Leadership and motivation: a qualitative study of transformational leadership and public service motivation
Open accessAbstract
Transformational leaders work to clarify a vision, share it with their employees and sustain it in the long run, and this is expected to result in increased employee public service motivation (PSM), that is, orientation towards doing good for others and society. Based on 48 in-depth interviews with 16 childcare leaders and 32 of their employees combined with 16 days of observation in these childcare centers, this article investigates the association between transformational leadership and PSM. When the leaders clarify, share and maintain an organizational vision, their employees are more motivated to do good for society and others, and this motivation tends to be less paternalistic and slightly more society-oriented. This implies that it is relevant to ask not only whether transformational leadership increases PSM, but also how it affects the type of PSM. Points for practitioners: Transformational leadership happens when leaders strive to develop a vision for the organization, share the vision with the employees and sustain the employees’ attention to the vision. Transformational leadership seems to increase PSM and make employees less paternalistic and more focused on contributing to society.
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Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This qualitative study of 16 Danish childcare centers finds that transformational leadership is associated with higher employee public service motivation (PSM), with some indications that it also makes PSM less paternalistic and slightly more society-oriented. It contributes interview and observation evidence on how leaders’ development, sharing, and sustaining of visions may shape both the level and type of PSM.
Key findings
- Transformational leadership was associated with higher employee PSM: employees in centers with transformational leaders tended to be systematically more motivated to do good for others and society, and some employees explicitly linked their leaders’ behavior to their own motivation.
- Society-oriented PSM received only weak support: only 4 of 32 employees gave priority to society, but all worked in centers where the leader behaved transformationally; 22 employees were only child-oriented, 9 were oriented to both children and society, and 1 could not be classified. Almost all childcare centers had very child-oriented visions, and only 2 leaders mentioned contributing to society.
- Less paternalistic PSM received some support: almost half of employees in centers with low transformational leadership prioritized their own understanding of doing good over parents’ and/or politicians’ understandings, while none of the employees in centers with high or very high transformational leadership made such statements. In total, 12 of 32 employees said doing good should be defined by users and/or politicians; many others were neutral.
- A suggested mechanism is that “sharing the vision” matters: employees did not seem to get higher PSM unless they experienced that the vision was actually shared, and maintaining the vision also appeared important.
Methods
- Qualitative comparison of 16 Danish childcare centers for 0–6-year-olds, selected for systematic variation in span of control (6–17 vs. 18–34 employees per leader) and hierarchical structure (one vs. two levels of pedagogical leaders), while keeping resources and children’s social backgrounds similar.
- Data combined 48 semi-structured interviews—16 direct leaders and 32 employees, all female—with 16 days of observation of 8 leaders (two days each). Leader and employee statements were triangulated with observation data; interviews were transcribed, coded in NVivo, condensed, and compared in matrix displays.
- Analysis classified transformational leadership, PSM level and type (child-oriented vs. society-oriented), and paternalism, then examined three hypotheses about transformational leadership and PSM.
Limitations
- Paper-stated: the study includes only 16 childcare centers in one country, so generalizability is limited; leaders might perform transformational actions when not observed, although the data sources yielded almost the same results; and leader-selection bias is possible because leaders could have decided that troublesome employees were not made available, though selection criteria were intended to limit this.
- Evident from the text: the cross-sectional qualitative design cannot establish causality, and the findings are presented as associations, patterns, and indications rather than causal tests. The sample is also all female and specific to Danish childcare, which further limits transferability.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
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Cites
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Claims the paper makes
1 of 25 cited sources checked · 1 supported · 0 flagged
- Interpretationcitation§ ANALYSIS · p. 17
It is important to perceive that you can give a societal contribution in your job.
“This quote also suggests that it is important to perceive that you can give a societal contribution in your job ('you feel that you can contribute'), and this actually substantiates quantitative findings in the literature concerning the importance of perceived societal impact (e.g. van Loon et al. 2016).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked- cites van Loon et al. 2016 source
- Findingown data§ ABSTRACT · p. 2
When leaders clarify, share, and maintain an organizational vision, employees' motivation tends to be slightly more society oriented.
“and slightly more society oriented”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ ABSTRACT · p. 2
When leaders clarify, share, and maintain an organizational vision, their employees are more motivated to do good for society and others.
“When the leaders clarify, share and maintain an organizational vision, their employee are more motivated to do good for society and other”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 16
In the studied childcare centers, employees tend to be systematically more motivated to do good for others and society in centers with transformational leaders.
“Based on our classifications of transformational leadership and PSM (shown in full in Appendix 6), the pattern seems to confirm this, because employees tend to be systematically more motivated to do good for others and society in the childcare centers with transformational leaders.”
- Also stated in: § DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19 · plain
“Higher level of transformational leadership is associated with higher level of employee PSM”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19 · plain
- Findingown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19
This article shows that the positive effect of transformational leadership on PSM found in quantitative studies is robust when analyzed qualitatively.
“Quantitative studies have found positive effects of transformational leadership on PSM (e.g. Bellé 2014), and this article shows that this result is robust when we analyze it qualitatively.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Bellé 2014 source
- Findingown data§ ABSTRACT · p. 2
When leaders clarify, share, and maintain an organizational vision, employees' motivation tends to be less paternalistic.
“and this motivation tends to be less paternalistic”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 18
There is some support for the expectation that employee PSM is less paternalistic in childcare centers where leaders practice transformational leadership.
“There is some support to this expectation.”
- Also stated in: § ANALYSIS · p. 18 · hedged
“There is, in other words, some support to hypothesis 3.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Also stated in: § ANALYSIS · p. 18 · hedged
- Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 17
Almost all childcare centers have very child-oriented visions.
