research paper

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 1

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment

Neida E. Rodriguez

Orange County Sheriff’s Office

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 2

Abstract

Effective leadership in public safety requires the ability to motivate individuals on a

different level than is expected in the private or corporate worlds. Oftentimes, much of the

motivation that comes from those who work in this field is entirely intrinsic, coming from the

innate need of a person to help one another, to add to the common good, and to do what they feel

is best inside. As leaders in public safety, it should also be recognized that not all employees we

come across will have a high intrinsic need to perform at their very best at all times, and it is

imperative that other methods of motivation be utilized to make sure job performance is at an

optimal level. This paper will discuss leaders in public safety and what they can do to increase

motivation among their subordinates. It will include discussions regarding intrinsic and extrinsic

motivation, public service motivation, emotional intelligence, and what leaders can do to utilize

these qualities to combat high turnover rates that many public safety organizations are prone to.

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 3

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment

Introduction

Public safety organizations are experiencing turnover rates that are not only difficult to keep

up with, but difficult to correct due to the nature of the work public safety professionals are

involved in. Although the type of work that comes with public safety is often mentally and

physically taxing, there are some people who naturally gravitate to these careers, harboring an

innate need to do work that serves others simple for the sake of doing so. This gravitation can be

attributed to a variety of things, some of which being the type of motivation these individuals

possess. Their motivation can range from extrinsic to intrinsic or it can possibly fall under the

specific umbrella of Public Service Motivation. Either way, leaders in public safety need to

become familiar with all of these concepts, and understand that they can in fact have a hand in

developing these employees in a manner that causes their organizational commitment to grow.

This paper will discuss the concepts of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and Public

Service Motivation (PSM). It will delve into emotional intelligence and its importance in the role

of leadership. It will also conclude in some conceptual recommendations for public safety

leaders in general with regards to how they may improve morale and motivation among their

employees so that they may possibly improve their turnover rates.

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 4

Literature Review

Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation

Simply stated, motivation is the desire an individual may have to accomplish any certain goal

or objective. People experience motivation on different levels on a daily basis, and motivation

can be triggered within them by a variety of stimuli. The stimuli that activate motivation within

individuals can indicate what type of motivation that person is experiencing. The type of

motivation a person can experience can fall anywhere on a continuum ranging from extrinsic

motivation to intrinsic motivation. While these types are described as opposite ends of a

spectrum, it is very possible that a person can fluctuate between both ends or even experience

both simultaneously. Kuvaas et. al (2017) describe the two extremes as follows: “Intrinsic

motivation is defined as the desire to perform an activity for its own sake, so as to experience the

pleasure and satisfaction inherent in the activity. Extrinsic motivation, in contrast, is typically

defined as the desire to perform an activity with the intention to attain positive consequences

such as an incentive, or to avoid negative consequences such as a punishment” (p. 245).

When considering the public safety workplace environment, intrinsic and extrinsic motivators

can present themselves in some unorthodox ways. Traditionally, some examples of extrinsic

motivators can be pay increases, awards, bonuses, or the avoidance of any sort of discipline or

punishment. In the public safety world, depending on your specific discipline, extrinsic

motivators can take the more traditional form, or they can present themselves as some more

extreme versions. For example, police officers may be extrinsically motivated by the desire to

survive, to avoid injury or death in the line of duty, and this can prove to be an extremely

powerful motivator for many in this field. Intrinsic motivators, on the other hand, reflect the

“extent to which people find enjoyment in the work that they do such that they would be

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 5

motivated to exert more efforts without rewards” (Potipiroon & Ford, 2017, p. 212). Generally

speaking, intrinsic motivation comes from within and has proven to be a deeper and stronger

force of motivation than extrinsic motivation. It may reflect the same overall goal both

traditionally and in the public safety field, with the difference being that many in the public

safety field work towards specifically providing safety and security for their communities as a

whole to aid in their ‘greater good.’ This more specific type of intrinsic motivation has been

designated as its own category, conceptually separate from intrinsic motivation.

Public Service Motivation

Public Service Motivation (PSM) is somewhat of an extension of intrinsic motivation. It refers

to the idea that individuals who are strongly inclined “to do good and benefit the welfare of other

people” (Potipiroon & Ford, 2017) are more likely to work for and remain in public service

organizations that can help them fulfill this need. Potipiroon & Ford (2017) explain that

individuals who have higher levels of PSM are also more likely to develop an emotional

attachment to their public service organization, causing their opinions of their organization to be

swayed by the organization’s ability to satisfy their needs. This means that if the individual has a

high level of PSM, their attitude is greatly affected by whether they feel their organization is

allowing them to satisfy the need to help others or not.

