An exploratory study of workplace spirituality and employee well-being affecting public service motivation: an institutional perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sobia Hassan ◽  
Nighat Ansari ◽  
Ali Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Workplace Spirituality ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Institutional Perspective ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe present study aimed to find out the relationship of public service motivation (PSM) with other positive aspects, that is workplace spirituality and employee well-being among academic staff of public sector higher education institutions.Design/methodology/approachIn order to capture the full picture of the institutional factors that may be responsible for initiating and improving public service motivation among employees, 23 interviews were carried out with employees placed in leadership positions in the public sector universities. The data were qualitatively analyzed through NVivo 12 to gain institutional perspective regarding various organizational factors that could influence PSM.FindingsThe finding of this study elaborates that, although PSM is a personal attribute of the individual, there are many other organizational factors that exert a substantial effect in promoting PSM. The results of qualitative data also affirmed a significant relationship between PSM and workplace spirituality (a type of organizational culture) and the influence of employee well-being in improving the motivation of public employees towards service provision.Research limitations/implicationsThe data were collected from the specific population that is academic staff of public sector universities which limits the generalizability of the results.Practical implicationsPSM is a vital concept in public organizations where individuals must understand and focus on public concerns to improve the quality of public service. Therefore, public sector organizations faced the challenge of nurturing an organizational culture in which selfless public service becomes the norm and individuals are driven by the effective accomplishments of their services. Therefore, an organization that is highly oriented towards spirituality likely to improve employee well-being, which is a challenging and important concept in organizations in promoting PSM among employees.Originality/valueThis study is unique in terms of identifying workplace spirituality and employee well-being as organizational influencers in promoting PSM among employees.

Public service motivation, workplace spirituality and employee well-being: a holistic approach

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sobia Hassan ◽  
Nighat Ansari ◽  
Ali Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Workplace Spirituality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

PurposeThe present research aims to examine the effect of workplace spirituality (WPS) and employee well-being (EWB) on public service motivation (PSM) in the public institutions. Workplace spirituality and EWB are two concepts related to the optimal level of human performance, while the motivation of academic staff is a vital concern in higher education institutions (HEIs), particularly in the public sector. In this competitive age, it is a challenge to improve the motivation of academic staff due to limited resources in developing countries. This study examines the association between WPS and PSM through the lens of EWB in the context of HEIs.Design/methodology/approachThis study opted for a quantitative research method by using a stratified sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the academic staff of renowned public sector universities located in Lahore, Pakistan. Hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling through AMOS: 22.FindingsThe results supported the established conceptual model that WPS is positively associated with PSM through the mediating role of EWB.Research limitations/implicationsThe research approach chosen may lack generalizability of the results because the data were collected from a specific population. Moreover, self-report measures were used, which may have led to common method bias which is also another drawback of the study.Practical implicationsThis study is a pioneer in conceptualizing and testing a model that links WPS, EWB and PSM in the context of HEIs. The implications regarding enhancing the culture of spirituality in the workplace, EWB and PSM are elaborated in the specific context of academic staff, attempting to fill a gap in the extant literature.Originality/valueThis study accomplishes a recognized need to study how PSM can be improved by facilitating EWB and WPS.

Understanding public service motivation, workplace spirituality and employee well-being in the public sector

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sobia Hassan ◽  
Nighat Ansari ◽  
Ali Rehman ◽  
Amani Moazzam
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Workplace Spirituality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Positive Relationship ◽  
The Public

Purpose The public service motivation (PSM) theory implies that public employees are spiritual people called “public servants” who have a desire to affect the community and are characterized by compassion and serving others. Owing to their commitment to public welfare, spirituality is apparently inherited in public employees as an occupation/employment effort, which entails attaching a “meaning” to the work being done in the workplace for the spiritual satisfaction of the employees. A sense of well-being among the employees of an organization can prove instrumental in developing their motivation level and improving the quality of their services. The literature depicts that workplace spirituality (WPS) is a feature that enhances multiple forms of employee well-being (EWB). Considering the importance of these concepts in terms of enhancing the productivity of the organizations, the current study aimed to gain an understanding of the PSM together with two other positive attributes namely WPS and EWB and determine their interrelationship. The aim of this study is to examine a significant positive relationship between PSM and WPS mediated by EWB. Design/methodology/approach The study has been conducted in the context of the public sector of Pakistan where a sample of the academic staff of higher educational institutions in the Punjab province was selected through probability sampling techniques for conducting the survey. The data collected from 394 respondents from the selected faculties of the universities were analyzed using relevant statistical tools (SPSS and AMOS: 22) to answer the research questions. Findings This study supported a significant positive relationship between PSM and WPS mediated by EWB. The quantitative findings of this study, thus, demonstrated that the culture of spirituality in the workplace significantly affects the PSM of employees by way of creating a sense of well-being among the employees. Originality/value This study is unique as it serves as an effort to understand the spiritual experience of the public sector employees involved in public service. This infers that spirituality in the workplace improved employees’ well-being by giving them a strong sense of purpose and these employees in a healthy state of mind are more likely to perform above and beyond and have a high motivation to serve the public.

