Exploring Determinants of Work Motivation in Public Service: The Influence of Organizational Context and Public Service Motivation

Titolo Rivista MECOSAN
Autori/Curatori Danila Scarozza, Denita Cepiku, Alessandro Hinna, Alessandro Peluso
Anno di pubblicazione 2018 Fascicolo 2017/104
Lingua Italiano Numero pagine 21 P. 89-109 Dimensione file 23767 KB
DOI 10.3280/MESA2017-104006
Il DOI è il codice a barre della proprietà intellettuale: per saperne di più clicca qui

Qui sotto puoi vedere in anteprima la prima pagina di questo articolo.

Se questo articolo ti interessa, lo puoi acquistare (e scaricare in formato pdf) seguendo le facili indicazioni per acquistare il download credit. Acquista Download Credits per scaricare questo Articolo in formato PDF

Anteprima articolo

FrancoAngeli è membro della Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA)associazione indipendente e non profit per facilitare (attraverso i servizi tecnologici implementati da CrossRef.org) l’accesso degli studiosi ai contenuti digitali nelle pubblicazioni professionali e scientifiche

The study aims to understand the extent to which job satisfaction and organizational commitment are driven by public service motivation versus variables that reflect several aspects of the organizational context. A survey was sent to employees working in a large public hospital in Italy. The analysis show that both work context and individual variables predict work motivation. Particularly, value congruence, attraction to policy making, and self-sacrifice, predict job satisfaction; group culture and self-sacrifice impact organizational commitment. The results offer some implications for HRM. Firstly, public managers have to remove any impediment that can prevent employees from serving the public interest. Second, creating a sense of shared culture could be an important tool is in keeping the workforce motivated and committed.;

Keywords:Contesto organizzativo; Public Service Motivation, Soddisfazione al lavoro, sanità, commitment organizzativo.

