The Role of Organizations in Fostering Public Service Motivation

TLDR

James Perry emphasizes the formative influence of sociohistorical context on public service motivation. The study tests Perry’s theory by examining how organizational factors shape public service motivation among state government health and human service managers. The authors analyze data from a national survey of state government health and human service managers. Findings confirm that sociohistorical context, higher education, and professional membership boost public service motivation, while red tape and longer tenure reduce it, and that hierarchical authority and reform efforts enhance motivation, underscoring the role of public organizations in fostering a sense of public good.

Abstract

In seeking to explain the antecedents of public service motivation, James Perry focuses on the formative role of sociohistorical context. This study tests Perry’s theory and examines the role that organizational factors play in shaping public service motivation, based on responses from a national survey of state government health and human service managers. The findings support the role of sociohistorical context, showing that public service motivation is strongly and positively related to level of education and membership in professional organizations. The results also underscore the significant influence of organizational institutions, indicating that red tape and length of organizational membership are negatively related to public service motivation, whereas hierarchical authority and reform efforts have a positive relationship. Therefore, public organizations have both an opportunity and a responsibility to create an environment that allows employees to feel they are contributing to the public good.