Public Service and Motivation: Does Mission Matter?
Abstract
This study advances our understanding of employee work motivation and performance in the public sector by reinterpreting the literature on public service motivation within the psychological framework of goal theory. An empirical test of this new framework suggests that goal theory provides a strong theoretical foundation for understanding the independent contributions of task, mission, and public service to employee work motivation and performance. The importance of an organization’s mission increases employee work motivation in the public sector by making the job more important, even after controlling for the effect of performance‐related extrinsic rewards.
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A clear and inspiring understanding of what the organization should achieve in the future can be an important driver of employee action, performance, and motivation.
“a clear and inspiring understanding of what the organization should achieve in the future can be an important driver of employee action and performance (Latham and Yukl 1975; Locke and Latham 2002) and motivation (Wright 2007).”
From Leadership and motivation: a qualitative study of transformational leadership and public service motivation (2018) · cites this paper as Wright 2007
Cites
Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey.
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.57.9.705 · Cited by 7,766 · see citing works
Self-evaluative and self-efficacy mechanisms governing the motivational effects of goal systems.
Bandura, A., & Cervone, D. (1983) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.45.5.1017 · Cited by 1,511 · see citing works
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Coursey, D., Yang, K., & Pandey, S. K. (2012) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2011.02581.x · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Andersen, L. B., Bjørnholt, B., Bro, L. L., & Holm-Petersen, C. (2018) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852316654747 · Cited by 89 · see citing works
“…achieve in the future can be an important driver of employee action and performance (Latham and Yukl, 1975; Locke and Latham, 2002) and motivation (Wright, 2007); second, transformational leaders share their vision with the employees and establish a clear understanding of what the employees have…”
Background
- Authors
- Wright, B. E.
- Corresponding author
- Wright, Bradley E.
- Venue
- Public Administration Review
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-01
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 54-64
- ISSN
- 0033-3352 (ISSN-L)
- 1540-6210
- OpenAlex
- W2122484554
- Cited by
- 391
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 25 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 23 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 30 · 2012: 28
- FWCI
- 42.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Public Administration Review (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Employee Performance and Management
- Keywords
- public service motivation, goal theory, employee motivation, public sector performance, organizational mission, task significance, extrinsic rewards, public sector employees
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