“As documented in table A6-3 in Appendix 6, almost all childcare centers have very child-oriented visions.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 16
Employees in centers with transformational leaders link their leaders' behavior to their own higher level of PSM.
“These employees also link their leaders' behavior to their own higher level of PSM.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 18
Only two leaders mention contributing to society.
“In contrast, only two leaders mention contributing to society.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 18
Most of the visions see the individual children's well-being and/or learning achievements as the central desirable end states.
“Most of the visions thus see the individual children's well-being and/or learning achievements as the central desirable end states.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19
The level and type of PSM differ between employees at childcare centers with different levels of transformational leadership.
“We thus find that the level and type of PSM differ between employees at childcare centers with different levels of transformational leadership.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 14
Some leaders gave direction, but not consistently in a transformational way.
“Some leaders (for example in childcare center 4) gave direction, but not consistently in a transformational way.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15
The employees are generally not very paternalistic.
“The employees are generally not very paternalistic.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15
The employees were generally highly motivated to do good for society and others, especially for the children.
“Although the employees were generally highly motivated to do good for society and others (especially for the children), there were differences”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15
Some employees (12 out of 32) state that doing good should be defined by the users and/or politicians.
“Some of them (12 out of 32) state that doing good should be defined by the users and/or politicians”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15
Few employees think that only their own understanding of doing good is valid.
“Few of them think that only their own understanding of doing good is valid.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15
Many employees are neutral in the sense that they do not actively express who should decide what is good for society and others.
“Many are, however, neutral in the sense that they do not actively express who should decide what is good for society and others.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim - Study design and conductreasoning§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19
Using both interviews and observation data and asking both employees and leaders increases the validity of the findings because it enables triangulation of the measure of transformational leadership.
“Using both interviews and observation data and asking both employees and leaders increase the validity of the findings because it enables us to triangulate the measure of transformational leadership.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 18
For non-paternalistic and neutral leaders, the findings suggest that transformational leadership might succeed in making employees relate to the visions of the childcare centers and ultimately the objectives specified by politicians and users and not (only) their own understanding of what is desirable.
“for these non-paternalistic and neutral leaders, the findings suggest that transformational leadership might succeed in making the employees relate to the visions of the childcare centers and ultimately the objectives specified by politicians and users and not (only) their own understanding of what is desirable.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Study design and conductown data§ DATA AND OVERALL STRATEGY OF ANALYSIS · p. 11
Interviewing both leaders and their employees and being able to link their statements makes the empirical data uniquely suited to answer the research question.
“The fact that we interviewed both leaders and their employees (and were able to link their statements) makes our empirical data uniquely suited to answer the research question.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19
There are indications that transformational leadership makes employees' PSM less paternalistic.
“there are indications that transformational leadership makes the employees' PSM less paternalistic.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Study design and conductown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19
The study's empirical data is uniquely suited to answer the research question because both leaders and their employees are analyzed and their statements and behavior can be linked.
“Since both leaders and their employees are analyzed (and their statements and behavior can be linked), our empirical data is uniquely suited to answer the research question.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 17
Employees do not get higher PSM unless they experience that the vision is actually shared in the organization.
“Employees do not seem to get higher PSM unless they experience that the vision is actually shared in the organization.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 17
The association between transformational leadership and PSM is largely due to the 'sharing the vision' part of transformational leadership.
“In terms of mechanisms, our empirical material suggests that the association between transformational leadership and PSM has much to do with the 'sharing the vision' part of transformational leadership.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 4
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).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Premisecitation§ INTRODUCTION · p. 2
Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others.
“Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others (Andersen, Heinesen, and Pedersen 2014; Bellé 2013; Ritz 2009)”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Study design and conductreasoning§ RESEARCH DESIGN · p. 9
The empirical analysis is based on a qualitative comparison of 16 Danish childcare centers for 0-6 year-olds, selected to ensure systematic variation in span of control and hierarchical leadership structure and maximum similarity in all other important regards.
“This section explains how empirical analysis is based on a qualitative comparison of 16 Danish childcare centers 0-6 year-olds, selected to ensure systematic variation in span of control and hierarchical leadership structure and maximum similarity in all other important regards.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Premisecitation§ INTRODUCTION · p. 2
Quantitative studies indicate that transformational leadership increases employees' level of public service motivation.
“As expected, quantitative studies (Wright, Moynihan, and Pandey 2012; Krogsgaard, Thomsen, and Andersen 2014, Bellé 2014; Park and Rainey 2008; Vandenabeele 2014) indicate that transformational leadership increases employees' level of PSM.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checked - Study design and conductown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 13
The data sources yielded almost the same results.
“Given that leaders might perform transformational actions when we were not observing them, we cannot rely only on the observational data, but the data sources yielded almost the same results.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 20
Our results indicate that leaders might be able to affect their employees' understandings of these questions through transformational leadership.
“Our results indicate that leaders might be able to affect their employees' understandings of these questions through transformational leadership.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim - Interpretationown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 20
Transformational leadership might have more complex effects on motivation than assumed until now.
“but transformational leadership might have more complex effects on motivation than assumed until now.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
- May combine two claims. 17
- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 15
May combine two claims.
Findingown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19In the 16 analyzed childcare centers, both employee PSM and organizational visions are very oriented towards the individual children and not very society-oriented.
“In the 16 analyzed childcare centers, both employee PSM and organizational visions are very oriented towards the individual children and not very society-oriented”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 17Only four of the 32 interviewed employees gave priority to society, and all four worked at childcare centers where the leader behaved in a transformational way.
