Improvement of individual performance in the public sector. Public service motivation and user orientation as levers
| Pages | 344-360 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EBHRM-07-2017-0040 |
| Date | 04 December 2017 |
| Published date | 04 December 2017 |
| Author | Raffaela Palma,Alessandro Hinna,Gianluigi Mangia |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
Improvement of individual
performance in the public sector
Public service motivation and user
orientation as levers
Raffaela Palma
Dipartimento di Economia Management e Istituzioni,
Universita degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Napoli, Italy
Alessandro Hinna
Department of Economics and Finance, University of Rome Tor Vergata,
Rome, Italy, and
Gianluigi Mangia
Department of Economics Management and Institutions,
Federico II University of Naples, Napoli, Italy
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore whether a pro-social motivation called user orientation
(UO), which aims at helping specific others, may affect performance of public sector employees in addition to
public service motivation (PSM), and whether any personal, and/or contextual factors affect this relationship
(age, tenure, role, and context).
Design/methodology/approach –Utilizing cross-sectional survey data obtained from 618 Italian public
teachers, PLS-structural equation modeling is used to investigate the relationship between PSM, UO, and
performance, along with the moderating effects of individual/contextual factors.
Findings –Findings show positive relationships between the two levers (PSM/UO) and individual
performance (IP), depending on job and organizational tenure, role, and the social environment of the areas
the schools are located in.
Research limitations/implications –There might be problems related to causal inference and common
method variance, due to the use of the cross-sectional self-reported data.
Practical implications –Managers should be aware of the crucial role UO and PSM play in order to
improve IP in contexts where there is direct contact with the service beneficiaries.
Originality/value –The paper contributes to a clearer understanding of which motives are involved in the
process that leads public service employees to enhance their performance.
Keywords Public service motivation, Public sector, Performance, User orientation
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Individual performance (IP) is perhaps the most central concept to public administration
research (Andersen et al., 2016). Many motives lead people to perform public service, but it is
still unclear which motives should be addressed in order to manage people more effectively
(Brewer, 2008; Brewer et al., 2000; Ritz et al., 2016). Thus, this research investigates various
motives involved in performing a particular type of public service.
Public service motivation (PSM) is a concept that has received enormous scholarly attention
(Ritz et al., 2016) and that has diffused into fields adjacent to public administration such as HRM
and organizational behavior (Vogel et al., 2016; Homberg and Vogel, 2016; Perry and
Vandenabeele, 2015). Perry and Wise (1990, p. 368) defined PSM as “an individual predisposition
to respond to motives grounded primarily or uniquely in public institutions and organizations,”
which leads individuals to benefit others and society and shape their well-being (Perry and
Hondeghem, 2008). Later, Perry (1996) proposed a scale to measure PSM, consisting of four
Evidence-based HRM: a Global
Forum for Empirical Scholarship
Vol. 5 No. 3, 2017
pp. 344-360
© Emerald PublishingLimited
2049-3983
DOI 10.1108/EBHRM-07-2017-0040
Received 17 July 2017
Revised 15 August 2017
25 August 2017
Accepted 28 August 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2049-3983.htm
344
EBHRM
5,3
dimensions, respectively, called attraction to policy making (APM), commitment to public
interest (CPI), self-sacrifice (SS), and compassion (C). These individual dimensions are grounded
on norm-based, rational, and affective motives.
Many scholars have tried to better understand, define, and measure, the causes and the
consequences of PSM (Camilleri, 2007; Vandenabeele, 2009; Perry and Hondeghem, 2009;
Schott and Pronk, 2014). One of the most studied consequences is related to the assumption
that PSM may have a positive effect on IP (Ritz et al., 2016). However, despite a growing
body of literature suggesting that PSM may have a bearing on performance, doubts exist
about whether an actual performance effect of PSM exists (Brewer, 2008). In fact, evidence
supporting this hypothesis has remained mixed: some authors (Naff and Crum, 1999;
Vandenabeele, 2009) have found compelling evidence of such a relationship while Alonso
and Lewis (2001) found positive, negative, and non-existent relationships between PSM
and IP. Thus, more research to expand our understanding of the PSM-IP relationship is
needed (Lynggaard et al., 2016; Ritz et al., 2016) through investigating to what extent the
individual dimensions of the PSM construct come into play (Perry and Vandenabeele, 2015).
Weske and Schott (2016) argue that the mixed findings support the idea that employees
might be driven by several motives simultaneously: intrinsic motives and certain types of
extrinsic motives. In the same vein, Le Grand (2003) suggested that people are neither pure
knaves nor pure knights, while Brewer et al. (2000) identified three groups of public service
motivated individuals. The opportunity of helping others motivates Samaritans, questions
with higher relevance to individuals –such as the common good –motivate patriots,
and social justice sentiments motivate humanitarians. The authors advance the idea that
although there are numerous motives that inspire an individual to carry out public service,
the three types of motives identified by Perry and Wise (1990), i.e., norm based, rational,
and affective, respectively, generally overlap. Nonetheless, one or more may prevail,
contributing to a single behavior. Multiple motives, therefore, lead public service workers to
enhance their performance. Grant et al. (2007) and Grant (2008) assume that individuals need
to feel a sense of relatedness to be motivated, and show the relevance of considering this
contact when studying the link between motivation and IP. They demonstrated the
important role of contact with service beneficiaries resulting in employee motivation to
make a pro-social difference. In their study, the interactions with service recipients
contributed to the employees’experience of task significance, and made their work
meaningful, thus enticing employees to perform effectively. Similar effects were shown by
Bellé (2013) when studying the relationship between PSM and IP of nurses.
Having direct contact with service users, even on a daily basis, allows employees to see
their impact on society, receive feedback, and gratitude from users. This generates a
feedback effect that will enhance feelings of empathy and impact, leading to a strong
emphasis on identification. As a result employees need to identify more with the
beneficiaries of the service they provide. This identification brings a willingness to do good
for, and even sacrifice themselves for, the identified objects (our italics) (Kim and
Vandenabeele, 2010). In other words, this identification brings forth user orientation (UO),
which is the desire to benefit the individual users of the service (Andersen and
Kjeldsen, 2013). UO, therefore, can enhance persistence, performance, and productivity, by
enabling dedication to a cause (Grant, 2008), such as helping specific others.
The present study makes a two-fold contribution. First, we aim to increase knowledge
about which motives are behind IP in the public sector. More precisely, we test whether PSM
and UO are two drivers of individually perceived performance. Second, we explore whether
any personal and/or contextual factors affect the relationships between these motives and
IP. The final contribution is a further investigation of the dimension effects of PSM, fulfilling
the need to conduct more research into the PSM individual dimensions in order to better
interpret the actual mechanism that leads public service motivated employees to improve
345
Public service
motivation
and user
orientation
To continue reading
Request your trial