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

Abstract

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.