Can humble leaders nurture employee well-being? The roles of job crafting and public service motivation

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuan Trong Luu
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Job Crafting ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Predictive Role ◽  
Leader Humility

PurposeThough humble leaders can draw from their own resources to nurture employees' sense of well-being, this impact appears neglected in the leader humility literature. The aim of this study is to unfold how and when leader humility contributes to the well-being of employees in the public sector.Design/methodology/approachParticipants in our research came from wards (grassroot level governments) in Vietnam.FindingsThe results lent credence to role of job crafting in mediating the relationships between leader humility and the physical, psychological and social well-being among public employees. The positive nexus between leader humility and job crafting was found to be stronger when employees demonstrated low levels of public service motivation.Originality/valueThis study advances the understanding of public sector employees' well-being via the predictive role of leader humility and the mediation mechanism of job crafting.

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

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 ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Innovative Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

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.

Managers’ motives for investing in HR practices and their implications for public service motivation

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 764-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian Seymour Gould-Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Public Service ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hr Practices ◽  
Theoretical Paper

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how approaches to human resource management may contribute to the development of public service motivation (PSM). Three different approaches to managing people are outlined, namely, the “high performance”, “high commitment” and “high involvement”. Relevant theories are then used to predict the outcomes and relevance of the different approaches when promoting PSM in public sector organisations. Design/methodology/approach – This is a theoretical paper. Findings – This paper provides the first theoretical explanations for the relationships between human resource (HR) practices and PSM in public sector organisations. Originality/value – This paper explains how the same HR practices may have different employee outcomes depending on managers’ motivations for implementing them.

Do Trust and Culture Matter for Public Service Motivation Development? Evidence From Public Sector Employees in Korea

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyo Joo Lee ◽  
Hyun Gyu Oh ◽  
Sung Min Park
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Trust In Management ◽  
Central Government Agencies

Ethical values and performance have gained importance in the Korean public sector because of the new public management wave and social issues such as corruption. This study examines how the effects of types of organizational culture, such as performance-driven culture and ethics-driven culture, serve as the antecedents of public service motivation (PSM) among central government agencies, public enterprises, and executive agencies in Korea. Furthermore, it investigates how trust in top management affects PSM and how organizational culture moderates this relationship. A survey of 1,216 Korean public employees and seven focus group interviews show that trust in management strongly predicts PSM. Performance-driven culture is positively and significantly associated with norm-based PSM and affective PSM, and ethics-driven culture predicts rational PSM. The moderating effects of organizational culture differ by PSM dimension.

IT outsourcing in the public sector: a conceptual model

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Duhamel ◽  
Isis Gutiérrez-Martínez ◽  
Sergio Picazo-Vela ◽  
Luis Luna-Reyes
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
It Outsourcing ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Technology Enactment

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to propose a theoretical model explaining information technology outsourcing performance in the public sector as well as a set of empirically testable propositions to improve the understanding of key determinants of success. Design/methodology/approach – Based on Fountain ' s technology enactment framework, the authors integrated inter-organizational factors, such as trust, knowledge sharing, and quality of outsourcing interfaces, in the model and added organizational culture alignment between service providers and public administration to enhance Fountain ' s original framework. Findings – The authors proposed 17 empirically testable propositions to establish the relationships between key variables in IT outsourcing projects in the public sector. Research limitations/implications – The proposed model provides guidance for future research aimed at advancing knowledge of IT outsourcing. Originality/value – The contribution lies in the development of specific variables, such as trust, knowledge, and organizational culture, which are related to building an outsourcing relationship and are used as determinants of the quality of organizational interfaces between public bureaucracies and IT outsourcing providers.

