Does Perceptions of Organizational Prestige Mediate the Relationship Between Public Service Motivation,Job Satisfaction,and the Turnover Intentions of Federal Employees?
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online September, 2021
Does Perceptions of Organizational Prestige Mediate the Relationship Between Public Service Motivation,Job Satisfaction,and the Turnover Intentions of Federal Employees?
Public opinion polls consistently suggest that government employment is not considered to be highly prestigious by most Americans. These negative images are likely to stifle the public sector’s recruitment and retention efforts. Scholars have suggested that individuals with high levels of public service motivation (PSM) are better equipped to work in these environments, yet no studies can be found that have directly explored the relationships between PSM and the perceptions that public employees hold regarding the images that citizens hold of their organizations. This article sought to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the extent to which perceptions of organizational prestige (POP) mediate the relationship between PSM and the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of public employees. Using a sample of federal employees working for the Transportation Security Administration in Oregon, this study found that POP fully mediated the relationship between PSM and turnover intentions and partially mediated the relationship between PSM and job satisfaction. The implications of these findings are discussed.
American Customer Satisfaction Index. (2020). ACSI federal government report 2019 [Press release].
2.
AkgunduzY.BardakogluO. (2015). The impacts of perceived organizational prestige and organization identification on turnover intention: The mediating effect of psychological empowerment. Current Issues in Tourism, 20, 1–17.
3.
BermanE. M. (1997). Dealing with cynical citizens. Public Administration Review, 57(2), 105–112.
4.
BlauP. (1964). Justice in social exchange. Sociological Inquiry, 34(2), 193–206.
BoardmanC.SundquistE. (2009). Toward understanding work motivation worker attitudes and the perception of effective public service. The American Review of Public Administration, 39(5), 519–535.
7.
BokD. (2001). The trouble with government. Harvard University Press.
8.
BrightL. (2007). Does person-organization fit mediate the relationship between public service motivation and the job performance of public employees?Review of Public Personnel Administration, 27(4), 361–379.
9.
BrightL. (2008). Does public service motivation really make a difference on the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of public employees?The American Review of Public Administration, 38(2), 149–166.
10.
BrightL. (2013). Where does public service motivation count the most in government work environments? A preliminary empirical investigation and hypotheses. Public Personnel Management, 42(1), 5–26.
11.
BrightL. (2016). Public service motivation and socialization in graduate education. Teaching Public Administration, 34(3), 284–306.
12.
BrightL. (2018). Government career interests, perceptions of fit, and degree orientations: Exploring their relationship in public administration graduate programs. Teaching Public Administration, 36(1), 63–80.
13.
BrightL.GrahamC. (2015). Why does interest in government careers decline among public affairs graduate students?Journal of Public Affairs Education, 21(4), 575–594.
14.
CaillierJ. G. (2015). Towards a better understanding of public service motivation and mission valence in public agencies. Public Management Review, 17(9), 1217–1236.
15.
CamilleriE. (2007). Antecedents affecting public service motivation. Personnel Review, 36(3), 356–377.
16.
CarrollC. E. (2008). Organizational image. In DonsbachW. (Ed.), The international encyclopedia of communication (pp. 3464–3468). John Wiley.
17.
ChetkovichC. (2003). What’s in a sector? The shifting career plans of public policy students. Public Administration Review, 63(6), 660–674.
ChristensenR.WrightB. (2011). The effects of public service motivation on job choice decisions: Disentangling the contributions of person-organization fit and person-job fit. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 21(4), 723–743.
20.
ClerkinR.PaynterS.TaylorJ. (2007, October). The linkage of public service motivation and charitable activity [Paper presentation]. Paper prepared for the 9th Biennial Public Management Research Conference, North Carolina State University.
21.
CooperC.ReinagelT. (2017). The limits of public service motivation: Confidence in government institutions among public servants. Administration & Society, 49(9), 1297–1317.
22.
CriadoJ.Sandoval-AlmazanR.Gil-GarciaJ. (2013). Government innovation through social media. Elsevier.
23.
DesmidtS.PrinzieA. (2019). Establishing a mission-based culture: Analyzing the relation between intra-organizational socialization agents, mission valence, public service motivation, goal clarity and work impact. International Public Management Journal, 22, 664–690.
24.
DuttonJ.DukerichJ.HarquailC. (1994). Organizational images and member identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 239–263.
25.
FergusonT.DeephouseD.FergusonW. (2000). Do strategic groups differ in reputation?Strategic Management Journal, 21(12), 1195–1214.
26.
FosamE.GrimsleyM. F.WisherS. (1998). Exploring models for employee satisfaction with particular reference to a police force. Total Quality Management, 9(2–3), 235–247.
