Examining public service motivation in the voluntary sector: implications for public management

Building on research about the nature of public service motivation (PSM) and its application outside the public sector, the authors provide a qualitative-based examination of PSM’s relevance to voluntary sector employees. In doing so, they explore how far their motivations extend beyond those encompassed within current conceptualizations of PSM and whether PSM research can be enriched through the adoption of qualitative methodologies. The findings suggest that PSM accounts for some, but not all, of the motives of voluntary sector employees and indicate that public sector managers involved in outsourcing public services need to be sensitive to their distinctive features.     

Work motivation and public service motivation: disentangling varieties of motivation and job satisfaction

Research on motivation in the public sector has used public service motivation (PSM) and self-determination theory (SDT) interchangeably. This paper compares both theories, develops hypotheses pertaining to their assumptions, and empirically tests them in two public offices in Switzerland. We then explore their relationship with job satisfaction as an indicator of predictive validity. We find that SDT and PSM display conceptual differentiation and SDT has a strongest relationship to job satisfaction. However, moderation analysis suggests that employees with high levels of PSM have more stable job satisfaction compared to their low-PSM counterparts.     

Exploring the structure and meaning of public service motivation in the Turkish public sector: a test of the mediating effects of job characteristics

Using a data set consisting of 315 middle-managers at the district level in the Turkish public sector, we develop a structural equation model (SEM) for assessing the impact of empowerment and stewardship on public service motivation (PSM) through job characteristics. The results demonstrate that stewardship and empowerment are distinct ‘levers’ that managers can use in novel ways to influence PSM; and cultural context may factor into the manipulation of these levers. We find that job-based mediators may not compliment leadership styles and self-generating rewards, but, rather work separately in their appeal to PSM.     

Public service motivation and customer service behaviour: testing the mediating role of emotional labour and the moderating role of gender

ABSTRACT

Prior research indicates that public service motivation (PSM) provides a motivational base for effective emotion regulation. This study extends this body of research by investigating how service workers in different gender groups regulate their emotions during service transactions. Analysis of survey data from public service workers in Thailand showed that ‘deep acting’ is the primary emotional labour strategy-linking PSM and customer service behaviour (CSB), whereas ‘surface acting’ does not play a mediating role. The results further revealed that PSM has a stronger association with male workers’ CSB only via deep acting. Theoretical and practical contributions are discussed.     

Deterrence versus intrinsic motivation: Experimental evidence on the determinants of corruptibility

This paper reports on an experiment of corruption that was conducted in two treatments: one with the possibility of detection and one without. It turns out that monitoring reduces corruption through deterrence; at the same time, it destroys the intrinsic motivation for honesty. Thus the net effect on overall corruption is a priori undetermined. We show that the salary level has an influence on corruption through increased opportunity costs of corruption, but fail to find evidence for a ‘payment satisfaction’ effect. Interesting policy conclusions emerge. RID="*" ID="*" Acknowledgments: We are indebted to Johann Graf Lambsdorff for calling our attention to Fujimori's gender policy and to Ernst Fehr, Bruno Frey, Alireza Jay Naghavi, and two anonymous referees for valuable comments.     

Accounting for personal disposition and organizational context: connecting role ambiguity,public service motivation,and whistle-blowing in federal agencies

Abstract

Organizational psychologists and HRM scholars have long argued that prosocial organizational behaviors enhance organizational performance. However, prosocial behaviors are motivated by both self-interested and altruistic intent. Moreover, some have recognized that the factors that encourage shifts between egoistically and altruistically motivated prosocial behaviors may result from inherent tensions between individual disposition and situational contexts. As such, this study draws from literature examining prosocial behavior to evaluate whether work situations with clear task expectations dampen the extent to which prosocial personal dispositions diminish egoistically motivated prosocial behavior. Findings from a series of structural equation models reveal that altruistic dispositional traits diminish egoistic motives for engaging in one specific prosocial behavior, whistle-blowing. However, findings also reveal that work situations characterized by clear task expectations dampen the negative effect of altruistic dispositions on egoistically motivated whistle-blowing. Our findings imply that managers can adjust organizational contexts to capitalize on the enhanced benefits resulting from altruistically motivated prosocial behaviors.     

