innovative behavior (IB) in public sector institutions especially in the context of developing countries such as Pakistan. Moreover, the study also investigates the mediating role of psychological empowerment (PSE) between the dimensions of PSM and IB.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the cross-sectional research design. By using random sampling, the adapted survey questionnaires were used to collect data from 346 faculty members of public sector universities located in provincial capitals of Pakistan. A partial least square–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) tool was used to assess the proposed hypotheses through SMART-PLS software.FindingsResults revealed that attraction to policymaking (APM), compassion (COM), self-sacrifice (SS) have a significant impact on employees' PSE and their innovative behavior, while the relationship of commitment to the public interest (CPI) with PSE and IB was found insignificant. Moreover, PSE partially mediated the relationship between PSM dimensions and employees' IB.Originality/valueThere was a scarcity of research on IB especially in public sector institutions such as academia. This study theoretically contributed to the literature by providing a refined picture in assessing the proposed relationship of the constructs. This is also one of the original studies that examine the relationship between the dimensions of PSM and IB.