ABSTRACT Determinants of public service motivation (PSM) have received growing research attention. However, little is known about how PSM can be cultivated in diverse human service organizations in the public sector. Drawing upon social learning theory (SLT), this study establishes a multilevel moderated mediation model to link the inclusive climate and PSM. Through a three-wave survey design, we gathered data from 418 employees nested within 61 community service stations located in China’s western multi-ethnic regions. Hierarchical linear models were employed to examine hypotheses. The statistical results demonstrate that the organization-level inclusive climate is positively associated with individual-level PSM, and workplace spirituality plays a cross-level mediating role in their relationship. Perceived dissimilarity moderates both the relationship between inclusive climate and workplace spirituality and the mediating effect of workplace spirituality. These findings advance PSM research and provide practical insights into promoting PSM of employees in diverse public sector human service organizations.

The Spiritual Antecedent of Public Service Motivation: Reflections for Public Affairs Education

Research has shown that levels of public service motivation (PSM) among public employees tend to decrease in their early years of employment in Korea. This study examines specific managerial functions in maintaining and enhancing PSM among early-career public servants. It utilizes a sample of 5,627 public servants with less than 5 years of service, drawn from pooled cross-sectional data from three annual surveys (2022–2024) of the Public Employee Perception Survey in Korea. The results indicate that goal clarity, performance feedback, autonomy, and supervisory support are positively associated with PSM. However, these relationships vary across government levels. Goal clarity and performance feedback are positively associated with PSM at all levels of government, operating through both direct and indirect pathways. In contrast, autonomy and supervisory support are positively associated with PSM only in the central government context, and their effects operate entirely through indirect pathways mediated by value congruence, job satisfaction, and career satisfaction. These findings suggest that informational managerial functions have universal applicability, while the effectiveness of relational managerial functions is contingent on institutional context. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

Abstract: Purpose: Public sector reforms frequently fail not due to technical design flaws, but because they neglect the emotional experiences of civil servants during change. This article examines emotion-centred change management within Georgia’s public administration reform and proposes an integrated framework that synthesises behavioral and strategic perspectives to enhance reform implementation in transitional governance systems. Design/methodology/approach: This article utilises secondary analysis of a mixed-methods doctoral study conducted in 2022, focusing on the human factor in Georgia’s public administration reform. The original research employed a sequential explanatory design, combining a structured survey of 581 civil servants from central and local government with 26 semi-structured interviews involving senior officials, reform managers, international partners, and civil society experts. The survey was based on the ADKAR model and expanded to include measures of emotional barriers, motivational drivers, and organisational support. For the purposes of this article, the dataset is reinterpreted through an emotion-centred lens and mapped onto the Kübler-Ross Change Curve, ADKAR, and Kotter’s Eight-Step Model. Findings: Emotional readiness functions as a phase-gating condition for reform. Uncertainty-related anxiety and perceived loss of autonomy are the most significant negative predictors of engagement, whereas intrinsic public service motivation and recognition serve as key positive drivers. In low-trust, politically volatile contexts such as Georgia, the conventional ADKAR sequence is disrupted; trust-building and emotional reassurance frequently need to precede broad awareness campaigns. Symbolic recognition, visible leadership care, and participatory dialogue facilitate the transition of civil servants from frustration to exploration and acceptance. Structural and legal changes have advanced more rapidly than behavioural and cultural adaptation, resulting in a gap between formal EU alignment and everyday practice. Academic contribution to the field: This article integrates behavioural and strategic approaches into an emotion-centred hybrid model for public sector reform, demonstrating how emotional dynamics, organisational culture, and leadership behaviours interact with established change frameworks. It challenges linear assumptions about reform sequencing in transitional contexts. Research limitations/implications: The analysis is limited to a single country and one doctoral dataset. Future comparative and longitudinal studies are necessary to assess the model's transferability and examine how emotional readiness evolves across reform phases. Practical implications: This article provides a context-sensitive roadmap for reform leaders, emphasising that emotional climate assessment, trust-building, psychological safety, and recognition mechanisms should be integrated into reform design alongside technical measures and aligned with communication, leadership behaviour, organisational culture, and HR practices. Originality/significance/value: This is one of the first studies to operationalise emotion-centred change management for public-sector reform in a post-Soviet transitional setting. It presents an empirically grounded framework that treats emotional readiness as a strategic variable and shows how synchronising emotional, behavioural and structural dimensions can stabilise reform outcomes.