“Only four employees (out of the 32 we interviewed) gave priority to society, but they all worked at childcare centers where the leader behaved in a transformational way.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 17The empirical material gives some support to the expectation that PSM is more society-oriented in childcare centers where leaders use more transformational leadership, but the association is not very strong.
“Our empirical material gives some support to this expectation, but the association is certainly not very strong.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 18Almost half of employees in childcare centers with a low level of transformational leadership suggest that their own understanding of 'doing good for society and others' is prioritized higher than understandings among parents and/or politicians, while none of the employees in childcare centers with a high or very high level of transformational leadership make these types of statements.
“Almost half of the employees in childcare centers with a low level of transformational leadership suggest that their own understanding of 'doing good for society and others' is prioritized higher than understandings among parents and/or politicians, while none of the employees in childcare centers with a high or very high level of transformational leadership make these types of statements.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 14Other leaders were very passive and did not seem to behave transformational at all.
“Other leaders were very passive and did not seem to behave transformational at all.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15Nine childcare workers are oriented to do good for both children and society, while 22 are only child-oriented in their PSM (one could not be classified).
“The quote above from employee 4.3 (above) illustrates that some of the childcare workers (nine) are oriented to do good for both children and society, while 22 are only child-oriented in their PSM (one could not be classified).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 16The typical childcare employee has a relatively high level of child-oriented, nonpaternalistic PSM, but there are variations.
“In sum, the typical childcare employee has a relatively high level of child-oriented, nonpaternalistic PSM, but there are variations.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 13In some centers, there were many examples of leadership behavior directed towards clarifying and sharing visions, and employees in these centers also told about their leaders' transformational behavior during interviews.
“In some centers, we saw a lot of examples of leadership behavior directed towards clarifying and sharing visions, and the employees in these centers also told us about their leaders' transformational behavior during the interviews.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 14Different leadership can be in the childcare centers.
“The examples show how different leadership can be in the childcare centers.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Findingown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 15All employees are somewhat oriented towards doing good for the children, but their motivation to do good for society varies.
“All employees are somewhat oriented towards doing good for the children, but their motivation to do good for society varies.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Premisecitation§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 4Generating awareness of a vision and how work contributes to reaching it is expected to be essential for employees to act upon it.
“Generating awareness of a vision and how the work contributes to reaching this desirable end state is expected to be essential for employees to act upon it (Paarlberg and Perry 2007).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Paarlberg and Perry 2007 source
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ INTRODUCTION · p. 2Transformational leadership is a promising way to increase public service motivation.
“According to Paarlberg and Lavigna (2010), transformational leadership is a promising way to increase PSM”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Paarlberg and Lavigna (2010) source
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Premisecitation§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 4By continuously emphasizing why employees' work contributes to the organization and its vision, transformational leaders attempt to reinforce employees' perceptions of task significance and give them energy to pursue relevant actions in the short and long run.
“By continuously emphasizing why employees' work contributes to the organization and its vision, transformational leaders attempt to reinforce employees' perceptions of task significance and give them energy to pursue relevant actions in the short and long run (Wright et al. 2012).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Wright et al. 2012 source
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ INTRODUCTION · p. 2Employees will be more oriented to contribute to society if a strong vision demonstrates what the desirable end state looks like.
“employees will be more oriented to contribute to society if a strong vision demonstrates what the desirable end state looks like”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Paarlberg and Lavigna (2010) source
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 8Motivating employees to act on a shared vision requires alignment between the employees' values and those of the collective.
“As argued by Paarlberg and Lavigna (2010: 712), motivating employees to act on a shared vision requires alignment between the employees' values with those of the collective.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Paarlberg and Lavigna (2010: 712) source
May combine two claims.
Study design and conductreasoning§ OPERATIONALIZATION · p. 12Interview statements from employees and leaders were triangulated with each other and with observation data to address common source bias and social desirability bias.
“We therefore triangulated interview statements from employees and leaders with each other and with observation data.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Meier and O'Toole 2013
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Kim and Kim 2016 source
May combine two claims.
Study design and conductown data§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 19The study only includes 16 childcare centers in one country, and the generalizability is therefore limited.
“Still, this study only includes 16 childcare centers in one country, and the generalizability is therefore limited.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductcitation§ RESEARCH DESIGN · p. 9Four municipalities with similar resources allocated to childcare and similar social backgrounds among the children were selected, and within each municipality four childcare centers similar on these parameters were selected.
“Based on existing statistics (Dalsgaard, Nøhr, and Jordan 2014; Kommunale Nøgletal 2014), we selected four municipalities with similar resources allocated to childcare and with similar social backgrounds among the children. Within each municipality, we selected four childcare centers which were also similar on these parameters.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked- cites Dalsgaard, Nøhr, and Jordan 2014
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites Kommunale Nøgletal 2014
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Study design and conductnone given§ DATA AND OVERALL STRATEGY OF ANALYSIS · p. 11All interviews were coded in full by researchers and/or student assistants based on a code list with exact descriptions.
“All interviews were coded in full by researchers and/or student assistants based on a code list with exact descriptions (see Appendix 4).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based). May combine two claims.
Interpretationreasoning§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 6In childcare centers, it is plausible that these organizations attract employees who are oriented towards doing good for children, and that existing childcare employees are socialized to share this orientation.
“In childcare centers, the work is focused on the children, and it is therefore plausible that these organizations attract employees who are oriented towards doing good for this group of specific others, and that existing childcare employees are socialized to share this orientation.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisecitation§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 6Public leaders can change their employees' public service motivation through transformational leadership by making them look beyond self-interest and be motivated by other-regarding experiences and identities.