27.
GarrettR.ThurberJ.FritschlerA.RosenbloomD. (2006). Assessing the impact of bureaucracy bashing by electoral campaigns. Public Administration Review, 66(2), 228–240.
GoodsellC. (2003). The case for bureaucracy: A public administration polemic. Sage.
30.
GouldnerA. W. (1960). The norm of reciprocity: A preliminary statement. American Sociological Review, 25, 161–178.
31.
Gould-WilliamsJ.MostafaA. M.BottomleyP. (2015). Public service motivation and employee outcomes in the Egyptian public sector: Testing the mediating effect of person-organization fit. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 25(2), 597–622.
32.
GrossklagsJ.AppelL.BridgesF. (2011, June). Young adults and online political participation: Search strategies and the role of social media [Paper presentation]. The proceedings of the 12th annual international digital government research conference: Digital government innovation in challenging times.
33.
GunzlerD.ChenT.WuP.ZhangH. (2013). Introduction to mediation analysis with structural equation modeling. Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, 25(6), 390–394.
34.
HelmS. (2013). A matter of reputation and pride: Associations between perceived external reputation, pride in membership, job satisfaction and turnover intentions. British Journal of Management, 24(4), 542–556.
35.
HerrbachO.MignonacK. (2004). How organisational image affects employee attitudes. Human Resource Management Journal, 14(4), 76–88.
36.
HombergF.McCarthyD.TabvumaV. (2015). A meta-analysis of the relationship between public service motivation and job satisfaction. Public Administration Review, 75(5), 711–722.
37.
HoustonD. (2006). “Walking the walk” of public service motivation: Public employees and charitable gifts of time, blood, and money. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 16(1), 67–86.
38.
HvidmanU.AndersenS. (2016). Perceptions of public and private performance: Evidence from a survey experiment. Public Administration Review, 76(1), 111–120.
39.
InfeldD.AdamsW. (2011). MPA and MPP students: Twins, siblings, or distant cousins?Journal of Public Affairs Education, 17, 277–303.
KavanaughA.FoxE.SheetzS.YangS.LiL.ShoemakerD.. . . XieL. (2012). Social media use by government: From the routine to the critical. Government Information Quarterly, 29(4), 480–491.
42.
KerleyD. (2016, April4). Waiting game. World News with Diane Sawyer, p. 1.
43.
KimS. (2009). Revising Perry’s measurement scale of public service motivation. American Review of Public Administration, 39(2), 149–163.
44.
KimS. (2012). Does person-organization fit matter in the public-sector? Testing the mediating effect of person-organization fit in the relationship between public service motivation and work attitudes. Public Administration Review, 72(6), 830–840.
45.
KristofA. (1996). Person-organization fit: An integrative review of its conceptualizations, measurement, and implications. Personnel Psychology, 49(1), 1–49.
46.
LambertE.Lynne HoganN.BartonS. (2001). The impact of job satisfaction on turnover intent: A test of a structural measurement model using a national sample of workers. The Social Science Journal, 38(2), 233–250.
47.
LandsbergenD. (2010). Government as part of the revolution: Using social media to achieve public goals [Paper presentation]. The proceedings of the European conference on e-Government, 8(2), 243–250.
48.
LightP. (1999a). The new public service. Brookings Institution Press.
49.
LightP. (1999b). The true size of government. Brookings Institution Press.
50.
LiuB.TangT.YangK. (2015). When does public service motivation fuel the job satisfaction fire? The joint moderation of person–organization fit and needs–supplies fit. Public Management Review, 17(6), 876–900.
51.
LumL.KervinJ.ClarkK.ReidF.SirolaW. (1998). Explaining nursing turnover intent: Job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, or organizational commitment?Journal of Organizational Behavior, 19(3), 305–320.
52.
MaelF.AshforthB. (1992). Alumni and their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 103–123.
53.
MahlerJ.ReganP. (2011). Federal agency blogs: Agency mission, audience, and blog forms. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 8(2), 163–176.
54.
MannG. (2006). A motive to serve: Public service motivation in human resource management and the role of PSM in the nonprofit sector. Public Personnel Management, 35(1), 33–48.
55.
MarvelJ. (2015). Unconscious bias in citizens’ evaluations of public sector performance. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 26(1), 143–158.
56.
MeierK.JohnsonA.AnS. (2019). Perceptual bias and public programs: The case of the United States and hospital care. Public Administration Review, 79(6), 820–828.
57.
MelkersJ.ThomasJ. (1998). What do administrators think citizens think? Administrator predictions as an adjunct to citizen surveys. Public Administration Review, 58(4), 327–334.
