Exploring Determinants of Work Motivation in Public Service: The Influence of Organizational Context and Public Service Motivation

The study aims to understand the extent to which job satisfaction and organizational commitment are driven by public service motivation versus variables that reflect several aspects of the organizational context. A survey was sent to employees working in a large public hospital in Italy. The analysis show that both work context and individual variables predict work motivation. Particularly, value congruence, attraction to policy making, and self-sacrifice, predict job satisfaction; group culture and self-sacrifice impact organizational commitment. The results offer some implications for HRM. Firstly, public managers have to remove any impediment that can prevent employees from serving the public interest. Second, creating a sense of shared culture could be an important tool is in keeping the workforce motivated and committed.