“public leaders can change their employees' PSM through transformational leadership by making them look beyond self-interest and be 'motivated by experiences and identities that are 'other regarding'' (Paarlberg and Lavigna 2010, 710).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Paarlberg and Lavigna 2010 source
May combine two claims.
Interpretationown data§ ANALYSIS · p. 17It is important to maintain the vision, as employee 9.3 felt less motivated when her leader was away on education.
“The statement from employee 9.3 (above) also suggests that it is important to maintain the vision, given that she actually felt less motivated when her leader was away on education.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).
Premisereasoning§ INTRODUCTION · p. 2Insight into the mechanisms and complexity of the leadership-PSM relationship requires more in-depth, qualitative data.
“Insight in the mechanisms and complexity of the leadership-PSM relationship does, however, require more in-depth, qualitative data”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim.
Premisereasoning§ THEORY: TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION · p. 6The key expectation in the literature is that transformational leadership positively affects public service motivation.
“the key expectation in the literature is that transformational leadership positively affects PSM (Bellé 2014; Park and Rainey 2008; Wright et al. 2012; Vandenabeele 2014).”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 3 sources checkedProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Study design and conductreasoning§ RESEARCH DESIGN · p. 10The employee selection criteria do not guarantee that the selection is unbiased because leaders could have withheld troublesome employees, but the criteria have hopefully limited the potential bias.
“This does not guarantee that the selection is unbiased, because the leaders can have decided that troublesome employees were not made available, but the criteria have hopefully limited the potential bias.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimClassified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.
Study design and conductreasoning§ RESEARCH DESIGN · p. 10Employee selection within childcare centers was designed to result in employees with similar personal characteristics and to prevent leader-selection bias.
“Within the childcare centers, we tried to select employees in a way which resulted in employees with similar personal characteristics and prevented leader-selection bias.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimMay combine two claims.
Study design and conductreasoning§ DATA AND OVERALL STRATEGY OF ANALYSIS · p. 11Combining interviews with systematic observations strengthens validity and provides information regarding different aspects of leadership and motivation.
“We combined interviews with systematic observations in order to strengthen validity and provide information regarding different aspects of leadership and motivation.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Premisecitation§ DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION · p. 20The association between transformational leadership and the level of PSM is well-documented in other studies.
“While the association between transformational leadership and the level of PSM is welldocumented in other studies (e.g. Wright et al. 2012)”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Wright et al. 2012 source
The paper relies on this without support.
Employees' initial level of child-oriented motivation is already high.
“because employees' initial level of child-oriented motivation is already high”
The paper relies on this without support.
Knowledge about the association between transformational leadership and the type of PSM is sparse.
“our knowledge about the association between transformational leadership and the type of PSM is more sparse.”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Leaders' paternalism is described in opposite ways
MinorThe first statement says that none of the 16 leaders are nonpaternalistic, while the parenthetical says that they are all either nonpaternalistic or neutral.
“None of 16 leaders are not paternalistic”
“(they are either nonpaternalistic or neutral)”
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Leader distance: a review and a proposed theory
Antonakis, J., & ATWATER, L. E. (2002) · The Leadership Quarterly · doi:10.1016/s1048-9843(02)00155-8 · Cited by 581 · cited 2× · see citing works
“previous studies on leadership and organizational structures have argued that less distance between leader and employees decreases the potency of the leadership vision (Antonakis and Atwater, 2002), because close leaders are seen as less authoritative and powerful than more distant leaders (Cole et al.”
BackgroundA Review of Research on the Application of Goal Setting in Organizations
Latham, G., & Yukl, G. (1975) · doi:10.5465/255381 · Cited by 564
Disciplining the poor: neoliberal paternalism and the persistent power of race
(2012) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.49-6568 · Cited by 497 · cited 1× · see citing works
“This is discussed both in the PSM literature (e.g. Gailmard, 2010) and more broadly in relation to, for example, public policy (e.g. Soss et al., 2011).”
BackgroundMeier, K. J., & O’Toole, L. J. (2012) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/mus057 · Cited by 425 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Using the employees’ answers in the interviews to measure both leadership and motivation might cause common source bias (Meier and O’Toole, 2013), and using the leaders’ selfassessments of their leadership strategy to classify their level of transformational leadership might cause social desirability bias (Kim and Kim…”
BackgroundExperimental Evidence on the Relationship between Public Service Motivation and Job Performance
Bellè, N. (2012) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2012.02621.x · Cited by 405 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others (Andersen et al., 2014; Bellé, 2013; Ritz, 2009), and it is therefore highly relevant to ask how leaders can enhance their employees’ public service motivation (PSM).”
BackgroundSetting the Table: How Transformational Leadership Fosters Performance Information Use
Moynihan, D. P., Pandey, S. K., & Wright, B. E. (2011) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/mur024 · Cited by 393 · cited 1× · see citing works
“It is expected to change and transform people by appealing to the importance of collective and/or organizational outcomes (Moynihan et al., 2012: 147; Northouse, 2010: 171).”
BackgroundPublic Service and Motivation: Does Mission Matter?
Wright, B. E. (2007) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00696.x · Cited by 391 · cited 2× · 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…”
BackgroundPaarlberg, L. E., & Lavigna, B. (2010) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02199.x · Cited by 380 · cited 3× · see citing works
“The argument is that public leaders can change their employees’ PSM through transformational leadership by making them look beyond self-interest and be ‘‘motivated by experiences and identities that are ‘other regarding’’’ (Paarlberg and Lavigna, 2010: 710).”
