Public Service Motivation as Driver of Social Support to Apply for Safety-Critical Organizations? An Empirical Study in the Context of German Military Service

Abstract

This study analyses the role public service motivation and safety needs play when close friends and family are asked for advice by a potential applicant for the military, a typical public safety organization. Our survey data (N = 150) were collected among visitors to a German county fair where the German military had a recruitment stand. The results of a hierarchical regression show that, besides the organizational and employer-related image, the norm-based and affective dimensions of the public service motivation affect support intentions. Anxiety and work-family incompatibility as risk-related factors have a negative effect on support intentions. The study results indicate that recruitment advertising designed to promote social support should foster positive image perceptions among families and friends of potential applicants and should encourage their norm-based public service motivations. However, future campaigns should keep in mind that affective reactions such as anxiety may distract close friends and family from supporting an application.

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“…Anderfuhren‐Biget, Varone, and Giauque (); Andersen, Heinesen, and Pedersen (); Andersen and Kjeldsen (); Bottomley et al (); Bright (); Caillier (, ); Christensen and Wright (); Clerkin and Coggburn (); Coursey et al (); Drevs and Müller (); Fehrler and Kosfeld (); Georgellis, Iossa, and Tabvuma (); Jeon and Robertson (); Kim (); Koumenta (); Liu and Perry (); Liu, Yang, and Yu (); Park and Kim (); Pedersen (); Ritz and Waldner (); Steijn (); Van Loon, Vandenabeele, and Leisink (2015); Vogel and Kroll (); Waldner (); Wright and Christensen ().…”