Public vs private sector employment. An exploratory study of career choice among graduate management students in Botswana
| Pages | 1367-1385 |
| Published date | 05 September 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-10-2014-0241 |
| Date | 05 September 2016 |
| Author | Eddy S.W. Ng,Charles W. Gossett,Samuel Chinyoka,Isaac Obasi |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM |
Public vs private
sector employment
An exploratory study of career choice among
graduate management students in Botswana
Eddy S.W. Ng
Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
Charles W. Gossett
Department of Public Policy and Administration,
California State University, Sacramento, California, USA
Samuel Chinyoka
Department of Management, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana, and
Isaac Obasi
Department of Public Administration, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to explore the factors that may be related to a career choice in
the public vs the private sector in a developing African country.
Design/methodology/approach –Using a sample of graduate management students, the authors
tested reward preferences and altruism, elements of public service motivation, on their generalizability
to a developing country in Africa. The authors also examine the role of career attitudes, individual
personality factors, and cultural values on a career choice in public service.
Findings –The authors find that not all the factors associated with the choice of sector (public or
private) found in previous studies apply in the Botswana context.
Research limitations/implications –Perry and Wise (1990) developed the concept of public service
motivation to explain why individuals may be motivated to serve the public. However, two of the
factors associated with public service, intrinsic motivation, and altruism, were not predictive of a career
choice in the public sector in Botswana, and thus may limit its generalizability outside of western
developed countries.
Practical implications –In Botswana and other developing economies, government jobs are
considered to provide lucrative and stable employment, and attract educated citizens regardless of
motivations. However, as the private-for-profit sector is emerging, these countries could soon be facing
serious competition for top university students, and will need to develop a strategy for attracting the
best talents to choose employment in the public sector over career options in the private sector.
Originality/value –The present study seeks to further the understanding on how individuals make a
career choice between public vs private sector management in a developing country.
Keywords Quantitative, Career choice, Botswana, Protean career, Public service motivation,
National culture
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
An interest in understanding a career choice in management has been developing
in different national contexts (Malach-Pines et al., 2008; Özbilgin et al., 2005;
Tanova et al., 2008; Thatchenkery and Koizumi, 2010). At the same time, literature in Personnel Review
Vol. 45 No. 6, 2016
pp. 1367-1385
©Emerald Group Publis hing Limited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-10-2014-0241
Received 29 October 2014
Revised 22 May 2015
3 October 2015
Accepted 11 November 2015
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
Eddy S.W. Ng gratefully acknowledges support from the F.C. Manning Chair in Economics and
Business, Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University.
1367
Public vs
private sector
employment
public administration that examines the reasons why some people are attracted to
public service is also emerging (e.g. Perry and Wise, 1990; Perry et al., 2010).
Specifically, public administration researchers have been working to develop the
concept of public service motivation as a key element that helps to predict
the likelihood that a person would choose a career in the public sector rather than in the
private sector. Most studies have been conducted using American (Rainey and
Steinbauer, 1999; Brewer and Selden, 1998; Brewer et al., 2000; Pandey et al., 2008),
Western European (Vandenabeele, 2008; Vandenabeele et al., 2006; Leisink and Steijn,
2009; Groeneveld et al., 2009; Ritz, 2009), and Australian samples (Taylor, 2007, 2008),
although there have been recent studies in Korea (Kim, 2006, 2009) and China (Liu et al.,
2008). The present study seeks to further our understanding on how individuals make
career choices by using a sample of students who were enrolled in either the Master of
Public Administration[1] (MPA) or the Master of Business Administration (MBA)
programs at the University of Botswana. The findings are expected to extend the
generalizability of both public service motivation and career choice theorizing to a
developing economy in general, and to Africa in particular.
Conceptual background and hypotheses
The present study seeks to explore, in the context of a developing African country, the
factors that may contribute to pursuing a career in public service rather than the
private sector via graduate management training. We begin with the assumption that
selection of a graduate degree program is indicative of a career choice, as does much of
the literature on career choice which is based on surveys of graduate-level students
(e.g. Carpenter et al., 2012; Ng et al., 2008; Tschirhart et al., 2008). It is important to study
career choice among individuals in developing economies because managerial competency
is essential for successful national development and also personal socio-economic mobility
for the individual. Individuals pursuing an MBA and a career in the private sector stand
to benefit from increased social capital (Baruch, 2009), salary gains and promotions
(Cocchiara et al., 2010), and upward socio-economic mobility (Pfeffer, 1977). Likewise,
individuals choosing to pursue an MPA and a career in the public sector may be more
concerned with serving others and their country (Mosher, 1978; Frederickson and Hart,
1985; Perry and Wise, 1990). On this basis, we seek to explore the factors that predict
a career choice in one sector rather than the other in a developing economy in Africa.
Gabris and Simo (1995) argued that individuals make conscious career choices, and
those choices represent the sum of multiple inputs and experiences such as education,
experience, access, connections, and luck. Likewise, psychological theories
(e.g. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s hygiene factors) inform us that
individuals have similar needs (i.e. extrinsic and intrinsic needs for money, prestige,
and power) regardless of the sector they pursue, although literature suggests that those
who choose to serve the public prefer intrinsic rewards. There has been suggestio n that
altruism may also be key to predicting a career in public service (e.g. Le Grand, 2010).
Therefore, it remains unclear if need fulfillment and altruism as they have been
conceptualized in public service motivation literature in the west are also predictive of a
career choice within the context of a developing economy where individuals are still
striving to meet their basic needs. In this regard, we adopt a psychological-based
approach to understand how people make career decisions based upon fulfilling
individual needs, and compare how those choosing public vs private sector
employment may differ in reward preferences or altruism. Mueller (1983) reported
that Batswana want to advance their own careers but also contribute to the
1368
PR
45,6
To continue reading
Request your trial