What is wrong with job security?

Abstract

Most Western studies into motivation suggest that public servants are prosocial.Moreover, scholars suggest that a desire for external rewards, like pay and job security, may crowd out prosocial proclivity. However, recent studies from non-Western contexts provide mixed results about the actual drivers of public servants' motivation to seek and retain public sector employment and perform their duties. To advance the development of theory regarding motivational dynamics of public servants in developing countries, we examine how pursuing external rewards impacts public service motivation, job satisfaction, and turnover intention among public servants in Kazakhstan (n = 627), a developing former Soviet republic that has been subjected to various waves of personnel reform. Our quantitative and qualitative data show that a desire for job security relates positively to public service motivation and job satisfaction, whereas a desire for monetary rewards correlates negatively with public service motivation and positively with turnover intention. We conclude with the implications for theory and practice.

“All still quiet on the non-Western front?” Non-Western public service motivation scholarship: 2015–2020

“…Several studies find empirical support for mixed-incentive settings (cf. Perry, 2014), in Bangladesh, China, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, among others (Alam & Kijima, 2020Chen et al, 2018;Hsieh, 2018;Ko & Jun, 2015;Mussagulova et al, 2019;Woo, 2018). Findings indicate that motives besides PSM affect the desire to apply for public sector jobs, such as prestige, job security, and high pay.…”

“…Findings indicate that motives besides PSM affect the desire to apply for public sector jobs, such as prestige, job security, and high pay. Several studies forged conceptual and empirical links between PSM and other motivators, which may coexist with rather than crowd out PSM as early US studies suggested (e.g., Moynihan, 2008), resulting in more positive work outcomes, such as job satisfaction, person-organisation fit and organisational commitment (Mussagulova et al, 2019).…”

“…Major journals published special issues and symposia on PSM, including Public Administration Review, Public Management Review, International Public Management Journal, Public Administration, and International Review of Administrative Sciences. Its practical significance has also been recognised in administrative reform efforts, as an invaluable resource for employee performance, resilience and well-being (Mussagulova et al, 2019;Van der Wal & Mussagulova, 2020).…”

Mobbing and corporate social responsibility: does the status of the organisation guarantee employee wellbeing and intentions to stay in the job?

“…Still, an emotionally insecure and dissatisfied employee will not necessarily make a quick decision to leave the job, but it all has to do with whether he/she intends to stay in it for a longer term (McGinley & Mattila, 2020;Supartha, 2019). Research shows that, on the one hand, job insecurity promotes the appreciation of one's workplace (Reiter, 2010) and on the other hand, the search for better conditions is negatively associated with staying in the same job for a longer period of time (Mussagulova et al, 2019). Besides, it is also observed that even people with higher levels of education, who have encountered difficulties, tend to emigrate to other countries not only from the post-Soviet space (Groutsis et al, 2020;Lapshyna & Düvell, 2015;White, 2016).…”

Reforming while maintaining job security: a good idea? The case of the Kazakhstani public service

“…As a case for studying reform and motivation, Kazakhstan rarely features in the public administration and policy literature due to its relatively recent emergence as an independent nation, with some notable recent exceptions (De Vries and Sobis 2014; Janenova and Knox 2017; Mussagulova et al 2019). Former Soviet Union nations are under-represented in studies on motivation and employee attitudes with only a few studies examining the organizational level of analysis (Liebert 2014;Rinnert 2015).…”