scholarly journals The Public Service Motivated Volunteer: Devoting Time or Effort?

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 989-1014
Author(s):  
Joyce Costello ◽  
Fabian Homberg ◽  
Davide Secchi

Non-profit organizations, corporate volunteer programs, and government workplace schemes are asking volunteers for their time and effort. But, with the changes in how people volunteer, such as episodic, micro, and cyber volunteering, those managing volunteers need to understand whether they should focus on encouraging volunteers to donate more time or effort. Using public service motivation to measure volunteer’s propensity to engage in volunteering, we compare three outcomes: time spent volunteering, frequency of volunteering, and volunteering intensity. In a sample of 411 volunteers, we find public service motivation is associated with more time spent volunteering, increased frequency, and higher levels of volunteering intensity. However, volunteering intensity explains the most variance. These findings suggest that how the individual perceives they exert volunteering intensity may be useful among public service motivated volunteers.

Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Mastracci

In this paper, the author examines public service as depicted in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS). First, she shows how slaying meets the economist’s definition of a public good, using the BtVS episode “Flooded” (6.04). Second, she discusses public service motivation (PSM) to determine whether or not Buffy, a public servant, operates from a public service ethic. Relying on established measures and evidence from shooting scripts and episode transcripts, the author concludes Buffy is a public servant motivated by a public service ethic. In this way, BtVS informs scholarship on public service by broadening the concept of PSM beyond the public sector; prompting one to wonder whether it is located in a sector, an occupation, or in the individual. These conclusions allow the author to situate Buffy alongside other idealized public servants in American popular culture.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vickie L. Edwards

Using the Steers and Rhodes (1978) model of absenteeism behavior, this paper examines ability to attend and attendance motivation factors for public and non-profit managers. Attendance motivation factors utilized in this study include public service motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment. T-tests and OLS regressions suggest that there are significant differences between absenteeism in the public and non-profit sectors and between genders. The results also suggest that organizational commitment, especially in terms of stakeholdership, is negatively associated with absenteeism. Perceptions of flexibility are found to be positively associated with the number of days missed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-86
Author(s):  
Jonghwan Eun

The demand for innovation in public organizations is increasing. In this study, I explore factors that contribute to the innovative behavior of civil servants at the individual level. The theoretical distinction between public and private organizations has long been a subject of debate, and certain characteristics of innovation in public organizations mimic innovation in the private sector, even though the purpose of innovation in public organizations is to secure public goods. In order to examine the innovative behavior of public employees who face such contradictory circumstances, I parameterized the characteristics of each sector, using whether or not the employee had worked in the private sector prior to entering the public service as the characteristic for the private sector and the effect of public service motivation on innovative behavior as the characteristic for the public sector and found that at the individual level, the two are not mutually exclusive.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 214-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Vogel ◽  
Fabian Homberg ◽  
Alena Gericke

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine abusive supervision and public service motivation (PSM) as antecedents of deviant workplace behaviours. Design/methodology/approach The study was conducted in a cross-sectional research design with survey data from 150 employees in the public, private, and non-profit sector in Germany and the USA. Findings Abusive supervision is positively associated with employee deviance, whereas PSM is negatively related to deviant behaviours. The employment sector moderates the negative relationship between PSM and employee deviance such that this relationship is stronger in the public and non-profit sector. Research limitations/implications Limitations arise from the convenience sampling approach and the cross-sectional nature of the data set. Practical implications Human resource managers should consider behavioural integrity in the attraction, selection, and training of both supervisors and subordinates. Private organisations can address the needs of strongly public service motivated employees by integrating associated goals and values into organisational missions and policies. Originality/value This is the first study to introduce PSM into research on employee deviance. It shows that a pro-social motivation can drive anti-social behaviours when employees with high levels of PSM are members of profit-seeking organisations.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 98-102
Author(s):  
M. V. DUBROVA ◽  
◽  
N. N. ZHILINA ◽  

The relevance of the article is determined by the fact that in Russia there is no effective mechanism of state support for the activities of non-profit organizations in the field of “green Finance”. The role of non-profit organizations is leveled, which can become a serious help in solving economic problems, in particular, the problems of recycling and processing of secondary raw materials, the placement of industrial waste and household garbage, and landscaping of large megacities. The main financial burden in the field of “green economy” falls on States and large enterprises. Meanwhile, we cannot ignore the important role of non-profit organizations that can not only draw attention to environmental problems to the public, but also offer their own measures to solve environmental problems. In this regard, it becomes relevant to consider the participation of non-profit organizations in the implementation of environmental projects by attracting “green Finance”.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 770-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunkui Zhu ◽  
Chen Wu

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.


Author(s):  
Heather Getha-Taylor ◽  
Alexa Haddock-Bigwarfe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine public service motivation (PSM) and the connection with collaborative attitudes among a sample of homeland security actors representing the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Design/methodology/approach – This study examines relationships between measures of PSM and collaboration using original survey data and hierarchical multiple regression. Findings – Findings reveal strong positive relationships between PSM measures and attitudes toward collaboration at the individual and organizational level. Research limitations/implications – Survey results are cross-sectional and are from respondents participating in a single state's homeland security summit. Practical implications – It is expected that results can be used to enhance collaboration at the individual and organizational levels. At the organizational level, results can be used for matching individuals with collaborative opportunities. At the individual level, results can be used for enhanced self-reflection and effectiveness purposes. Originality/value – This study provides insights on the relationship between PSM measures and collaborative attitudes. The research contributes to the body of scholarly work connecting PSM and correlates of interest.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (21) ◽  
pp. 7113
Author(s):  
Wojciech Czakon ◽  
Karolina Mucha-Kuś ◽  
Maciej Sołtysik

Simultaneous collaboration and competition, or coopetition, has so far been studied among firms or non-profit organizations, leaving the public arena largely unexplored. This study focuses on identifying and measuring common benefit generation by local government actors in coopetition. We purposefully choose a metropolis composed of 41 municipalities setting to identify and measure those effects of coopetition that cannot be achieved by individual actors alone. We use real data and tariffs to run simulations that identify common and individual benefits generated in gas and electricity distribution. We find that savings can be achieved by mutualizing energy procurement, even though the distribution of savings is not equal among municipalities. We substantiate that energy communities can act as coopetitive platforms to optimize energy costs of municipalities.


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