  1. Allen N.J., Meye J.P. (1990). The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63 (1): 1-18.
  2. Alonso P., Lewis G.B. (2001). Public Service Motivation and Job Performance. American Review of Public Administration, 31 (4): 363-80. DOI: 10.1177/0275074012206499
  3. Balk W.L. (1974). Why don’t public administrators take productivity more seriously? Public Personnel Management, 3 (3): 318-24. DOI: 10.1177/00910260740030040
  4. Behn R.D. (1995). The Big Questions of Public Management. Public Administration Review, 55 (4): 313-24. DOI: 10.1177/002085230066400
  5. Borgonovi E., Laudau J. (2007). Relationship Competence for Healthcare Management. Peer to Peer. UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
  6. Borgonovi E. (2004). Aziendalizzazione e governo clinico. Mecosan, 49: 5-8.
  7. Borgonovi E. (2003). Il ruolo delle Regioni nel sistema di tutela della salute secondo il modello federalista. Mecosan, 46: 3-5.
  8. Borgonovi E. (2000). La spesa sanitaria: investimento per lo sviluppo o consumo. L’industria, 3: 427-448.
  9. Brewer G.A., Selden, S. C. (1998). Whistle blowers in the federal civil service: New evidence of the public service ethic. Journal of Public Administration Research & Theory, 8 (3): 413-439. DOI: 10.1177/027507401037681
  10. Brewer G.A., Selden S.C., Facer II R.L. (2000). Individual Conceptions of Public Service Motivation.
  11. Public Administration Review, 60 (3): 254-64. DOI: 10.1177/095207670910381
  12. Bright L. (2008). Does Public Service Motivation Really Make a Difference on the Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions of Public Employees? American Review of Public Administration, 38 (2): 149-166. DOI: 10.1177/027507400831724
  13. Buchanan B. (1974). Building organizational commitment: The socialization of managers in work organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 19 (4): 533-546. DOI: 10.2307/239180
  14. Buchanan B. (1975). Government managers, business executives, and organizational commitment. Public Administration Review, 34 (4): 339-347. DOI: 10.2307/97524
  15. Caldwell D.F., O’Reilly C.A. (1990). Measuring person-job fit with a profile-comparison process. Journal of Applied Psychology, 75 (6): 648-657. DOI: 10.1037/0021-9010.75.6.64
  16. Cepiku D., Giordano F. (2014). Co-production in developing countries. Insights from the Community Health Workers experiences. Public Management Review,16 (3): 317-340. DOI: 10.1080/14719037.2013.82253
  17. Cepiku D., Bonomi Savignon A. (2012). Governing cutback management: is there a global strategy for Public Administrations? International Journal of Public Sector Management, 25 (6-7). DOI: 10.1108/0951355121126060
  18. Lawler E.E. (1994), Motivation in work organizations, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  19. Cepiku D., Meneguzzo M. (2011). Public Administration Reform in Italy: A Shopping basket Approach to the New Public Management or the New Weberianism? International Journal of Public Administration. 34 (1-2): 19-25. DOI: 10.1080/01900692.2010.506088
  20. Cooper C.L, Robertson I.T. (1986). Editorial Forward. In Cary L., Cooper C.L., Robertson I.T. (Ed.). International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Chichester, England: Wiley.
  21. Coyle-Shapiro J.A.M., Kessler I. (2003). The Employment Relationship in the U.K. Public Sector: A Psychological Contract Perspective. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 13 (2): 213-30.
  22. Crewson P.E. (1997). Public-service Motivation: Building Empirical Evidence of Incidence and Effect. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 7 (4): 499-518.
  23. Del Vecchio M. (2008). Deintegrazione istituzionale e integrazione funzionale nelle aziende sanitarie pubbliche. Milano: Egea.
  24. Dussault G. (1999). Human resource development: The challenge of health sector reform. Washington, DC: World Bank.
  25. Ellickson M.C. (2002). Determinants of job satisfaction of municipal government employees.
  26. Public Personnel Management, 31 (3): 343-358. DOI: 10.1177/00910260020310030
  27. Franco L.M., Bennett S., Kanfer R. (2002). Health sector reform and public sector health worker motivation: a conceptual framework. Social Science & Medicine, 54 (2): 1255-1266. DOI: 10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00094-
  28. Frank S.A., Lewis G.B. (2004). Government employees: Working hard or hardly working? American Review of Public Administration, 34 (1): 36-51. DOI: 10.1177/027507400325882
  29. Gabris G.T., Simo G. (1995). Public sector motivation as an independent variable affecting career decisions. Public Personnel Management, 24 (1): 33-51. DOI: 10.1177/00910260950240010
  30. Gailmard S. (2010). Politics, Principal-Agent Problems, and Public Service Motivation. International Public Management Journal, 13 (1): 35-45. DOI: 10.1080/1096749090354722
  31. Gailmard S., Patty J. (2007). Slackers and Zealots: Civil Service, Discretion and Bureaucratic Expertise. American Journal of Political Science, 51 (4): 883-889.
  32. Judge T.A., Parker S., Colbert A.E., Heller D., Ilies R. (2001). Job satisfaction: A cross cultural review.
  33. In Anderson N., Ones D.S., Sinangil H.K., Viswesvaran C. (Ed.), Handbook of industrial, work and organizational psychology, London: Sage.
  34. Jurkiewicz C.L., Massey T.K., Brown R.G. (1998). Motivation in public and private organizations: A comparative study. Public Productivity & Management Review, 21 (3): 230-250. DOI: 10.2307/338085
  35. Khojasteh M. (1993). Motivating the private vs. public sector managers. Public Personnel Management, 22 (3): 391-401. DOI: 10.1177/00910260930220030