Public Service Motivation can be cultivated and geared toward an even more positive and

productive force if the individuals who obtain high levels of it are being influenced by ethical

leadership. Potipiroon & Ford (2017) conducted a study in which the idea that PSM always

increases the likelihood of organizational commitment was challenged, and found that while this

is a possible outcome, if the individuals who obtain the high levels of PSM are not satisfied with

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 6

their organization’s mission and/or values, their opinion of the organization can change

drastically causing them to become less committed to that organization. This point is one that if

gone abandoned, can produce a host of employees in public safety that are not utilizing their full

potential. Public safety leaders should take note of this possibility and know that quality, ethical,

and intelligent leadership can combat this negative outcome greatly.

Emotional Intelligence

Another important concept that is imperative to understand regarding motivation and its effect

on organizational commitment is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence refers “to the

ability to be aware of and intelligent about emotions, use emotional information to assist in

thinking” (Levitats & Vigoda-Gadot, 2017, p. 760). Public safety is a field in which unique and

intense situations cross the paths of employees on a daily basis causing stress and complicated

‘side effects’ in the employees who experience them frequently. Not only do employees need to

have emotional intelligence when handling situations or dealing with the communities they

serve, but more importantly, leaders in public safety need to have it when dealing with their

subordinates and peers. “Research over the decades has confirmed that there were performance

gaps between socially intelligent and socially unintelligent leaders and there is much evidence to

indicate that tests of cognitive ability are strong predictors of job performance in virtually every

job studied” (Adetula, 2016, p. 150). Being an effective leader in the realm of public safety is a

complex and critical task, and having the emotional intelligence to aid in reasoning through

challenges with employees can prove to be invaluable in the effort to retain employees for a

longer period of time (Sienkiewicz-Malyjurek, 2016).

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 7

Conclusion

Leaders in public safety must take these basic concepts into account when managing and

leading their respective units within their agencies. High turnover rates and low morale are

challenges that organizations within the public safety field experience consistently, and they are

challenges that have the potential to damage the effectiveness of the agency greatly if gone

unaddressed. Taking the extrinsic and intrinsic motivation that exists within employees and

cultivating it in a manner that promotes positivity can help in improving the morale within an

agency. Additionally, the public service motivation that exists in many public safety employees

can be utilized to increase organizational commitment, if the employees who obtain it are

exposed to ethical and quality leadership. Research has indicated that while there are many

individuals drawn to careers in public safety because of their natural need to provide a service to

others, this kind of motivation does not immediately mean they are committed to the mission of

their organization. Studies indicate that if these individuals do not feel that their need to serve

others is being adequately satisfied by the organization and its goals, their opinion towards the

organization can change drastically and has the potential to become a negative force instead of a

positive one. Leaders who possess strong emotional intelligence, ethical fortitude, and integrity

towards the mission of the organization can aid greatly in instilling confidence in these

employees, motivating them to remain steadfast in their efforts and stay loyal to their

organization, combatting the high turnover rates organizations would otherwise face.

A Look at Public Service Motivation and its Effect on Organizational Commitment 8

References

Adetula, G. A. (2016). Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Intelligence as Predictors of Job

Performance Among Law Enforcement Agency Personnel. Journal of Applied Security

Research, 11(2), 149-165.

Kuvaas, B., Buch, R., Weibel, A., Dysvik, A., & Nerstad, C. G. (2017, May). Do intrinsic and

extrinsic motivation relate differently to employee outcomes? Journal of Economic

Psychology, 61, 244-258.

Levitats, Z., & Vigoda-Gadot, E. (2017). Yours emotionally: How emotional intelligence infuses

public service motivation and affects the job outcomes of public personnel. Public

Administration, 95, 759-775.

Potipiroon, W., & Ford, M. T. (2017). Does Public Service Motivation Always Lead to

Organizational Commitment? Examining the Moderating Roles of Intrinsic Motivation

and Ethical Leadership. Public Personnel Management, 46(3), 211-238.

Sienkiewicz-Malyjurek, K. (2016). Determinants and attributes of leadership in the public safety

management system. Procedia Economics and Finance, 39, 115-121.