BackgroundInfluentialBellé, N. (2014) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/mut033 · Cited by 332 · cited 7× · see citing works
“…that the concept should be abandoned altogether and that leadership studies should instead look at visionary leadership, but the visionary element is already the most important part of the conceptualization of transformational leadership in public administration (Bellé, 2014; Wright et al., 2012).”
BackgroundInfluentialTransformational Leadership in the Public Sector: Does Structure Matter?
Wright, B. E., & Pandey, S. K. (2009) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/mup003 · Cited by 311 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Especially within the public administration literature, existing studies emphasize the visionary element of transformational leadership behavior (Wright and Pandey, 2010; Wright et al., 2012).”
BackgroundLeadership and Public Service Motivation in U.S. Federal Agencies
Park, S. M., & Rainey, H. G. (2008) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967490801887954 · Cited by 307 · cited 4× · see citing works
“Given that PSM is an altruistic type of motivation, and transformational leadership is about transcending self-interest, the key expectation in the literature is that transformational leadership positively affects PSM (Bellé, 2014; Park and Rainey, 2008; Vandenabeele, 2014; Wright et al., 2012).”
BackgroundInfluentialInternational Review of Administrative Sciences
Kemaghan, K. (1994) · Australian Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8500.1994.tb01507.x · Cited by 277 · see citing works
Public sector leadership: new perspectives for research and practice
Orazi, D. C., Turrini, A., & Valotti, G. (2013) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852313489945 · Cited by 210 · see citing works
Public service motivation and organizational performance in Swiss federal government
Ritz, A. (2009) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852308099506 · Cited by 208 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others (Andersen et al., 2014; Bellé, 2013; Ritz, 2009), and it is therefore highly relevant to ask how leaders can enhance their employees’ public service motivation (PSM).”
BackgroundValues Management: Aligning Employee Values and Organization Goals
Paarlberg, L. E., & Perry, J. L. (2007) · The American Review of Public Administration · doi:10.1177/0275074006297238 · Cited by 197 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Generating awareness of a vision and how the work contributes to reaching this desirable end state is expected to be essential for employees to act upon it (Paarlberg and Perry, 2007).”
BackgroundInfluentialHow Does Public Service Motivation Among Teachers Affect Student Performance in Schools?
Andersen, L. B., Heinesen, E., & Pedersen, L. H. (2014) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/mut082 · Cited by 179 · cited 2× · see citing works
“Public employees perform better if they are oriented towards doing good towards society and others (Andersen et al., 2014; Bellé, 2013; Ritz, 2009), and it is therefore highly relevant to ask how leaders can enhance their employees’ public service motivation (PSM).”
BackgroundSelf-citationKnights and Knaves Return: Public Service Motivation and the Delivery of Public Services
Grand, J. L. (2010) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967490903547290 · Cited by 165 · cited 3× · see citing works
“Le Grand (2010) makes a distinction between ‘‘knaves’’ with relatively more selfish motivation and ‘‘knights’’ with relatively more altruistic (public service) motivation.”
BackgroundInfluentialExplaining Public Service Motivation
Vandenabeele, W. (2014) · Review of Public Personnel Administration · doi:10.1177/0734371x14521458 · Cited by 145 · cited 6× · see citing works
“As expected, quantitative studies (Bellé, 2014; Krogsgaard et al., 2014; Park and Rainey, 2008; Vandenabeele, 2014; Wright et al., 2012) indicate that transformational leadership increases employees’ level of PSM.”
BackgroundInfluentialNational Culture and Social Desirability Bias in Measuring Public Service Motivation
Kim, S. H., & Kim, S. (2016) · Administration & Society · doi:10.1177/0095399713498749 · Cited by 124 · cited 2× · see citing works
“…in the interviews to measure both leadership and motivation might cause common source bias (Meier and O’Toole, 2013), and using the leaders’ selfassessments of their leadership strategy to classify their level of transformational leadership might cause social desirability bias (Kim and Kim, 2016).”
BackgroundPolitics, Principal–Agent Problems, and Public Service Motivation
Gailmard, S. (2010) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967490903547225 · Cited by 119 · cited 1× · see citing works
“This is discussed both in the PSM literature (e.g. Gailmard, 2010) and more broadly in relation to, for example, public policy (e.g. Soss et al., 2011).”
Backgroundvan Loon, N., Kjeldsen, A. M., Andersen, L. B., Vandenabeele, W., & Leisink, P. (2018) · Review of Public Personnel Administration · doi:10.1177/0734371x16639111 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Self-citationEGPA symposium on public service motivation and performance: Introduction
Hondeghem, A., & Perry, J. L. (2009) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852308099502 · Cited by 110 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Public service motivation can be seen as ‘‘an individual’s orientation to delivering services to people with the purpose of doing good for others and society’’ (Hondeghem and Perry, 2009: 6).”
BackgroundCole, M. S., Bruch, H., & Shamir, B. (2009) · Human Relations · doi:10.1177/0018726709346377 · Cited by 92 · cited 2× · see citing works
“previous studies on leadership and organizational structures have argued that less distance between leader and employees decreases the potency of the leadership vision (Antonakis and Atwater, 2002), because close leaders are seen as less authoritative and powerful than more distant leaders (Cole et al., 2009).”
BackgroundJensen, U. T., & Andersen, L. B. (2015) · Public Administration · doi:10.1111/padm.12163 · Cited by 89 · cited 2× · see citing works
“A newly published study of general practitioners indicates that these two types of motivation have different consequences, but can best be understood in connection to each other (Jensen and Andersen, 2015).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationKim, S. (2017) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852315596214 · Cited by 86 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Furthermore, new research indicates that national culture is associated with individuals’ PSM (Kim, 2015), and it would be highly interesting to see whether the association between leadership and PSM is context dependent.”