Organizational goal ambiguity and public service motivation: evidence from Iran

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hassan Danaeefard ◽  
Abdolali Ahmadzahi Torshab ◽  
Masoumeh Mostafazadeh ◽  
Jalil Delkhah ◽  
Fahimeh Imanikhah
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Performance Appraisal ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Goal ◽  
Goal Ambiguity

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of organizational goal ambiguity (OGA) on public service motivation (PSM) considering the mediating role of job satisfaction (JS), performance appraisal (PA) and perceived organizational fairness (POF) in the Iranian public sector. This research also seeks to answer this question: to what extent PSM confirmed in Western countries is generalizable to the Iranian public sector?Design/methodology/approachA survey of 779 employees working in 16 ministries of Iran was administered. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and hierarchical regression were applied to test the model and the mediators.FindingsThe results indicate that OGA negatively affects PSM, and this relationship is mediated by JS, PA and POF. Furthermore, the research findings have varied across ministries, contract type, positions and gender. Most importantly, the generalizability of the PSM construct is limited in the public sector of Iran since two of four dimensions of PSM were confirmed, that is, an attraction to public service and self-sacrifice (compassion).Practical implicationsThis paper provides managers and decision makers with a clear understanding of the effects of context (including goal ambiguity, the importance of employee's attitudes and HR systems in shaping unique intrinsic motivation for public organizations) on employee's PSM. Also, these findings show how they can manage and motivate employees to engage in PSM. By clarifying organizational goals or making an association between job tasks and higher-level goals, practitioners can stimulate PSM at work.Originality/valueThis paper advances a new and further understanding of antecedent and mediators of PSM in Iran. Also, it provides an explanation of its generalizability and the role of organizational climate in fostering it.

Public vs private sector employment

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1367-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eddy S.W. Ng ◽  
Charles W. Gossett ◽  
Samuel Chinyoka ◽  
Isaac Obasi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Career Choice ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Factors Associated

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that may be related to a career choice in the public vs the private sector in a developing African country. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of graduate management students, the authors tested reward preferences and altruism, elements of public service motivation, on their generalizability to a developing country in Africa. The authors also examine the role of career attitudes, individual personality factors, and cultural values on a career choice in public service. Findings The authors find that not all the factors associated with the choice of sector (public or private) found in previous studies apply in the Botswana context. Research limitations/implications Perry and Wise (1990) developed the concept of public service motivation to explain why individuals may be motivated to serve the public. However, two of the factors associated with public service, intrinsic motivation, and altruism, were not predictive of a career choice in the public sector in Botswana, and thus may limit its generalizability outside of western developed countries. Practical implications In Botswana and other developing economies, government jobs are considered to provide lucrative and stable employment, and attract educated citizens regardless of motivations. However, as the private-for-profit sector is emerging, these countries could soon be facing serious competition for top university students, and will need to develop a strategy for attracting the best talents to choose employment in the public sector over career options in the private sector. Originality/value The present study seeks to further the understanding on how individuals make a career choice between public vs private sector management in a developing country.

Quality of leadership and public service motivation

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reginald G. Ugaddan ◽  
Sung Min Park
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Administrative Leadership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Of Leadership

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine salient mechanism by which the quality of political and administrative leadership might influence employee engagement in public sector organizations through public service motivation (PSM). Specifically, the purpose of the paper is twofold. First, the psychological outcomes of quality of leadership perceptions among public employees are identified. Second, how PSM mediates the influence of leadership quality perceptions on employee engagement is examined. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the US Merit System and Protection Board’s (MSPB) 2010 Merit Principles Survey. To establish the distinctive validity of the constructs, the authors performed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for latent variables, and subsequently conducted validity and reliability analyses. The authors performed a structural equation model to determine relationship between quality of political and administrative leadership, PSM, and employee engagement. Findings The results reveal that the quality of political and administrative leadership is positively related to PSM and employee engagement. This study also confirmed the mediating role of PSM on the relationship between the quality of political and administrative leadership. Originality/value The paper expands the literature through studies that may discover critical mechanisms that are of significance in enhancing employee engagement such as quality of leadership depicted in political and administrative leaders and PSM. While previous studies have extensively explored several antecedents of employee engagement, research focusing on the role of quality in public sector leadership and PSM remains limited.

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