Relative deprivation of temporary agency workers in the public sector: The role of public service motivation and the possibility of standard employment

Although public service organisations have increasingly relied on nonstandard employees, little research has investigated their work experiences and job attitudes. This paper examines the mechanism by which temporary agency workers' experience of relative deprivation affects their organisational attachment toward their client firm in the public sector. Based on data collected from temporary help agencies working with an international airport in Korea, we found that the perceived likelihood of standard employment mediated the negative relationship of relative deprivation to organisational attachment. Moreover, the indirect relationship of relative deprivation with organisational attachment via perceived likelihood of standard employment was strong and significant among those with high public service motivation but was not significant for those with low public service motivation. We discuss the implications of this study in building a better understanding of relative deprivation and nonstandard work arrangements in the public sector.     

Behind the influence of job crafting on citizen value co-creation with the public organization: joint effects of paternalistic leadership and public service motivation

This research seeks to investigate the role of paternalistic leadership in fostering job crafting among public employees, which may in turn foster citizen value co-creation with the public organization. The data were collated from public employees working in public legal service agencies in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and citizens whom they served. The data analyses verified the negative association between authoritarian leadership behavior and job crafting, as well as the positive associations between benevolent and moral behaviors and job crafting. The results also revealed the positive effect of job crafting on citizen value co-creation via citizen-organization identification as a mediator.     

Exploring the performances and determinants of public service provision in 35 major cities in China from the perspectives of efficiency and effectiveness

The measurement of public service provision (PSP) performance and identification of its influencing variables are of great importance for the government to efficiently utilize public resources and provide more effective public services. However, existing studies have mainly focused on the efficiency to provide public services and ignored the effectiveness to improve public subjective well-being. To fill this gap, this study constructs a two-stage PSP conceptual model from the perspective of service production and consumption and develops a corresponding PSP performance evaluation indicator system to evaluate PSP efficiency, effectiveness, and comprehensive performance. The PSP performances of 35 major cities in China during 2011–2018 are calculated using the super efficiency network slack-based measure model. Moreover, the influencing factors of these performances are identified through the truncated regression model. Results indicate that the comprehensive performance of these cities is relatively low and shows a trend of decrease that is predominantly caused by provision efficiency. Owing to the absolute advantage in effectiveness and the catch-up effect in efficiency, cities in the western region perform the best in comprehensive performance, followed by the eastern region and then the central region. In addition, only seven cities achieve a balance between efficiency and effectiveness. Factors from economy, society, government, and public aspects have different impacts on PSP performances. On the basis of these findings, several policy suggestions are proposed. This study proposes a relatively comprehensive and accurate measurement framework of PSP performance that considers both efficiency and effectiveness and can help policymakers implement appropriate strategies promoting PSP in an efficient, effective, and sustainable manner.     

Workforce motivation in Japan: an examination of gender differences and management perceptions

As Japan enters the new century, pending workforce shortages – a function of low birth rates and an aging population – increase the need to address gender issues in organizations. Throughout the past four decades, the number of female workers in Japan has been growing, although full-time female participation in the Japanese workforce remains below the levels of some other industrialized nations. Despite the growing importance that the Japanese female labor force is expected to play, relatively little is known about women's attitudes toward work motivation in Japan. Using a two-factor, Herzberg intrinsic/extrinsic approach to motivation, we examine the applicability of such a model in Japan, and compare the attitudes of female and male workers, as well as management and non-management. Our findings include: (1) support for the applicability of a Herzberg, two-factor model in Japan; (2) Japanese men in the workforce tending to value intrinsic motivators more than extrinsic factors; (3) female workers in Japan rating extrinsic factors higher than their male counterparts; and (4) managers' opinions of what motivates employees not constituting a refined match to those of female employees, especially with respect to extrinsic motivation. In multi-gender Japanese organizations, management will potentially benefit from a better understanding and functional integration of important gender nuances into their motivation strategies.     

政府购买社会组织服务的动因、困境和策略

随着我国社会经济的发展和改革力度的加大,政府购买社会组织服务越来越成为政府提供公共服务的重要途径之一。目前,我国政府在购买社会组织服务上存在购买范围不明确、缺乏法律和制度规范、缺乏有效的监督和评估、社会组织力量薄弱等诸多问题。因此,需要建立科学的购买社会组织服务决策机制,规范相应的法律法规,加强对社会组织的培育和监督。     

The influence of cultural context on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance: a meta-analysis

The impact of gender diversity on team performance has become a central topic in the field of human resource management for researchers and practitioners alike. Extant research provides conflicting evidence on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance. To resolve these contradictory findings, we meta-analyze the relationship between gender diversity and two performance outcomes, namely task performance and contextual performance. Grounded in categorization-elaboration model, we simultaneously consider the positive and negative aspects of gender diversity. We further examine the effect of cultural context as a moderator on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance. Based on 71 independent samples from 68 studies published between 1996 and 2013, we find a significant negative relationship ( ? 0.10) between gender diversity and contextual performance. Additionally, we find that the cultural dimensions gender egalitarianism and collectivism have significant moderating influences on the relationship between gender diversity and task performance.     

