Public Service Motivation and commitment in the Maltese Public Service: The impact of Career Growth Opportunities and P-O Fit

Rationale and contributionPerry and Wise (1990, 371) stated that it is important to get a ''better understanding of how public service motivation contributes to organizational commitment and performance.''   They define PSM... [ view full abstract ]

Rationale and contribution

Perry and Wise (1990, 371) stated that it is important to get a ''better understanding of how public service motivation contributes to organizational commitment and performance.''   They define PSM as an individual’s predisposition to respond to motives that are grounded uniquely in public organisations and institutions. Thus, public service employees are more motivated by intrinsic motives than extrinsic. Since then, numerous studies have established a connection between PSM and various outcome variables. The direct link between PSM and outcome variables that is often assumed in this stream of literature is, however, debatable and contested (Bright, 2007).  This paper proposes Person–Organisation Fit (P–O Fit) as the missing link that may explain these inconsistent findings. Researchers have argued that employees who have strong altruistic motives and values pertaining to public service motivation are more likely to be committed to their organisations if they are convinced that the job they are performing is helping them to achieve their public service motives (Steijn, 2008; Kim, 2012).   However, not all public service organisations provide jobs and responsibilities that may satisfy the altruistic needs of the employees.  When public employees with high levels of public service motivation believe that their altruistic values match their organisation’s values, they develop a sense of commitment to the organisation and are more likely to go the extra mile to contribute to the organisation's well-being (Kim, 2012).  Drawing on P-O fit theory we argue that attitudes, behaviour and other individual preferences result not from the person or organisation separately but from the relationship between the two (Kristof 1996).

 To address the conflicting findings further, this paper addresses calls by Pandey and Stazyk, (2008) to elaborate and uncover causal models linking PSM and commitment.  We propose career growth as an important moderating variable on the PSM-commitment relationship.  Career growth has been defined as the process of growing in one’s career (Weng et al., 2010).  Weng and Hu (2009) proposed that career growth could be characterized by four main factors: career goal progress, professional ability development, promotion speed, and remuneration growth.  This multi-dimensional understanding implies that career growth is both a function of the employees’ own efforts in making progress toward their personal career aspirations and acquiring new skills within the organisation and the organisation’s efforts in rewarding such efforts through promotions and salary increases.  Studies conducted found that when employees perceive that their organisation provides the ability for them to grow and develop within the same organisation; they feel more psychologically attached to the organisation (Chen et al., 2016).  Various research conducted suggest that career growth has a bearing on organisational commitment (Weng et. al, 2010; Ng et al., 2006).  Such research suggests that the ability of employees to personally grow and develop within their place of work affects their attachment to the organisation.  This study is different as it suggests that individuals join the public service mainly because the mission, values and ideals of the public service to serve the public interest match with their altruistic values.  However, it is also assumed that when employees perceive that in their place of work there are opportunities for career growth, their commitment to the public service increases. Thus career growth is proposed as a moderator of the PSM-affective commitment relationship.

 Your aim/research question 

This study contributes to our understanding of public service motivation by clarifying the mechanisms through which public service motivation influences employee attitudes, specifically affective commitment, which has previously been linked to organisational performance. In particular, this paper examines the relationship between employee public service motivation (PSM) and affective commitment when mediated by the extent to which the employee perceives that his/her values are congruent with those of the public sector organisation he/she works for and moderated by perceptions of career growth opportunities.    

See figure 1 attached: Proposed theoretical model

Design/methodology/approach 

Data will be collected from a sample of 600 clerks within the Maltese public service. The study population will include all clerks working full-time, reduced hours and on teleworking arrangements. The surveys were administered electronically.

Measures

Unless otherwise noted, each measure required a response on a 5-point Likert response scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). 

Public service motivation was measured using the 24-item PSM scale developed by Perry (1996). These include public-policy making, commitment to the public interest, compassion and self-sacrifice.

Person-organisation fit was measured by a 4-item scale developed by Bright (2008).

Career growth was measured using a 15 item scaled developed by Weng and Hu (2009). This measures four dimensions of career growth include career growth progress, professional ability development, promotion speed, and remuneration growth.       

Controls variables: To control for employee characteristics, we include gender, age, tenure in occupation and tenure in organisation.

Practical implications 

Research consistently show public-sector employees have different motivations and expectations than their private-sector counterparts.  The results provide practical implications for human resource managers as well as public managers in recruiting and retaining employees. Our research shows that managers should consider the ways public sector organisations can (1) foster employee—organisation value congruence and (2) manage career growth opportunities during times of prevailing government policies and sectoral agreements which impact their ability to reward high performance.

Originality/value 

This paper answers calls to examine the dimensions of PSM and its impact on employee outcomes by examining the mechanisms through which public service public service motivation influences employee attitudes previously linked to organisational performance

References

Bright, L. (2007). Does person-organization fit mediate the relationship between public service motivation and the job performance of public employees?. Review of public personnel administration, 27(4), 361-379.

Bright, L. (2008). Does public service motivation really make a difference on the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of public employees?. The American Review of Public Administration, 38(2), 149-166.

Kim, S. (2012). Does person‐organization fit matter in the public‐sector? Testing the mediating effect of person‐organization fit in the relationship between public service motivation and work attitudes. Public Administration Review, 72(6), 830-840.

Kristof, A. L. (1996). Person‐organization fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurement, and implications. Personnel psychology, 49(1), 1-49.

Weng, Q., McElroy, J. C., Morrow, P. C., & Liu, R. (2010). The relationship between career growth and organizational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(3), 391-400.

Pandey, S.K. and Stazyk, E.C. (2008). Antecedents and correlates of public service motivation. In J. L. Perry & A. Hondeghem (Eds). Motivation in public management: The call of public service, pp.101-117.

Perry, J. L. (1996). Measuring Public Service Motivation: An Assessment of Construct Reliability and Validity . Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 6 (1), 15-22.

Perry, J. L., & Wise, L. R. (1990). The motivational Bases of Public Service. Public Administration Review, 50, (3) 367-73.

Steijn, B. (2008). Person-environment fit and public service motivation, International Public Management Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 13-27.

Weng, Q. X., and Hu, B. (2009). The structure of career growth and its impact on employees’ turnover intention. Industrial Engineering and Management, 14(1), 14-21.

Weng, Q., McElroy, J. C., Morrow, P. C., & Liu, R. (2010). The relationship between career growth and organizational commitment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77(3), 391-400.