The turnover of senior-level local government employees has been linked to negative organizational outcomes, including increased costs, decreased productivity, and diminished customer experiences. Researchers sought to determine the extent to which Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) can mitigate this turnover. Results show that PSM accounts for only 2.24% of variance in turnover intentions, while PsyCap accounts for 22.11%. Stepwise regression evaluating individual PSM and PsyCap components yielded a model (resilience, optimism, hope, and attraction to policy making) that explained 32.8% of variance. This research demonstrates that PSM may be what leads people to want to enter the career field, but PsyCap is the resource needed to keep them from leaving the field. These findings suggest that while PSM may attract individuals to public service, PsyCap provides the psychological resources needed for retention. This research underscores the need for further investigation of PsyCap’s role in public sector workforce stability.

This paper explores public servants’ public service motivation through the prism of the circumplex model of affect (CMA). The application of CMA to work, and specifically public sector contexts, is relatively novel, and the framework helps explain how multiple states of affect (i.e., comprised of underlying feelings, emotions, and moods) cluster together and are shaped by one’s work environment. The mixed method paper begins with a qualitative study of Australasian public servants, presenting evidence of the CMA and its connection to PSM. The subsequent quantitative analysis of 222 survey respondents offers four distinct latent profiles of public servants’ PSM and associated circumplex states of affect. The research builds on the state and trait proposition of PSM, showing how PSM and associated states of affect, shape and are shaped by public servants’ underlying psychology and their work environment.

Phenomenon : A career as an undergraduate medical educational leader presents significant challenges, shaped by the complexity of the role and the limited availability of structured career pathways. To strengthen recruitment and retention, medical educational organisations must better understand the responsibilities and incentives involved. Approach: This study, based on a larger project, presents unexpected and distinct perspectives on educational leaders working in both universities and hospitals. It draws on survey data collected from 56 mid-level leaders in a Danish context from December 2023 to February 2024. We conducted a secondary qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended survey responses, focusing on the relationship between two questions, one on tasks and responsibilities and the other on incentives. We incorporated statistical data into the analysis of tasks and responsibilities to triangulate the thematic analysis. Findings: The results yielded insights into the relationship between leaders’ daily tasks and the incentives that motivate their engagement in educational leadership. It reflects participants’ views on their responsibilities and the factors that encourage them to pursue and sustain these roles. The findings highlight educational leadership practices at three responsibility levels: the interactional micro level (teaching responsibilities), the organisational meso level (coordination and development of the educational environment), and the society macro level (fostering the students’ professional growth to meet future societal health care responsibilities). Micro- and meso-level responsibilities dominated educational leaders’ daily practices, while macro-level responsibilities were present primarily in the overall aim of educational activities. Incentives to pursue educational leadership were threefold: personal career considerations, orientations towards the organisation (department), and holistic incentives to “make a difference.” Insights: Findings indicate that undergraduate mid-level medical education leaders primarily undertake micro- and meso-level tasks, whereas macro-level incentives strongly influence their motivation. This discrepancy underscores a gap between their desire to have a broader impact and the time they spend on administrative duties and teaching tasks. Opportunities for macro-level responsibilities could bolster these leaders’ motivation. Building on theories from public service motivation and the sociology of professions, we propose the concept of professional intrinsic motivation to reflect this broader view. Future retention strategies should emphasise tasks, responsibilities, and opportunities that align with professional intrinsic motivation. Alongside this, understanding responsibilities across micro, meso, and macro levels can help develop a shared vocabulary, thereby improving recruitment and retention conversations.