BackgroundKrogsgaard, J. A., Thomsen, P., & Andersen, L. B. (2014) · International Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1080/01900692.2014.928315 · Cited by 41 · cited 4× · see citing works
“As expected, quantitative studies (Bellé, 2014; Krogsgaard et al., 2014; Park and Rainey, 2008; Vandenabeele, 2014; Wright et al., 2012) indicate that transformational leadership increases employees’ level of PSM.”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citationAndersen, L. B., Pallesen, T., & Salomonsen, H. H. (2013) · VBN Forskningsportal (Aalborg Universitet) · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationDoing good for others and/or for society?
Andersen, L. B., Pallesen, T., & Salomonsen, H. H. (2013) · Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.58235/sjpa.v17i3.15727 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationLedelsesspænd på daginstitutionsområdet: Størrelse, ledelsesstil, faglig kvalitet og trivsel
Holm‐Petersen, C., Andersen, L. B., Bjørnholt, B., et al. (2015) · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Burns JM, 1978, Leadership
- Dalsgaard C, 2014, Personale og børn i kommunernes dagtilbud: En undersøgelse af perioden 2007–2012
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Sorted by citations
Public Service Motivation Research: Lessons for Practice
Christensen, R. K., Paarlberg, L. E., & Perry, J. L. (2017) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/puar.12796 · Cited by 248 · see citing works
A Reviewer’s Guide to Qualitative Rigor
Nowell, B., & Albrecht, K. (2019) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/muy052 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Leadership and public service motivation: a systematic synthesis
Hameduddin, T., & Engbers, T. (2021) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967494.2021.1884150 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
“To this end, the field has developed a well-established research base on public sector leadership (Fernandez 2004; Van Wart 2014), including dozens of studies on leadership and public service motivation (Andersen et al. 2018; Bell e 2014; Fazzi and Zamaro 2016).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialAljumah, A. (2023) · Cogent Business & Management · doi:10.1080/23311975.2023.2270813 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
“Past researchers, such as Masi and Cooke (2000) and Andersen et al. (2018), have capitalized on motivation and leadership.”
BackgroundFareed, M. Z., Su, Q., & Awan, A. A. (2021) · Project Leadership and Society · doi:10.1016/j.plas.2021.100036 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Jensen, U. T. (2017) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/puar.12852 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
The effect of leadership on public service motivation: a multiple embedded case study in Morocco
Belrhiti, Z., Damme, W. V., Belalia, A., & Marchal, B. (2020) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033010 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Transformational Leadership and Project Success: A Mediating Role of Public Service Motivation
Fareed, M. Z., & Su, Q. (2021) · Administration & Society · doi:10.1177/00953997211040466 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
“Third, transformational leaders make works to maintain a shared vision in the short term and long term by fostering collaboration and reception to fulfill the vision and generate ongoing passion (Andersen et al., 2018).”
BackgroundInfluentialSancino, A., Carli, G., & Giacomini, D. (2022) · Public Management Review · doi:10.1080/14719037.2022.2039274 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
“Research on public leadership is increasingly expanding within the discipline of public administration and management (PAM) (e.g. Andersen et al. 2018; Chapman et al. 2016; Crosby and Bryson 2018; ‘T Hart and Tummers 2019; Hartley 2018; Ospina 2017; Tummers and Knies 2016; Van Wart 2003, 2013;…”
BackgroundTransformational mentoring: Leadership behaviors of spinal cord injury peer mentors.
Shaw, R. B., McBride, C. B., Casemore, S., & Ginis, K. A. M. (2018) · Rehabilitation Psychology · doi:10.1037/rep0000176 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Bernards, B. (2021) · Public Management Review · doi:10.1080/14719037.2021.2005326 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Høstrup, M., & Andersen, L. B. (2020) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967494.2020.1795015 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Self-citationRamírez-Herrero, V., Ortiz‐de‐Urbina‐Criado, M., & Medina, J. (2024) · Systems · doi:10.3390/systems12020050 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Does transformational leadership stimulate user orientation? Evidence from a field experiment
Bro, L. L., & Jensen, U. T. (2019) · Public Administration · doi:10.1111/padm.12612 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationChau, T. H. P., Tran, Y. T. T., & Le, T. D. (2022) · Cogent Business & Management · doi:10.1080/23311975.2022.2140746 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
“Transformational leadership theory facilitates change in mission, vision, values and culture (Hsieh & Liou, 2018), with its inherent characteristics transformational leaders is seen as an importance predictor of fundamental issues in organizations such as: motivation, innovation and performance enhancement (Alrowwad e…”
BackgroundInfluentialHaider, S., Bao, G., Larsen, G. L., et al. (2019) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su11113105 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“[77], a large amount of PSM scholarship is based on quantitative survey research design (p.”
BackgroundLin, M., Liu, Q., & Li, Z. (2024) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24997 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“It means that they are committed to organizational goals and interests and can recognize their value in maintaining the organizational vision [82].”
BackgroundMathende, T., & Yousefi, M. (2021) · Open Journal of Leadership · doi:10.4236/ojl.2021.104018 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“Andersen et al. (2018) argued that transformational leadership style has an effect on organizations’ appealing management systems, policies and networks.”
