Abstract: Although stress has been a longstanding issue in organizations and management studies, it has never been studied in relation to Public Service Motivation. This article therefore aims to integrate PSM into the job demands-job resources model of stress in order to determine whether PSM might contribute to stress in public organizations. Drawing upon original data from a questionnaire in a Swiss municipality, this study unsurprisingly shows that "red tape" is an antecedent of stress perception, whereas satisfaction with organizational support, positive feedback, and recognition significantly decrease the level of perceived stress. Astonishingly, the empirical results show that PSM is positively and significantly related to stress perception. By increasing individuals' expectations towards their jobs, PSM might thus contribute to increased pressure on public agents. Ultimately, this article investigates the "dark side" of PSM, which has been neglected by the literature thus far.
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between red tape, Public Service Motivation (PSM) and a particular work outcome labelled ‘resigned satisfaction’. Using data from a national survey of over 3754 public servants working at the municipal level in Switzerland, this study shows the importance of looking more closely at the concept of work satisfaction and, furthermore, of thoroughly investigating the impact of the different PSM dimensions on work outcomes. Unsurprisingly, research findings show that red tape is the most important predictor of resignation. Nevertheless, when PSM dimensions are analysed separately, results demonstrate that ‘commitment to public interest/civic duty’ and, to a lesser extent, ‘attraction to policy-making’ decrease resignation, whereas ‘compassion’ and ‘self-sacrifice’ increase it. This study thus highlights some of the negative (or undesirable) effects of PSM that have not been previously addressed in PSM literature.
Abstract: Research on Public Service Motivation (PSM) has increased enormously in the last 20 years. Besides the analysis of the antecedents of PSM and its impact on organizations and individuals, many open questions about the nature of PSM itself still remain. This article argues that the theoretical construct of PSM should be contextualized by integrating the political and administrative contexts of public servants when investigating their specific attitudes towards working in a public environment. It also challenges the efficacy of the classic four-dimensional structure of PSM when it is applied to a specific context. The findings of a confirmatory factor analysis from a dataset of 3754 employees of 279 Swiss municipalities support the appropriateness of contextualizing parts of the PSM construct. They also support the addition of an extra dimension called, according to previous research, Swiss democratic governance. With regard to our results, there is a need for further PSM research to set a definite measure of PSM, particularly in regard to the international diffusion of empirical research on PSM.Points for practitionersThis study shows that public service motivation is a relevant construct for practitioners and may be used to better assess whether public agents are motivated by values or not. Nevertheless, it stresses also that the measurement of PSM must be adapted to the institutional context as well. Public managers interested in understanding better the degree to which their employees are motivated by public values must be aware that the measurement of this PSM construct has to be contextualized. In other words, PSM is also a function of the institutional environment in which organizations operate.
Abstract: This article aims to test different P-E fit dimensions in order to assess their respective impacts on two work outcomes: stress perception and work motivation. More precisely, fit dimensions are included in the job demands-resources model. Red tape is also included in the model as a job-demand variable. The results of this study show that red tape is significantly and positively related to stress perception, whereas person-job fit and person-vocation fit are significantly and negatively related to stress. As far as work motivation is concerned, red tape is still significantly related to this latter variable but negatively this time, whereas person-vocation fit and public service motivation fit are significantly and positively related to work motivation. Finally, this article notes the importance to consider separately the different dimensions of fit and raises the most important antecedents of stress perception and work motivation among a sample (N=492) of middle-range employees in a Swiss public hospital.
