Safeguarding Merit: Citizen Support for Civil Service Protections Against Political Interference

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine salient mechanism by which the quality of political and administrative leadership might influence employee engagement in public sector organizations through public service motivation (PSM). Specifically, the purpose of the paper is twofold. First, the psychological outcomes of quality of leadership perceptions among public employees are identified. Second, how PSM mediates the influence of leadership quality perceptions on employee engagement is examined.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the US Merit System and Protection Board’s (MSPB) 2010 Merit Principles Survey. To establish the distinctive validity of the constructs, the authors performed exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis for latent variables, and subsequently conducted validity and reliability analyses. The authors performed a structural equation model to determine relationship between quality of political and administrative leadership, PSM, and employee engagement.FindingsThe results reveal that the quality of political and administrative leadership is positively related to PSM and employee engagement. This study also confirmed the mediating role of PSM on the relationship between the quality of political and administrative leadership.Originality/valueThe paper expands the literature through studies that may discover critical mechanisms that are of significance in enhancing employee engagement such as quality of leadership depicted in political and administrative leaders and PSM. While previous studies have extensively explored several antecedents of employee engagement, research focusing on the role of quality in public sector leadership and PSM remains limited.

The field of public leadership studies has witnessed limited research on paternalistic leadership (PL) and its impact on civil servants. The present study draws upon a questionnaire survey of 2,064 Chinese civil servants to explore the impact of administrative leaders’ PL styles on civil servants’ public service motivation (PSM) and the mediating mechanism that underlies its effects. When PL is exercised in a benevolent or moral style, it intensifies subordinates’ PSM. But authoritarian behavior, whether used separately, or in combination with another style (as in benevolent-authoritarian, moral-authoritarian or benevolent-moral-authoritarian leadership), showed an insignificant effect on PSM. In addition, trust in leader mediates the relationship between benevolent, moral and AL styles and subordinates’ PSM. Our findings suggest that even in an authoritarian-oriented society such as China, the authoritarian variant of PL is increasingly losing its influence, and moral and benevolent leadership have become more important in modern organizations, and should be the primary leadership strategies employed by government leaders.

Purpose Although prior research suggests that civil servants’ participation in volunteering enhances governmental effectiveness and, ultimately, national prosperity and social well-being, the organizational mechanisms that cultivate such behavior remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on signaling theory, this study positions socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM) as a critical organizational signal that can simultaneously heighten civil servants’ public service motivation (PSM) and their engagement in volunteering. Design/methodology/approach Hypotheses were tested with a three-wave, time-lagged survey of 412 Chinese civil servants. Findings The results confirm that SR-HRM positively predicts PSM, which mediates the relationship between SR-HRM and volunteering. Moreover, the mediated effect is significantly stronger when employees make altruistic attributions regarding SR-HRM practices. Originality/value These findings highlight SR-HRM as a viable lever for promoting volunteering among civil servants and underscore its relevance for contemporary public personnel management.

The literature on knowledge sharing motivation has addressed the importance of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation to sharing knowledge. However, a theory of knowledge sharing motivation in the public sector requires particular consideration since government’s main concern is in public service, not profits. Therefore, the present study introduces the concept of public service motivation (PSM) to the study of knowledge sharing among civil servants. Based on the PSM theory, this study postulates that civil servants’ interest in policy making, commitment to the public interest, compassion, and willingness for self-sacrifice can drive them to share knowledge for a sacred reason – serving the public interest. By using the data collected from middle-level public managers in Taiwan, the authors empirically tested whether PSM predicts knowledge sharing, and our hypotheses received strong support. Thus, PSM opens a new window for researchers interested in the study of knowledge sharing in the public sector. Points for practitioners With the introduction of PSM, the present study connects knowledge sharing with public administration. Public service as a calling leads civil servants to share knowledge in order to create more advanced organizational knowledge and accordingly improve public service performance. Compared to situational factors (e.g. the use of information technology and rewards), PSM plays an even more pivotal role in promoting knowledge sharing, according to the results of our empirical research. Thus, altruistic motivation should be addressed and emphasized if knowledge sharing in the public sector is to be encouraged.

Augmenting behavioral public administration to occupational intention research we investigate the link between three types of motivation, and the intention of students to work in civil service after graduation. We make detailed observations of the self-reported job preferences of 2nd public administration undergraduates in two prestigious universities in Moscow, Russian Federation. We report that federal civil service is the top destination for Russian PA undergraduates. We also report that working in federal civil service by far triumphs over regional public administration in terms of self-reported occupational intention. We also make in-depth observations of the expected utility underlying students’ job preferences. We use these observations to propose a general model of civil service job intention. The model posits that the intention to work in civil service after graduation results from two major sources: the perceived expectation from parents with a civil service background, and the expected utility from four benefits of public sector employment. We empirically demonstrate that public service motivation is positively correlated with the intention to work in civil service after graduation.

