Relationship of Public Service Motivation with Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction: A Mediating Role of Person-Organization Fit in Afghanistan s Public Sector

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the relationship between public service motivation (PSM) and both employees' job satisfaction and organizational commitment in Afghanistan's public sector. The study used a quantitative research design, incorporating PSM theory and person-organization fit theory into its framework. Participants included 498 employees from 25 departments within the Ministry of Energy and Water. Data gathered through self-reported questionnaires were analyzed through structural equation modelling, using SPSS and AMOS software. Results showed a positive relationship between PSM with organizational commitment and job satisfaction through personorganization fit mediation, indicating that the government pays more attention to PSM, because it is a predictor of organizational commitment and job satisfaction. The organizational culture of public sectors in war-torn Afghanistan may not fit very well with the employees with high PSM and so differentiate itself from those in other developing and developed countries. The country's public sector is still undergoing restructuring and development. Therefore, this study makes a significant contribution to existing literature by exploring the ways PSM affects job satisfaction and organizational commitment in a public sector environment undergoing structural reforms.