Purpose Understanding volunteers’ motivations is crucial for enhancing the effectiveness of volunteering. While prior research has largely focused on other-oriented motivations, studies on self-oriented motivation remain limited and report conflicting findings. By integrating self-actualisation theory with the functional approach, this study proposes a moderated mediation model with double-edged effects to examine when and how self-oriented motivation influences voluntary behaviour in humanitarian non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Design/methodology/approach Regression analysis and partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) were employed to analyse data collected from 426 Iranian NGO volunteers. Findings The results reveal double-edged effects. While self-oriented motives negatively influence voluntary behaviour, non-profit public service motivation (NPSM) partially mediated this relationship, producing a positive indirect effect. In addition, collectivism moderates these relationships by strengthening the link between self-oriented motivation and NPSM, while weakening its association with voluntary behaviour. Originality/value This study provides a novel perspective on self-oriented motivation by applying a moderated mediation framework that captures its complex and dual nature. The findings advance theoretical understanding of volunteer behaviour and offer practical insights for social service management, particularly in volunteer recruitment and retention strategies within NGOs.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are widely recognized for their impact on an individual's prosocial behaviors. However, the specific relationship between ACEs and public service motivation (PSM)-a form of prosocial behavior within the public domain-remains insufficiently understood. Considering the crucial role PSM plays in psychological and social development, this study aimed to investigate the association between ACEs and PSM, with a particular focus on the mediating effect of sleep duration. Furthermore, in the context of urban-rural disparities in China, the present study will explore the moderating influence of urban-rural status on this relationship. This study used cross-sectional data from a 2023 nationwide survey conducted in China, involving 30,054 participants (female 50.1%). This study used modified Poisson regression with robust variance to examine the association between exposure to seven types of ACEs and the risk of low PSM. The study also explored the mediating role of sleep duration and the moderating role of urban-rural status in the relationship between ACEs and PSM. Exposure to all seven different types of ACE was significantly associated with an increased risk of low PSM. In addition, ACE scores negatively predicted PSM outcomes (B = -0.41, p ≤ 0.001), and the effect of ACEs on PSM scores was mediated by sleep duration. All seven types of ACEs increased the risk of low PSM to some extent. ACEs negatively predicted PSM indirectly through sleep duration, while urban-rural status moderated the relationships among ACEs, sleep duration, and PSM. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

The era of digital bureaucratic transformation requires civil servants (ASN) to not only master technical competencies, but also have a solid foundation of leadership ethics. This study explores the reorientation of human resource (HR) development for civil servants through the innovation of Pancasila Leadership as a response to the challenges of digital disruption. Using a descriptive qualitative method with a literature review and policy analysis approach, this study analyses how Pancasila values can be integrated into the digital leadership (e-leadership) model. The findings show that Pancasila Leadership acts as an ethical compass that prevents the dehumanisation of bureaucracy due to automation. The reorientation of HRD must shift from mere digital literacy to strengthening Agile Leadership capacities that are characterised by mutual cooperation and oriented towards public service motivation. This article recommends an integrated human resource development model that synergises artificial intelligence (AI) with the nation's noble values to create a world-class bureaucracy that remains rooted in the Indonesian national identity. Keywords: Pancasila Leadership, Human Resource Development, Digital Bureaucracy

Voice behavior-civil servants’ speaking up with ideas, concerns, and suggestions-is pivotal for public organizations’ adaptive capacity and service performance during crises, strengthening organizational learning and responsive policy implementation under uncertainty, yet the mechanisms enabling civil servants to voice under extreme demands remain underexplored. Drawing on Job Demands-Resources theory, this study examined how social support fostered Chinese civil servants’ voice behavior during the pandemic through public service motivation (PSM) and how work stress shaped this effect. Survey data collected from Shandong were analyzed through structural equation modeling, Bootstrap tests and Sobel tests. Findings indicate that social support exerts a positive influence on voice behavior and increases voice by strengthening PSM. Work stress weakens the conversion of PSM into voice, while additional analyses indicate that moderate stress can activate motivated speaking up, whereas high stress suppresses it. The study also detects spatial heterogeneity between urban districts and rural counties, suggesting that administrative context conditions the effectiveness of supportive ties. This research contributes to clarify the motivational channel through which social support ties correspond to voice behavior among local civil servants, and highlight actionable levers for public managers-strengthening relational and organizational support while monitoring stress-to sustain constructive input and organizational resilience.