  36. Kim S. (2002). Participative management and job satisfaction: Lessons for management leadership. Public Administration Review, 62 (2): 231-241. DOI: 10.1111/0033-3352.0017
  37. Kim S. (2005a). Factors affecting state government information technology employee turnover intentions. American Review of Public Administration, 35 (2): 137-156. DOI: 10.1177/027507400427315
  38. Kim S. (2005b). Individual-level factors and organizational performance in government organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 15 (2): 245-262.
  39. Kjeldsen A.M., Andersen L.B. (2012). How Prosocial Motivation Affects Job Satisfaction: An International Analysis of Countries with Different Welfare State Regimes. Scandinavian Political Studies, 36 (2): 153-176.
  40. Lee S.H., Olshfski D. (2002). Employee Commitment and Fire fighters: “It’s My Job”. Public Administration Review, 62 (1): 108-14.
  41. Liou K., Nyhan R.C. (1994). Dimensions of organizational commitment in the public sector: An empirical assessment. Public Administration Quarterly, 18 (1): 99–118.
  42. Locke E.A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In Dunnette M.D. (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Chicago: Rand McNally.
  43. Locke E.A. (1997). The motivation to work: what we know. In Maehr M., Pintrich, P. (Ed.). Advances in motivation and achievement, Greenwich: CT: JAI.
  44. Locke E.A., Latham G.P. (2004). What should we do about motivation theory? Six recommendations for the twenty-first century. Academy of Management Review, 29 (3): 388-403. DOI: 10.5465/AMR.2004.1367097
  45. Maidani E. (1991). Comparative study of Herzberg’s two-factor theory of job satisfaction among public and private sectors. Public Personnel Management, 20 (4): 441–48. DOI: 10.1177/00910260910200040
  46. Martinez J., Martineau T. (1996), Workshop on human resources and health sector reforms: Research and development priorities in developing countries. Liverpool: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
  47. Meyer J.P., Allen N.J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1 (1): 61-89. DOI: 10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-
  48. Mowday R.T., Porter L.W., Dubin R. (1974). Unit performance, situational factors, and employee attitudes in spatially separated work units. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 12 (2): 231-248. DOI: 10.1016/0030-5073(74)90048-
  49. Mowday R.T., Steers R.M., Porter L.W. (1979). The Measurement of Organizational Commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 14 (2): 224-47. DOI: 10.1016/0001-8791(79)90072-
  50. Moynihan D.P., Pandey S.K. (2007). Finding workable levers over work motivation: Comparing job satisfaction, job involvement, and organizational commitment. Administration & Society, 39 (7): 803-832. DOI: 10.1177/009539970730554
  51. Naff K.C., Crum J. (1999). Working for America: Does Public Service Motivation Make a Difference? Review of Public Personnel Administration, 19 (4): 5-16. DOI: 10.1177/0734371X990190040
  52. Ouchi W. (1981). Theory Z: How American business can meet the Japanese challenge, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
  53. Paarlberg L.E., Perry J.L. (2007). Values management:
  54. Aligning individual values and organizational goals. American Review of Public Administration, 37 (4): 387-408. DOI: 10.1177/027507400629723
  55. Pandey S.K., Garnett J.L. (2006). Exploring public sector communication performance: Testing a model and drawing implications”. Public Administration Review, 66 (1): 37-51.
  56. Perry J.L. (1996). Measuring public service motivation: An assessment of construct reliability and validity. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 7 (1): 5-22.
  57. Perry J.L. (1997). Antecedents of public service motivation. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 7 (2): 181-197.
  58. Perry J.L. (2012). Does Making a Difference Make a Difference? Answers from Research on Public Service Motivation. In Tria G., Valotti G. (Ed.). Reforming the public sector: how to achieve better transparency, service, and leadership, Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.
  59. Perry J.L., Hondeghem A. (2008). Motivation in public management: The call of public service. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  60. Perry J.L., Porter L.W. (1982). Factors affecting the context for motivation in the public sector. Academy of Management Review, 7 (1): 89-98. DOI: 10.5465/AMR.1982.428547
  61. Perry J.L., Wise L.R. (1990). The Motivational Bases of Public Service. Public Administration Review, 50 (3): 367-73. DOI: 10.2307/97661
  62. Perry J.L., Hondeghem A., Wise L.R. (2010). Revisiting the motivational bases of public service: Twenty years of research and an agenda for the future. Public Administration Review, 70 (5): 681-90.
  63. Posner B.Z., Schmidt W.H. (1982). Determining managerial strategies in the public sector: What kinds of people enter the public and private sectors? An updated comparison of perceptions, stereotypes, and values. Human Resource Management, 21 (2): 35-43.
  64. Raadschelders J.N.C. (2003). Government: A Public Administration Perspective. Armonk, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe.
  65. Rainey H.G. (1982). Reward Preferences Among Public and Private Managers: In Search of a Service Ethic. American Review of Public Administration, 16 (4): 288–302. DOI: 10.1177/02750740820160040
  66. Rainey H.G. (1997). Understanding and managing public organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
  67. Rainey H.G., Steinbauer, P. (1999). Why Elephants Gallop: Developing Elements of a Theory of Effective Government Organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 9 (1): 1-32.
