scholarly journals Public service motivation and ethical behavior: Evidence from three experiments

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. Christensen ◽  
Bradley E. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Ethical Behavior ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Employment Decisions ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Sample Characteristics ◽  
The Relationship

Public service motivation (PSM) research has grown rapidly in the last several decades, largely focused on the role of PSM in employment decisions and employee performance. More recently, researchers have raised the possibility that PSM may play a role in workplace ethical behavior. In this study we sought to empirically articulate this link with evidence from three experimental studies. Across three experiments our research fails to confirm the relationship between PSM and ethics. We measured ethics both attitudinally and observationally.  We conclude that even if the null findings are due to sample characteristics or weaknesses in the priming intervention, the three studies reported here raise concerns regarding the ease with which one can influence behavior by "priming" PSM.  PSM may increase ethical behavior but not always in ways that public managers and organizations can easily influence.

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF JOB AUTONOMY AND COMMUNICATION PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-23
Author(s):  
Abubakar Tabiu
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Job Autonomy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Communication Practices ◽  
The Relationship

Improving individual employee and organizational performance has been the main concern of many organizations for decades and several factors have also been studied as predictors of employee performance. However, the bulk of studies are mainly conducted in the private sector organizations with few attentions accorded to the public sector organizations, even though at present the difference between the two sectors is not much especially with introduction of privatization and New Public Management in the public sector. Drawing upon Social Exchange Theory and the application of Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM), this study examined the mediating role of public service motivation on the relationship between job autonomy, communication practices and employee task and contextual performance. The participants were 288 senior staff of local governments in north-western part of Nigeria. The findings suggested that both job autonomy and communication practices predicted employee task and contextual performance. It was also found that public service motivation is an important mechanism (mediator) in the relationship.

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.

scholarly journals Public Service Motivation and Individual Job Performance

2021 ◽  
pp. 254-277
Author(s):  
Adrian Ritz ◽  
Wouter Vandenabeele ◽  
Dominik Vogel
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Indirect Effects ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Great Relevance ◽  
The Relationship

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.

scholarly journals Additional intervention evidence on the relationship between public service motivation and ethical behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley E. Wright ◽  
Robert K. Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Ethical Behavior ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Ethical Intention ◽  
College Age ◽  
Ethical Intentions ◽  
Additional Intervention ◽  
Research Article ◽  
The Relationship

The nascent scholarship on public service motivation (PSM) and ethics exhibits mixed findings. This research article aims to describe and relate the current landscape of findings in this arena and to conduct an experiment that addresses design weaknesses that may explain some past null findings. Using a national sample of college-age respondents, we found that although self-reported PSM was positively correlated with ethical intentions, prosocial priming did not increase ethical intentions or behavior. We contextualize these findings in terms of previous studies, to inform our understanding of the efficacy of prosocial interventions. While our research suggests that self-reported PSM can predict, if not influence, ethical intention, we are unable to make conclusions about PSM’s effects on ethical behavior. Second, similar to past studies, we are not able to confirm specific mechanisms or interventions that might be used to increase ethical behavior or intentions.

Street-level bureaucrats’ turnover intention: does public service motivation matter?

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Chul Shim ◽  
Hyun Hee Park ◽  
Tae Ho Eom
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Turnover Intention ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Work Overload ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
Red Tape ◽  
Street Level Bureaucrats

This study examines the joint influences of work exhaustion, job demands (red tape, role conflict, work overload), and public service motivation on street-level bureaucrats’ turnover intention. Based on a survey of 4974 Korean street-level bureaucrats, the study examines the potential mediating role of work exhaustion and complex moderating role of public service motivation in determining street-level bureaucrats’ turnover intention. In line with previous research, we find that job demands have both direct and indirect associations with street-level bureaucrats’ turnover intention through work exhaustion. However, public service motivation was found to reduce the employees’ turnover intention in two different ways. First, public service motivation was found to have a direct negative association with turnover intention. In addition, it was also found to mitigate the positive associations between job demands and work exhaustion, and between job demands and turnover intention. Points for practitioners The findings of the current study provide several practical implications for public managers. First of all, it suggests that imbuing public sector values through formal and informal training is important. Second, it provides some clues for local government managers to reduce street-level bureaucrats’ work exhaustion and turnover intention. For example, the problem of work overload for street-level bureaucrats could be reduced by reassigning work responsibilities according to workload analyses for given jobs.

Organizational Commitment in International Public Administrations: The Role of Public Service Motivation and Person-Organization Fit

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 121-137
Author(s):  
Bernd Helmig ◽  
Alexander Pinz ◽  
Benedikt Englert ◽  
Fabiane Meiser
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Civil Wars ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Person Organization Fit ◽  
The Relationship

International organizations are important actors in the fight against global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and civil wars. To deliver on their promises, they need efficient, effective international public administrations (IPAs) with highly qualified and committed staff. However, public management research has not identified the antecedents of organizational commitment in IPAs. Drawing from traditional public management literature, this study examines how public service motivation (PSM) and person-organization fit (PO fit) influence organizational commitment in IPAs. Findings from a survey of 101 employees of a European IPA show that both PSM and PO fit have a positive effect on organizational commitment, but contrary to established results in public management research, PO fit does not act as a mediator in the relationship between PSM and commitment.

Clarifying the Relationship Between Public Service Motivation and In-Role and Extra-Role Behaviors: The Relative Contributions of Person-Job and Person-Organization Fit

2015 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 699-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Mari van Loon ◽  
Wouter Vandenabeele ◽  
Peter Leisink
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Individual Performance ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Role Behavior ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Person Organization Fit ◽  
The Relationship

A core proposition of public service motivation (PSM) theory is that PSM is positively related to individual performance. Some studies, however, suggest that this relationship is mediated by person-job or person-organization fit. This study aims to further clarify the relationship between PSM and performance by, first, studying the mediation role of both person-job and person-organization fits and, second, by investigating this mediation for both in-role and extra-role behavior. Whereas in-role behavior is aimed at the individual task, extra-role is aimed at helping colleagues. This difference may matter for the role of PSM and fit. To this end, we conducted structural equation modeling with bootstrapping on self-reported survey data from public employees ( n = 1,031). The analysis showed that person-job, but not person-organization fit, fully mediated the relationship between PSM and in-role behavior. The relationship with extra-role behavior was not mediated. The PSM-performance relationship may thus be more complex than previously envisioned, as both type of performance and person-job fit matter.

“Giving Something Back to Society”: A Study Exploring the Role of Reciprocity Norms in Public Service Motivation

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Psychological Contracts ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Reciprocity ◽  
The Relationship

Public service motivation (PSM) is often conceived as a predominantly other-concerned type of motivation. This study challenges this notion by investigating the role of reciprocity norms, which are rooted in self-concern, as a determinant of PSM. Taking up a debate on whether PSM may be a manifestation of reciprocity vis-à-vis society, I draw on a combination of psychological contract theory and social identity theory to substantiate previous theoretical linkages between these concepts. Using a sample of 205 Swiss police officers, I then empirically analyze the relationship between both positive and negative reciprocity norms and PSM. Thereby, I utilize societal identification, which is a prerequisite for the emergence of shared psychological contracts, as a moderator. Findings from moderated regression analyses support the theoretical arguments for the norm-based and affective but not the rational components of PSM. In sum, this study provides relevant insights into some of the self-concerned foundations of PSM.

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

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 ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Insurance Claims ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
Public Agency ◽  
The Relationship

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.

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