Energizing Networks and Public Sector Employees' Attitudes

Abstract

This study investigates the role of perceived job characteristics such as job significance, autonomy, and feedback, as possible mediators in the relationships between public employees' energizing network ties and their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Considering the direction of ties in energizing networks, this study distinguishes two types of structural positions in energizing networks and explores their influences: (1) the centrality in terms of energy-receiving ties from which an actor receives energy in his or her organization; (2) the centrality in terms of energy-giving ties through which the focal actor gives energy to others. We test the hypotheses using social network data collected from 122 public employees in 31 post offices in Korea. The results indicate that the two types of centralities have differential relationships with the mediating variables. The three job characteristics investigated in the study mediate the relationships between the energy-receiving network centrality and attitudes, whereas autonomy alone shows a mediating effect in the energy-giving network centrality - job satisfaction relationship. The results suggest the importance of occupying a central position in the energy-receiving network in a public service organization, which leads to enhanced attitudes via increased task significance, autonomy, and feedback perceptions.