  68. Robertson P.J., Tang S. (1995). The role of commitment in collective action: Comparing the organizational behavior and rational choice perspectives. Public Administration Review, 55 (1): 67–80. DOI: 10.2307/97682
  69. Robinson S.L., Kraatz M.S. and Rousseau, D.M. (1994). Changing Obligations and the Psychological Contract: A Longitudinal Study. Academy of Management Journal, 47 (1): 137-152. DOI: 10.2307/25677
  70. Romzek B.S. (1989). Personal consequences of employee commitment. Academy of Management Journal, 32 (3): 649-661. DOI: 10.2307/25643
  71. Romzek, B.S. (1990). Employee investment and commitment: The ties that bind. Public Administration Review, 50 (3): 374-382. DOI: 10.2307/97661
  72. Rousseau D.M. (1997). Organizational behavior in the new organizational era. Annual Review of Psychology, 48: 515-546.
  73. Schein E. (1996). Culture: The missing variable in organizational studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41 (2): 229-241. DOI: 10.2307/239371
  74. Scott W.R. (2001), Institutions and Organizations. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  75. Taylor J. (2007). The impact of Public Service Motives on Work Outcomes in Australia: A Comparative Multidimensional analysis. Public Administration, 85 (4): 931-959.
  76. Taylor J. (2010). Public service motivation, civic attitudes and actions of public, nonprofit and private sector employees. Public Administration, 88 (4): 1083-1098.
  77. Ting Y. (1997). Determinants of job satisfaction of federal government employees. Public Personnel Management, 26 (3): 313-334. DOI: 10.1177/00910260970260030
  78. Traut C.A., Larsen R., Feimer S.H. (2000). Hanging on or Fading Out? Job Satisfaction and the Long-
  79. Term Worker. Public Personnel Management, 29 (3): 343-351. DOI: 10.1177/00910260000290030
  80. Vandenabeele W. (2009). The Mediating Effect of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment on Self-Reported Performance: More Robust Evidence of the PSM-Performance Relationship. International Review of Administrative Sciences, 74: 11-34. DOI: 10.1177/002085230809950
  81. Vandenabeele W., Van de Walle S. (2008). International Differences in Public Service Motivation: Comparing Regions across the World. In Perry J.L., Hondeghem, A. (Ed.). Motivation in Public Management: The Call of Public Service, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Vandenabeele W., Scheepers S., Hondeghem A. (2006). Public Service Motivation in an International Comparative Perspective: The UK and Germany. Public Policy and Administration, 21 (1): 13-31. DOI: 10.1177/09520767060210010
  82. Vandenabeele W., Stejin B., Leisink P., Cerase F., Egger-Peitler I., Hammerschimd G., Meyer R., Ritz A. (2012). Public Service Motivation and Job Satisfaction in Various European Countries: A Tale of Caution and Hope. In Tria G., Valotti G. (Ed.), Reforming the public sector: how to achieve better transparency, service, and leadership, Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution Press.
  83. Vinzant J.C. (1998). Where values collide: Motivation and role conflict in child and adult protective services. American Review of Public Administration, 28 (4): 347-366. DOI: 10.1177/02750740980280040
  84. Weiss J.A. (1996). Public management and psychology. In Kettl D., Milward, B. (Ed.). The state of public management. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  85. Wise L.R. (2000). The Public Service Culture. In Stillman II, R.J. (Ed.). Public Administration: Concepts and Cases. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
  86. Wright B.E. (2004). The Role of Work Context in Work Motivation: A Public Sector Application of Goal and Social Cognitive Theories. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 14 (1): 59-78.
  87. Wright B.E. (2001). Public sector work motivation: Review of current literature and a revised conceptual model. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 11 (4): 559-586.
  88. Wright B.E. (2003). The role of work context in work motivation: A public sector application of goal and social cognitive theories. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 41 (1): 59-78.
  89. Wright B.E. (2007). Public service and motivation: Does mission matter? Public Administration Review, 67 (1): 54-64.
  90. Wright B.E. (2008). Methodological challenges associated with public service motivation research. In Perry J.L., Hondeghem A. (Ed.). Motivation in public management: The call of public service, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
  91. Wright B.E., Davis B.S. (2002). Job satisfaction in the public sector: The role of the work environment. American Review of Public Administration, 33 (1): 70-90. DOI: 10.1177/027507400225025
  92. Wright B.E., Kim S. (2004). Participation’s Influence on job satisfaction: The importance of job characteristics. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 24 (1): 18-40. DOI: 10.1177/0734371X0325986
  93. Wright B.E., Pandey S.K. (2008). Public Service Motivation and the Assumption of Person-Organization Fit: Testing the Mediating Effect of Value Congruence. Administration & Society, 40 (5): 502-522. DOI: 10.1177/009539970832018
  94. Zammuto R.F., Krakower J.Y. (1991). Quantitative and qualitative studies of organizational culture. In Woodman R.W., Pasmore, W.A. (Ed.). Research in organizational change and development. Greenwich,CT: JAI Press.

Danila Scarozza, Denita Cepiku, Alessandro Hinna, Alessandro Peluso, Exploring Determinants of Work Motivation in Public Service: The Influence of Organizational Context and Public Service Motivation in "MECOSAN" 104/2017, pp 89-109, DOI: 10.3280/MESA2017-104006