BackgroundKement, Ü., Zeybek, B., Soylu, S., Bayram, G. E., & Raza, A. (2024) · European Business Review · doi:10.1108/ebr-05-2023-0169 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Han, H., Ma, F., & Liu, X. (2024) · Frontiers in Built Environment · doi:10.3389/fbuil.2023.1334413 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Transformational leadership: an antecedent for organizational effectiveness in Indian banks
Tayal, R., Upadhyay, R. K., & Singh, R. (2021) · VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management Systems · doi:10.1108/vjikms-09-2020-0165 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Ripoll, G. (2019) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/0020852319878255 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“For example, the institutional origins of PSM have been explained using variables such as ethical and transformational leadership (Andersen et al., 2018; Wright et al., 2016), organizational culture (Moynihan and Pandey, 2007), or basic psychological needs satisfaction (Vandenabeele, 2014).”
BackgroundInnovating for the greater good: Examining innovation champions and what motivates them
Molloy, C., Bankins, S., Kriz, A., & Barnes, L. (2023) · Australian Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1111/1467-8500.12577 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Lim, S., Lee, K., & Bae, K.-H. (2019) · Journal of Public and Nonprofit Affairs · doi:10.20899/jpna.5.2.134-154 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Strength in numbers? Understanding the effect of team-level PSM on team effectiveness
Breaugh, J., Alfes, K., & Ritz, A. (2021) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967494.2021.1879978 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“…2011; Stritch and Christensen 2014a; Desmidt and Prinzie 2019; Shim and Faerman 2017), as well as individual level PSM and leadership behaviors (Andersen et al. 2018; Jensen and Bro 2018; Park and Rainey 2008; Leisink and Steijn 2015), while there is very limited evidence regarding the way PSM…”
BackgroundThe impact of leadership preferences and personality traits on employees’ motivation
Calluso, C., & Devetag, M. G. (2024) · Evidence-based HRM a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship · doi:10.1108/ebhrm-01-2023-0023 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Huang, Q., & Liu, H. (2023) · Administration & Society · doi:10.1177/00953997231186994 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
“Responding to the advice of Moynihan and Pandey (2007) to focus on contextual antecedents, an increasing number of studies have begun to explore how different leadership styles predict the levels and effects of PSM (Andersen et al., 2018; Jensen & Bro, 2018; Jensen et al., 2019; Perry, 2000; Wright et al., 2016).”
BackgroundPublic service motivation and public sector employment in Korea
Woo, H., & Kim, S. (2024) · Public Administration Review · doi:10.1111/puar.13796 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“Although this study shows a decreasing trend in PSM over time, it supports the contention that PSM levels established earlier can change over time, as argued and found in previous studies (e.g., Christensen et al., 2017;”
Ghasemi, F., Mahdinia, M., & Doosti‐Irani, A. (2025) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-025-24044-w · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“As motivating subordinates is one of the most significant mechanisms using which transformational leadership attempts to accomplish its objective [24, 91, 92], safety motivation is a strong mediator between SSTL and safety performance.”
Karma chameleon: Exploring the leadership complexities of middle managers in the public sector
Tyskbo, D., & Styhre, A. (2022) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967494.2022.2106330 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Perceived managerial and leadership effectiveness within the Canadian public sector
Hamlin, R. G., & Whitford, S. (2020) · Human Resource Development Quarterly · doi:10.1002/hrdq.21406 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“The qualitative study examined the relationship between ‘transformational leadership’ and ‘public services motivation’ (Denmark: Anderson et al., 2018).”
BackgroundRahman, S., Teicher, J., Cox, J. W., et al. (2022) · Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory · doi:10.1093/jopart/muac006 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Tran, Y. T. T., & Hoang, T. C. (2024) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/00208523241230439 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Ly, B., & Ly, R. (2024) · Journal of the Knowledge Economy · doi:10.1007/s13132-024-02395-w · Cited by 12 · see citing works
“This motivation is not confined to the boundaries of public service roles but has broader implications, influencing various organizational objectives, including sustainability and environmental responsibility (Andersen et al., 2016).”
Rusliati, E., Mulyaningrum, M., Wibowo, A., et al. (2020) · Journal of Asian Finance Economics and Business · doi:10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no8.445 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Supportive leadership and job satisfaction at the European Court of Auditors
Umans, T., Argento, D., Grossi, G., & Mattei, G. (2023) · International Review of Administrative Sciences · doi:10.1177/00208523231187275 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“Studies have explored how transformational, charismatic and shared leadership styles of public managers are related to public servants ’ job satisfaction and performance (Andersen et al., 2018).”
BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences as a Determinant of Public Service Motivation
Evans, C. A., & Evans, G. R. (2018) · Public Personnel Management · doi:10.1177/0091026018801043 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Taylor, J., Brewer, G. A., & Ripoll, G. (2022) · Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1080/23276665.2022.2085125 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Rajesh, J. I., Prikshat, V., Kirk, S., Saeed, M. M., Patel, P., & Khan, M. M. S. (2023) · Journal of Asia Business Studies · doi:10.1108/jabs-09-2022-0310 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Wongpreedee, A., & Sudhipongpracha, T. (2024) · International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy · doi:10.1108/ijssp-04-2023-0083 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Palumbo, R. (2025) · International journal of organizational analysis · doi:10.1108/ijoa-03-2025-5296 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
The bedrock of public service motivation among Chinese adolescents: family and school institutions
Tao, L., & Wen, B. (2021) · Journal of Asian Public Policy · doi:10.1080/17516234.2021.2014641 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“ing a prosocial vision (Andersen et al., 2018), highlighting prosocial impacts (Wright et al.”