Towards A Better Understanding of Public Service Motivation and Mission Valence in Public Agencies

Abstract

Research has not fully considered how public service motivation (PSM) and mission valence may work together to influence job satisfaction, extra-role behaviours, and turnover intentions. As a result, a causal model was developed and tested on local, state, and federal government employees in the United States. The results indicate that PSM had a direct effect on mission valence and extra-role behaviours. They also revealed that mission valence fully mediated the relationship between PSM and job satisfaction and partially mediated the relationship between PSM and extra-role behaviours. On the other hand, mission valence did not mediate the relationship between PSM and turnover intentions. These findings are thoroughly discussed in this article.     

Public service motivation- individual performance relationship: Does user orientation matter?

Many studies find positive associations between Public Service Motivation (PSM) and individual performance, but we know little about potential mediators and moderators.In this study, we test the mediating role of User Orientation (UO) - the motivation to benefit individual recipients of public services - and the moderating role of individual and work-related characteristics by collecting data from 618 teachers and 156 school principals working in all grades of state schools in southern Italy. After applying structural equation modeling and group comparisons, results show that individuals with a strong orientation to do good for others and for society (PSM) are also better oriented towards helping specific public service users, the students in our case. In turn, the desire to benefit students and satisfy their needs leads individuals to enhance their self-reported performance at work. Eventually, the implications of our findings and possible areas of future research are discussed.     

Organizational commitment and service delivery: evidence from an industrial setting in the UK

In this paper the links between organizational commitment and the delivery of service quality are explored. Using data from a survey of contact-level employees within an industrial service organization, the hypotheses that the antecedents to service quality do indeed drive the service delivery gap, that there is a relationship between organizational commitment and service delivery and that the antecedents of the service delivery gap are related to organizational commitment are tested. All three hypotheses are accepted, although the link between organizational commitment and service delivery is not very strong. However, it is found that organizational commitment is strongly tied to role ambiguity and teamwork as antecedents of the service delivery gap.     

Bringing Networks In: A model of organizational socialization in the public sector

Abstract

Integrating new employees so that they perform well, fit in well and are committed to the agency is a salient concern for public managers. Organizational socialization is the process by which new employees learn the knowledge, skills and values required to become organizational members. This article develops a model of organizational socialization grounded in newcomer social networks and set within a context of public service identity. Social network theory and methods offer a means for examining and interpreting patterns of interactions between newcomers and organizational members. This article concludes with propositions for future studies of organizational socialization and social networks.     

Entrepreneurship and the determinants of firm survival within regions: human capital,growth motivation and locational conditions

Abstract

Despite a growing body of research on firm survival, little is known about the factors impacting upon survival rates at a micro-spatial level. This study, therefore, analyses firm survival across local environments in the context of a peripheral region; namely, the case of Wales in the UK. It examines how theories relating to human capital, growth motivation and locational conditions may explain survival within a region. Drawing on data of survival patterns for a cohort of firms, it is found that each of the three theories at least partly explain firm survival, with it being clear that human capital relating to the experience of entrepreneurs, as well as the growth motivation of their firms resulting from the strategic choices they make, impact upon rates of survival. It is also found that the local environment contributes to the likelihood of survival. In particular, it is found that locational factors have a potential influence on the human capital allocated to enterprises, as well as how this capital is utilised via growth motivation. This suggests that not only do locational factors contribute to differing rates of entrepreneurship, but that such factors also impact on the durability of firms over time.     

The effectiveness of teams in organizations: a meta-analysis

The proposed meta-analysis of 61 independent samples aims to identify whether, and if so under what conditions, team working in organizations is related to organizational effectiveness. Team working had a significant though small positive relationship with both performance outcomes and staff attitudes. Our contingency analyses further showed that team working had a stronger relationship with performance outcomes if accompanied by complementary HR measures and in non-health-care settings. Finally, we found that team working is more strongly related to attitudinal outcomes in Sociotechnical Systems and health-care settings.     

Career motivation measures: a test of convergent and discriminant validity

Two existing measures of career motivation were used to collect data from a sample of Canadian managers and professionals recently displaced due to downsizing. Measurement models assessed the unidimensionality, reliability and discriminant validity of career motivation sub-domains while structural rnodcls were used to assess convergent validity. The career resilience construct received the most support but propositions about career identity end insight were also supported. The results clarify the riomological net of career motivation theory and produce an integrated, composite career motivation scale.