This study tests whether officers’ competence and career development improve service performance in the Vehicle Ownership Document (BPKB) unit of the South Kalimantan Regional Police and whether work motivation transmits these effects. Motivated by a documented paradox of high satisfaction scores alongside persistent queueing and responsiveness complaints, we specified a mediation model integrating Human Capital and Public Service Motivation perspectives. A cross-sectional census of 40 frontline officers was analyzed with PLS-SEM. The findings show that higher competence and clearer career development are associated with stronger motivation and better service performance, and that motivation mediates both relationships. The contribution lies in a policing-specific explanation of how capability and career signals translate into outcomes through motivation in a high-functioning yet complaint-prone service. Practical actions include targeted upskilling, mentoring, transparent promotion criteria, and routine feedback and recognition to sustain motivation, improve responsiveness, and shorten queues, thereby aligning resources with demand and strengthening public trust.

IntroductionAgainst the backdrop of accelerating globalization, the effective deployment of foreign language talent in the public sector poses a challenge for educational systems worldwide. This study conceptualizes foreign language talent development and application as a Psychological Competence Transformation System, aiming to identify Critical Psychological Control Points and System Boundary Conditions that govern system output.MethodsA quantitative survey was administered to 108 English majors from universities in a province of China to investigate the structural relationships among Language Self-Efficacy (LSE), Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC), Public Service Motivation (PSM), and Language Anxiety (LA) in relation to the system performance metrics: Public Service Willingness (PSW) and Perceived Communication Effectiveness (PCE). Reliable scales (Cronbach’s α > 0.84) were used.ResultsDescriptive results indicated high PSM (M = 3.62) and PSW (M = 3.69), but relatively low LSE (M = 2.92), suggesting LSE as a potential system bottleneck. Multiple regression analysis identified LSE, ICC, and PSM as primary System Control Points, all significantly and positively predicting PSW and PCE. Crucially, the structural modeling revealed a key transformation pathway: LSE significantly enhances PSW indirectly by activating PSM (mediation effect). Furthermore, Language Anxiety was found to function as a System Boundary Condition, negatively moderating the LSE-PCE relationship (B = –0.21, p = 0.010), causing system friction and reducing the efficiency of LSE conversion into effective communication.ConclusionThese findings provide a data-driven blueprint for System Optimization in Foreign Language Education, emphasizing targeted interventions on identified Control Points (LSE, PSM) and structural mitigation of the Boundary Condition (LA) to maximize talent output effectiveness.

This research is motivated by the phenomenon of dehumanization and mechanization in modern healthcare, which tends to reduce patient dignity to mere clinical objects. Amidst the current of healthcare commercialization, a philosophical reorientation is required to integrate medical sophistication with human values. This study aims to construct a hospital service paradigm based on the manhaj al-fikr (method of thought) of Ahlussunnah wal Jama’ah (Aswaja). Employing a qualitative research method with a library research approach, this study analyzes the four pillars of Aswaja—tawassuth (moderation), tawazun (balance), i’tidal (justice), and tasamuh (tolerance)—as the foundation for hospital governance. The results indicate that the internalization of these pillars produces a “Spiritual-Humanist” service model. The pillars of tawassuth and tawazun play a role in synthesizing medical technology with spiritual care, while the pillars of i’tidal and tasamuh ensure the enforcement of distributive justice and inclusivity for a pluralistic society. This transformation results in the strengthening of healthcare professionals’ public service motivation and the restoration of public trust in hospitals as healing oases that humanize individuals.

