How does organizational sustainability foster public service motivation and job satisfaction? The mediating role of organizational support and societal impact potential

Abstract

Although the public management literature argues that public service motivation (PSM) is an important predictor of job satisfaction, insights on if and how public organizations can use management practices to impact this motivational mechanism are limited. Hence, the paper at hand examines, relying on value-based management and self-determination theory, how managerial attention for organizational sustainability could impact public service values internalization and job satisfaction. The results, based on data of 781 employees of 41 Flemish local governments, reveal that organizational sustainability is positively related to job satisfaction through the impact of perceived organizational support and societal impact potential on PSM.