Motivated to Adapt? The Role of Public Service Motivation as Employees Face Organizational Change

Abstract

Researchers concerned with organizational change have consistently emphasized the role that the work environment plays in employee acceptance of change. Underexamined in the public management literature, however, is the role that employee values, particularly public service motivation (PSM), may play in employee acceptance of change. Some scholars have noted a positive correlation between employee PSM and organizational change efforts; this article extends this work by attempting to isolate the mechanisms that explain this relationship. Using data from a survey of employees in a city undergoing a reorganization and reduction in workforce, the authors find that only employees who scored high on a single dimension of PSM—self‐sacrifice—were more likely than others to support organizational change. Rather than support changes for their potential to improve public service, this finding suggests that employees with higher PSM may simply be less likely to resist changes that might disadvantage them personally.

Public Service Motivation, Task, and Non-task Behavior: A Performance Appraisal Experiment with Korean MPA and MBA Students

“…Perry and Wise (1990) hypothesized early on that high levels of PSM are related to high levels of compassion and helpfulness towards others (particularly those perceived to be needy), high levels of commitment to a collective interest, and a willingness to sacrifice personal gain for the benefit of others. Subsequent studies have confirmed the behavioral manifestations implicit in many of these connections (Houston 2006;Brewer and Selden 1998;Clerkin, Paynter, and Taylor 2009;Wright, Christensen, and Isett forthcoming). For example, those with higher levels of PSM are more likely to donate money, time, and blood (instances of helping); whistle-blow (instance of committing to collective interest); and embrace organizational change at their own expense (instance of self-sacrifice).…”

The motivational bases of public service: foundations for a third wave of research

“…Many recent studies have a bearing on developing motivation strategies (see, e.g., Anderfuhren-Biget, Varone, Giauque, & Ritz, 2010;Bellé, 2013Bellé, , 2014Chen, Hsieh, & Chen, in press;Fehrler & Kosfeld, 2012;French & Emerson, in press;Giauque, Anderfuhren-Biget, & Varone, 2013;Gould-Williams et al, in press;Jacobsen, Hvitved, & Andersen, in press;Jacobson, 2011;Paarlberg & Lavigna, 2010;Stazyk, 2013;Wright, Moynihan, & Pandey, 2012;Wright, Christensen, & Isett, 2013). The volume of new research, quality variations and conflicting results and interpretations flowing from such studies means that sorting out practical implications from the research is a substantial task.…”

Cultivating Public Service Motivation throughAmeriCorpsService: A Longitudinal Study

“…Relating to organization culture, the organizational socialization literature has also sought to explain “the process by which an individual acquires the values, knowledge, and expected behavior needed to participate as an organizational member” (Cable and Parsons , 2). This literature suggests that individuals adapt their values to the organizational culture, which has prompted additional PSM literature on adaptation (Christensen and Wright ; Georgellis and Tabvuma ; Wright, Christensen, and Isett ).…”