ABSTRACT As the number of individuals considering leaving their current employer to move from one sector to another in search of better job opportunities increases, it becomes imperative for Human Resource Management (HRM) to understand the reasons behind this trend and develop strategies to retain talented employees. In this regard, this study builds on the Pull-Push-Mooring Theory, and examined whether job dissatisfaction, as a push factor, affects public employees’ turnover intentions, particularly in terms of their intra- or inter-sector switching decisions when considering leaving using the case of S. Korea. Specifically, we highlighted the roles of Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Public Sector Employment Satisfaction as key mooring factors. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

ABSTRACT This study examines how the alignment between career placement and organisational context conditions the relationship between public service motivation (PSM), career satisfaction, and organisational commitment in structured public employment systems. Drawing on survey data from 299 newly recruited senior public servants and follow-up interviews with 42 participants, the analysis shows that career satisfaction is the key pathway through which motivation translates into commitment, but that this pathway varies systematically across service roles. Specialists are more likely to report strong alignment and sustained commitment when placed in organisations with limited direct public exposure, whereas generalists more often experience motivational misalignment that constrains commitment. Qualitative evidence further indicates that perceived opportunities to influence governance and policy, conceptualised as realised publicness, shape how individuals evaluate their careers. These findings challenge the assumption that PSM operates uniformly across institutional settings and underscore the importance of deliberate career placement for sustaining motivation, commitment, and retention in public sector organisations.

Past research indicates that individuals with high public service motivation (PSM) display lower tendencies toward corruption. However, research has not investigated whether perceptions of corruption can erode PSM. This study aims to bridge this research gap by drawing upon expectancy violations theory (EVT) to assess the effects of petty and grand corruption on PSM. This study further postulates that ethical leadership may, quite paradoxically, intensify the undesirable effects of corruption. Using survey data from 4,998 employees across 69 central agencies in Thailand, the findings indicate that both petty and grand corruption significantly reduce PSM. Cross-level interaction analysis further reveals that while ethical leadership has a strong positive influence on PSM, it intensifies the negative impacts of both forms of corruption. These results suggest that ethical leaders who fail to confront corruption risk being perceived as hypocritical, thereby undermining their moral authority and limiting their ability to generate full organizational benefits.

ABSTRACT President Trump altered the U.S. federal civil service system by reducing merit‐based protections for bureaucratic expertise and expanding the scope of political appointments, shifting the balance long established under the Pendleton Act of 1883. Similar reforms have occurred at the state level with moves to at‐will employment. These shifts raise questions about what shapes public support for merit system protections. Using data from the 2023 Cooperative Election Survey, we examine how public service motivation (PSM), political knowledge, and ideology influence support for political neutrality and protection from political coercion. We find that political knowledge and PSM are positively correlated with favorable perceptions of current merit system protections. Interestingly, there is no significant association between ideology and support for merit protections. These findings suggest that informed and motivated citizens are more likely to support meritocratic principles, highlighting the need for public education on merit systems' role in sustaining democratic governance.

ABSTRACT Based on research gap presented in the extant public administration literature, we examined the interrelationship among public service motivation, perceived organizational prestige, identity salience, and organizational identification. Results obtained from analysis of survey data from 275 public servants, confirmed the significant indirect effect of identity salience and a significantly positive interaction effect of perceived organizational prestige on public service motivation and organizational identification. These findings explain a unique relationship among various behavioral and psychological constructs to explain the behavior of a public administrator, with several important implications for theory and practice. The paper also identifies various avenues for future research.

ABSTRACT Retaining civil servants is crucial for ensuring good governance and effective service delivery. Frequent turnover affects stability, reliability, and continuity of policies and increases costs for organisations. Drawing insights from self-determination theory, this study examines the impact of the fulfilment of basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness on turnover intention and how public service motivation mediates this association among civil servants in Pakistan. By collecting original survey data (N = 205), we focus on Pakistan’s elite Central Superior Service officers due to their critical role in policy management. The findings suggest that satisfying basic psychological needs for autonomy and relatedness reduces turnover intention. However, we do not find significant evidence on the mediating role of public service motivation between basic psychological needs and turnover intention. Our study contributes to the knowledge of civil service by providing empirical evidence on the intersections of self-determination theory, public service motivation, and turnover intention.