Drawing upon the self-classification theory, this study examined the impact of civil servants’ overqualification on public service motivation (PSM) from the perspective of cognitive evaluation. Through the investigation of 148 civil servants in China, we found that the overqualification of civil servants negatively affects their PSM. Moreover, perceived insider status partially mediates the influence of overqualification on civil servants’ PSM. This study takes the lead in discussing the overqualification of civil servants in the field of the public sector. Additionally, implications for theoretical research and practice from our findings are discussed.KeywordsPerceived overqualificationPerceived insider statusPSMCivil servants

To ensure operational efficiency, promotion and dismissal are employed as unconventional yet commonly used strategies in public crises. This research examines whether these positional incentives, initially designed to improve government efficacy in crisis response, have a spillover effect on civil servants’ public service motivation (PSM). Using a large-scale survey experiment, we investigated how the promise of promotion and the threat of dismissal in public crises influence PSM, and examined the potential moderating role of hierarchical position among 2062 Chinese civil servants. The results reveal that the impact of these incentives on PSM is contingent on hierarchical position: both promotional and dismissal incentives positively affect PSM among civil servants in managerial positions, whereas only promotional incentives positively affect PSM in non-managerial roles. However, these findings may be highly dependent on institutional factors, particularly China’s unique bureaucratic system. Overall, this research provides insights into how positional incentives in public crises influence PSM, and their implications for civil servants’ public service orientations.

Understanding how Public Service Motivation (PSM) is tied to ethical or unethical conduct is critically important, given that civil servants and other public-sector employees throughout the world have been shown to exhibit high PSM levels. However, empirical evidence about the relationship between PSM and ethical or unethical behavior remains limited, due in part to the challenges of observing unethical conduct and overcoming social desirability bias in self-reported measures. We address these challenges by employing incentivized experimental games to study the relationships between PSM and two types of unethical behavior—corruption and dishonesty—as well as one type of ethical behavior: altruism. Based on data from approximately 1,870 university students at three research sites in Russia and Ukraine, we find evidence of a robust negative association between PSM and willingness to engage in corruption and a positive association between PSM and altruistic behavior. Results concerning dishonesty are more mixed. Our findings indicate that corruption and dishonesty are related yet fundamentally distinct concepts, particularly with respect to their compatibility with PSM. The findings additionally demonstrate that hypotheses about PSM and behavioral ethics generated in the Western context generalize well to the starkly different institutional context of the former Soviet Union.

Since the 1990s, overseas research on public service motivation (PSM), a motivation unique to public employees, has been ongoing. However, only recently has empirical studies on PSM in Japan begun, it has been suggested that the PSM scales developed overseas cannot be applied directly to Japan. This study aimed to examine the constructs of PSM in Japan, develop a scale to measure PSM, and verify its reliability and validity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 civil servants holding administrative positions in Japan, and a draft of the PSM scale was developed. Subsequently, an online survey of 402 civil servants in their 20s to 60s (395 valid responses) was conducted, and the factor structure of the PSM scale was confirmed using exploratory factor analysis. In addition, the reliability was assessed by calculating the alpha coefficient, and the validity was verified through correlation analysis with related concepts. The outcomes of the exploratory factor analysis classified PSM into six factors: "social impact orientation," "social justice orientation," "community orientation," "future and evolution orientation," "authority orientation," and "helping the weak orientation," with sufficient alpha coefficients. Regarding validity, significant positive associations between PSM and work engagement, performance, work motivation, and job satisfaction were confirmed. The Japanese version of the PSM scale developed in this study was confirmed to exhibit a satisfactory level of reliability and validity and may be used to measure PSM among Japanese public employees.

Taking charge behavior (TCB) of civil servants is an important part of individual innovation performance, which is not only a key step for innovation in the public but also a real need for high-quality cadres construction in the public sector in the new era. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out an in-depth discussion on civil servants' taking charge behavior. Based on the theory of planned behavior, this paper constructs the framework of"cognition-motivation-behavior" to deeply explore the relationship between public sector leaders' information-sharing behavior and subordinates' taking charge behavior, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of subordinates' public service motivation and emotional trust. This study collected 200 civil servants' questionnaires by online survey, and conducted regression analysis through SPSS/AMOS/PROCESS. The empirical study finds that the information-sharing behavior of leaders in the public sector can significantly affect the TCB of subordinates; the public service motivation partially mediates the relationship between them; emotional trust positively moderates the mediation effect of public service motivation in the relationship between leaders' information-sharing behavior and subordinates' TCB in the public. This study not only enriches the research on civil servants' TCB theoretically but also provides meaningful enlightenment for promoting civil servants' taking charge behavior.

