The Role of Organizations in Fostering Public Service Motivation

Abstract

In seeking to explain the antecedents of public service motivation, James Perry focuses on the formative role of sociohistorical context. This study tests Perry’s theory and examines the role that organizational factors play in shaping public service motivation, based on responses from a national survey of state government health and human service managers. The findings support the role of sociohistorical context, showing that public service motivation is strongly and positively related to level of education and membership in professional organizations. The results also underscore the significant influence of organizational institutions, indicating that red tape and length of organizational membership are negatively related to public service motivation, whereas hierarchical authority and reform efforts have a positive relationship. Therefore, public organizations have both an opportunity and a responsibility to create an environment that allows employees to feel they are contributing to the public good.

The Moderating Effects of Organizational Culture on the Relationship between Work Motivation and Work Commitment of University Academic Staff

“…It is consistent with the study of Moynihan and Pandey (2007) who did not come up with significant findings, when they investigated organizational predictors of public service motivation. Massaras Panagiotis, Alexandros and George (2014) have established a negative relationship between employee motivation and adhocracy culture.…”

Prosocial Motivation and Incentives

“…These can be used to construct an overall measure of the strength of public service motivation. Moynihan and Pandey (2007) show that are strong correlations between organizational form and the kinds of measures of motivation that form the basis of these "Perry Scores". Dal Bo et al (2013) use these measures in their study of the selection of bureaucrats in Mexico as part of a recruitment drive where they study whether higher wages led to selection of more able and/or motivated workers.…”

Motivational and Satisfaction Level Among Medical Teachers in India: A Questionnaire Based Survey

“…This finding is consistent with the growing human capital crisis resulting from the "greying" of government. 15 Younger employees seem less interested in or satisfied with government work. One possibility is that older workers' sense of job sat-isfaction is formed by a longer time-span that covers eras in which public service was held in high esteem.…”