scholarly journals Why people enter and stay in public service careers: the role of parental socialization and an interest in politics

2020 ◽  
pp. 002085231988691
Author(s):  
Caroline Fischer ◽  
Carina Schott
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Job Applicants ◽  
Parental Socialization ◽  
The Public ◽  
Human Resources Managers ◽  
The Government

This article examines the effect of parental socialization and interest in politics on entering and staying in public service careers. We incorporate two related explanations, yet commonly used in different fields of literature, to explain public sector choice. First, following social learning theory, we hypothesize that parents serve as role models and thereby affect their children’s sector choice. Additionally, we test the hypothesis that parental socialization leads to a longer stay in public sector jobs while assuming that it serves as a buffer against turnover. Second, following public service motivation process theory, we expect that ‘interest in politics’ is influenced by parental socialization and that this concept, in turn, leads to a public sector career. A representative set of longitudinal data from the Swiss household panel (1999–2014) was used to analyse these hypotheses ( n = 2,933, N = 37,328). The results indicate that parental socialization serves as a stronger predictor of public sector choice than an interest in politics. Furthermore, people with parents working in the public sector tend to stay longer in their public sector jobs. Points for practitioners For practitioners, the results of this study are relevant as they highlight the limited usefulness of addressing job applicants’ interest in politics in the recruitment process. Human resources managers who want to ensure a public-service-motivated workforce are therefore advised to focus on human resources activities that stimulate public service motivation after job entry. We also advise close interaction between universities and public organizations so that students develop a realistic picture of the government as a future employer and do not experience a ‘reality shock’ after job entry.

scholarly journals Why People Enter and Stay in Public Service Careers: The Role of Parental Socialization and an Interest in Politics

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Fischer ◽  
Carina Schott
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Learning Theory ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Social Learning Theory ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Process Theory ◽  
Parental Socialization ◽  
The Public

This paper examines the effect of parental socialization and interest in politics on entering and staying in public service careers. We incorporate two related explanations, yet commonly used in different fields of literature, to explain public sector choice. Firstly, following social learning theory we hypothesize that parents serve as role models and thereby affect their children’s sector choice. Additionally, we test the hypothesis that parental socialization leads to a longer stay in public sector jobs while assuming that it serves as a buffer against turnover. Secondly, following PSM process theory we expect that ‘interest in politics’ is influenced by parental socialization and that this concept, in turn, leads to a public sector career. A representative set of longitudinal data from the Swiss household panel (1999-2014) was used to analyze these hypotheses (n=2,933, N=37,328). The results indicate that parental socialization serves as a stronger predictor of public sector choice than an interest in politics. Furthermore, people with parents working in the public sector tend to stay longer in their public sector jobs.

Public service motivation and organizational performance in Chinese provincial governments

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunkui Zhu ◽  
Chen Wu
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
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.

How can knowledge sharing be influenced by organisational social capital, workplace friendship, team culture and public service motivation in the public sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Ngan Thi Thanh Vo ◽  
Vuong Phuong Dinh ◽  
Phuong Nguyen ◽  
Ngan Thi Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Quyen Thi Thuy Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
The Public ◽  
Workplace Friendship ◽  
Team Culture

Public Service Motivation, Personality, and the Hiring Decisions of Public Managers: An Experimental Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-217
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Bromberg ◽  
Étienne Charbonneau
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Big 5 ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Management Association ◽  
Hr Managers ◽  
Big 5 Personality

One of the main practical recommendations from the copious public service motivation literature is that human resources (HR) professionals should use public service motivation (PSM) to assist in selecting candidates for public service jobs. To test if PSM is indeed attractive to HR professionals in selecting applicants to work in the public sector, 238 HR managers recruited from the International Public Management Association for Human Resources rated three cover letters and then rated themselves about PSM and the Big 5 personality traits. The cover letters were randomized on most likely combinations of PSM and Big 5, revealed in earlier research. Our results are that real HR professionals did not rate cover letters more highly when they displayed aspects of PSM.

CAPAM Symposium on Networked Government: The public service as a learning organization: the Malaysian experience

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 463-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malek Shah Bin Mohd. Yusoff
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Organizational Boundaries ◽  
Institute Of Public Administration ◽  
The Public ◽  
The People ◽  
Public Sector Organizations ◽  
Common Purpose ◽  
The Government

Current environmental demands require public sector organizations to respond effectively and efficiently to the needs of the people and the nation. Given the bureaucratic nature of public sector organizations, where change and responsiveness are difficult to achieve, this paper highlights some of the issues that need attention to transform public sector organizations into learning organizations. It also examines some of the initiatives taken by Malaysia in general and INTAN (the National Institute of Public Administration) in particular to help enhance learning in the public sector so that the various components of the government machinery can work together across organizational boundaries for a common purpose, responding effectively to challenges, as well as delivering integrated and customer-centric services.

HRD: Better Service through Credentialling?

1986 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-458
Author(s):  
John B. Kenny
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Human Resources Management ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Personal View ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Government

More is and will be expected of public service employees. Human resource developers, trainers and educators can do much to help the public service move more assuredly into meeting the changing demands of the public in what is becoming an information oriented society. One of the ways in which the government of Ontario, Canada has determined it can better serve its public, was in the restructuring of the human resources management of the Public Service. A letter from the Premier of the province to the 80,000-member civil service, outlining some of the objectives of the government, and a summary of the March 1986 Report “Managing Human Resources in the Ontario Public Service” are cited. The call was for more clearly communicated goals and policy priorities, training and workplace enhancement, and regular feedback on employee performance. The author's personal view is that the time is ripe, in both the public and private sectors, for the traditional role of staff developer to likewise be strengthened through an enhanced form of personal professional development, professionalization, and the promotion of a new image of the profession by their professional associations. A key link in the process is found in the credentialling question. A model and a personal appeal to “trainers” is put forward to address this question.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document