58.
MergelI. (2012). Social media in the public sector: A guide to participation, collaboration and transparency in the networked world. John Wiley.
59.
MishraS. (2013). Perceived external prestige and employee outcomes: Mediation effect of organizational identification. Corporate Reputation Review, 16(3), 220–233.
60.
MobleyW. H. (1977). Intermediate linkages in the relationship between job satisfaction and employee turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 62(2), 237–240.
61.
NaffK.CrumJ. (1999). Working for America: Does public service motivation make a difference?Review of Public Personnel Administration, 19(4), 5–16.
62.
NaylorB. (2013). TSA under fire for allowing small knives onboard. National Public Radio, Inc.
PerryJ. (1996). Measuring public service motivation: An assessment of construct reliability and validity. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 6(1), 5–22.
66.
PerryJ.BrudneyJ.CourseyD.LittlepageL. (2008). What drives morally committed citizens? A study of the antecedents of public service motivation. Public Administration Review, 68(3), 445–458.
67.
PerryJ.HondeghemA. (2008). Motivation in public management: The call of public service. Oxford University Press.
68.
PerryJ.WiseL. (1990). The motivational bases of public service. Public Administration Review, 50(3), 367–373.
PillaiA. (2012). Corporate branding literature: A research paradigm review. Journal of Brand Management, 19(4), 331–343.
71.
PrysmakovaP.VandenabeeleW. (2020). Enjoying police duties: Public service motivation and job satisfaction. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 35, 304–317.
72.
QuratulainS.KhanA. (2015). How does employees’ public service motivation get affected? A conditional process analysis of the effects of person-job fit and work pressure. Public Personnel Management, 44(2), 266–289.
73.
RaineyH.SteinbauerP. (1999). Galloping elephants: Developing elements of a theory of effective government organizations. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 9(1), 1–32.
74.
RhoE.YunT.LeeK. (2015). Does organizational image matter? Image, identification, and employee behaviors in public and nonprofit organizations. Public Administration Review, 75(3), 421–431.
75.
Sandoval-AlmazánR.Gil-GarcíaJ.Luna-ReyesL.LunaD.Díaz-MurilloG. (2011). The use of Web 2.0 on Mexican state websites: A three-year assessment. Electronic Journal of E-Government, 9(2), 107–121.
76.
ScottP.PandeyS. (2005). Red tape and public service motivation findings from a national survey of managers in state health and human services agencies. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 25(2), 155–180.
77.
ShimD.ParkH.EomT. (2017). Street-level bureaucrats’ turnover intention: Does public service motivation matter?International Review of Administrative Sciences, 83(3), 563–582.
78.
SivertzenA.NilsenE.OlafsenA. (2013). Employer branding: Employer attractiveness and the use of social media. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 22, 473–483.
SneadJ. (2013). Social media use in the U.S. executive branch. Government Information Quarterly, 30(1), 56–63.
81.
TeoS.PickD.XerriM.NewtonC. (2016). Person-organization fit and public service motivation in the context of change. Public Management Review, 18(5), 740–762.
82.
ThomasF. (2007, October18). Most fake bombs missed by screeners. USA Today (Arlington, VA) p. 1A.
83.
TunaM.GhazzawiI.YesiltasM.TunaA.ArslanS. (2016). The effects of the perceived external prestige of the organization on employee deviant workplace behavior: The mediating role of job satisfaction. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(2), 366–396.
84.
VandenabeeleW. (2007). Toward a public administration theory of public service motivation: An institutional approach. Public Management Review, 9(4), 545–556.
85.
Van LoonN.KjeldsenA.AndersenL.VandenabeeleW.LeisinkP. (2018). Only when the societal impact potential is high? A panel study of the relationship between public service motivation and perceived performance. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 38(2), 139–166.
86.
Van LoonN.VandenabeeleW.LeisinkP. (2017). Clarifying the relationship between public service motivation and in-role and extra-role behaviors: The relative contributions of person-job and person-organization fit. American Review of Public Administration, 47(6), 699–713.
87.
VehA.GöbelM.VogelR. (2019). Corporate reputation in management research: A review of the literature and assessment of the concept. Business Research, 12(2), 315–353.
88.
WanousJ. P.ReichersA.HudyM. (1997). Overall job satisfaction: How good are single-item measures?Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(2), 247–252.
89.
WrightB.MoynihanD.PandeyS. (2012). Pulling the levers: Transformational leadership, public service motivation, and mission valence. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 206–215.
90.
YimY.SchaferB. (2009). Police and their perceived image: How community influence officers’ job satisfaction. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 10(1), 17–29.