Workplace procrastination is widespread in the public sector and has severe negative implications. However, research specifically focusing on workplace procrastination among civil servants remains scarce. Drawing on the person-environment (P-E) fit theory and the public service motivation (PSM) fit perspective, this study examines the relationship between perceived overqualification (POQ) and workplace procrastination through job boredom, and further explores how PSM and perceived prosocial impact moderate this relationship. Based on a survey of 363 Chinese civil servants, the findings reveal a positive correlation between POQ and workplace procrastination through job boredom, and this correlation is weaker for civil servants with high PSM than for those with low PSM. A three-way interaction analysis indicates that perceived prosocial impact enhances the ability of PSM to reduce job boredom caused by POQ, which in turn weakens the association between POQ and workplace procrastination. Moreover, when civil servants with high PSM perceive their work as having a high prosocial impact, the association between POQ and workplace procrastination becomes nonsignificant. This study introduces a person-environment interaction perspective for understanding the antecedents of workplace procrastination, underscores the costs of POQ in public organizations, and offers valuable insights for preventing workplace procrastination among civil servants.

(1) Background: Public servants are regarded as guardians of the public interest, and their pandemic response played a vital role in controlling the spread of the epidemic. However, there is limited knowledge of the factors that influence public servants’ response (PSR) when facing pandemic prevention and control tasks. (2) Methods: Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), models were constructed and a regression method was employed with Chinese civil servant data to investigate how PSR is influenced by public service motivation (PSM), accountability pressure (AP), and emergency response capacity (ERC). (3) Results and discussion: PSM, AP, and ERC all have a positive effect on PSR, with AP having the greatest influence, followed by PSM and ERC. The effects of PSM, AP, and ERC on PSR have group heterogeneity, which had little effect on civil servants with very low levels of PSR and the greatest impact on civil servants with medium-level PSR. Job categories of civil servants also are a factor related to PSR; PSM and AP have the strongest effects on civil servants in professional technology, and ERC has the greatest influence on administrative law enforcement. Moreover, gender, administrative level, and leadership positions also have an impact on PSR. (4) Conclusions: Based on the factors of PSR, we found at least three important aspects that governments need to consider in encouraging PSR when facing a pandemic.

Public service motivation theory suggests that public service motivation is positively related to work attitudes, but person‐organization fit theory assumes that person‐organization fit completely mediates the relationship between public service motivation and work attitudes of public employees. This article investigates which theory better predicts attitudes toward work, such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment of public employees, by testing hypotheses on (1) whether public service motivation directly influences work attitudes, or (2) whether person‐organization fit mediates the relationship between public service motivation and work attitudes, or (3) whether both hypotheses are true. Using survey data on civil servants in Korea, this article shows that public service motivation has not only a direct effect on but also an indirect effect on job satisfaction and ‐organizational commitment through its influence on person‐‐organization fit.

This paper examines the relationship between transformational leadership (TL), affective organizational commitment (AOC), public service motivation (PSM), and perceived organizational performance (POP). A structural equation modeling was used to examine the perceptions of 112 public employees in Ethiopian Public Service Employees Transport Service Enterprise (PSETSE). The result indicates that transformational leadership has a positive, significant but medium relationship with perceived organization performance, affective organizational commitment, and public service motivation. It is also found that TL has a positive effect on AOC, PSM and POP. However, the level of influence slightly differs. It is revealed that 29.6%, 41.6% and 23.5% of change on civil servant’s perceived organizational performance, affective organizational commitment, and public service motivation respectively is explained by the variation in the transformational leadership at the Enterprise. It is found that affective organizational commitment has significant contribution in the improvement of organizational performance at Enterprise. The result also indicated that public service motivation has a significantly positive relation with and influences on both perceived organizational performance and affective organizational commitment. AOC and PSM have mediating effect on perceived organizational performance albeit the indirect effect is weak. It is also found that none of the control variables (gender, age, marital status, educational background and work experience) has any significant effect on affective organizational commitment, public service motivation, and perceived organizational performance. It is possible to conclude that transformational leadership does play an important role in determining the levels of perceived organizational performance, both directly and indirectly, but only at medium level.

In the United States, trust in government across the federal, state, and local levels has been on the decline for decades. With increasing polarization and politicization, the work of public administrators is frequently made more difficult by challenges that stem from low levels of public trust—responding to these challenges as well as recent calls that encourage public administrators to regain the trust of the public they serve. Could public service motivation (PSM) promote trust in government? We examine the association between PSM and trust in government across the federal, state, and local levels of government in the United States. We find that the association between PSM and governmental trust varies by level of government. At the state and local levels, PSM is positively associated with trust in government. However, we find no significant relationship between PSM and trust at the federal level. Thus, there exists the potential for state and local administrators to use PSM to build trust in the government and to facilitate improved policy implementation. Our findings also provide insight into how key predictors of public trust in government vary at the federal, state, and local levels of the U.S. government.