BackgroundZhao, J., Chang, R. A., & Sun, G. (2024) · Journal of Urban Mobility · doi:10.1016/j.urbmob.2024.100091 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Lin, J., Wu, X., & Wang, Q. (2025) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-07933-6 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“This way, employees can comprehend the mission of the organization and the importance of its contribution to the society, providing motivation for their further positive behaviors (Andersen et al., 2018).”
Morin, G., & Talbot, D. (2024) · Public Administration Quarterly · doi:10.1177/07349149241246593 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Leaders who clarify their vision can better get employees to see what they are contributing to and thus are more motivated by public service (Andersen et al., 2016; Johnston et al., 2001).”
BackgroundPublic leadership meta-skills in the 2020s
Tammeaid, M. (2024) · Public Money & Management · doi:10.1080/09540962.2024.2396458 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“It is this question, which has had little attention in the research literature to date (Andersen et al., 2018, p. 682; Hartley, 2018, p. 204; Sancino, 2016, pp. 419–420; Sørensen & Torfing, 2009, pp. 255–256), that is at the centre of this article.”
Antecedents of Shared Leadership in the Public Sector: A Social Network Approach
Fischer, M. V., & Schott, C. (2025) · Public Performance & Management Review · doi:10.1080/15309576.2025.2541852 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Pervious research studied PSM primarily as a resource of classic, more top-down oriented types of leadership (e.g., Andersen et al., 2018; Caillier, 2020).”
Hue, T. H. H., Tran, M., Thai, H. V., & Tran, T.-V. (2025) · International Journal of Public Administration · doi:10.1080/01900692.2024.2436570 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“…et al., 2016, 2020; Ugaddan & Park, 2017), the focus has primarily been on transformational and transactional leadership, with additional emphasis on ethical, servant, and quality leadership (Andersen et al., 2018; Caillier, 2015; Shim & Park, 2019; Ugaddan & Park, 2017; Wright et al., 2016).”
InfluentialSancino, A., Rizzo, A., Corvo, L., et al. (2025) · Governance and public management · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-94878-7_20 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Sheena, D., Benoliel, P. S., & Berkovich, I. (2025) · Frontiers in Education · doi:10.3389/feduc.2025.1576165 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Yang, S. G. (2025) · Public Personnel Management · doi:10.1177/00910260251366450 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Mikuła, Ł., & Kaczmarek, T. (2025) · Regional Studies · doi:10.1080/00343404.2025.2546979 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
(2021) · Advances in finance, accounting, and economics book series · doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-6424-0.ch003 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Utami, I. R., Putranto, R. A., & Agustina, I. (2022) · Wiga Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Ekonomi · doi:10.30741/wiga.v12i4.920 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Public Service Motivation and Servant Leadership
Roberts, G. E. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-01323-2_92 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Adedayo, O., & Fashola, T. M. (2024) · OALib · doi:10.4236/oalib.1111796 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“As a definition, employee job satisfaction refers to the contentment an employee fills on the job [10] [11].”
Antecedent and Outcome of Public Service Motivation at Public Sector Employees: A Systematic Review
Ryan, D. T., & Khatimah, K. (2023) · International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews · doi:10.55248/gengpi.2023.4228 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
(2023) · Quality - Access to Success · doi:10.47750/qas/24.194.12 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Fareed, M. Z., Su, Q., Naqvi, N. A., Fareed, M. M. S., & Ahmed, G. (2025) · Engineering Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10429247.2025.2511433 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“The transformational leader tries to (a) articulate the organization’s objectives as anticipated for the future (vision), (b) share this comprehension of the organization’s objectives with employees, and (c) reassure the vision in the long term (Andersen et al., 2016; Jensen et al., 2016).”
Bernards, B., & Schmidt, E. (2025) · Review of Public Personnel Administration · doi:10.1177/0734371x251379498 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Leading intra-organizational collaboration among public employees: a mixed methods study
Kjeldsen, A. M., Bjørnholt, B., & Lund, C. S. (2025) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967494.2025.2571622 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Leader's Role in Motivating Public Sector Workers
Meeks, & James, B. (2020) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Rocha, A. R., & Gonçalves, W. (2022) · Revista Brasileira de Política e Administração da Educação - Periódico científico editado pela ANPAE · doi:10.21573/vol38n12022.110703 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Pratiwi, R., Putra, Y. D., & Iswati, I. (2022) · Quantitative Economics and Management Studies · doi:10.35877/454ri.qems974 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Research has connected transformational leadership to several outcome factors, such as motivation (Andersen et al., 2018; Deschamps et al., 2016; Lin et al., 2016).”
BackgroundInfluence of Transformational Leadership and Work Motivation on Employee Performance
Safitri, I., & Nurhadian, A. F. (2023) · Jurnal Ekonomi Bisnis & Entrepreneurship · doi:10.55208/jebe.v17i1.338 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Larsen, T. (2019) · International Journal of Public and Private Perspectives on Healthcare Culture and the Environment · doi:10.4018/ijppphce.2020010102
Cook, O. K. (2022) · Advancing Women in Leadership Journal · doi:10.21423/awlj-v41.a418 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
PREDICTING LEADERSHIP STYLES BASED ON ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION
Milinković, I., & Kovačević, I. (2020) · Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews · doi:10.18510/hssr.2020.84110
“Other researches also agree with the assumption that transformational leaders work to clarify and share a vision with their employees which is expected to result in increased employee motivation (Andersen et al., 2016).”
ResultInfluentialTarwiyah, I. R., Rinawati, N., Resawati, R., et al. (2020) · Majalah Bisnis & IPTEK · doi:10.55208/bistek.v14i1.221
Rocha, A. R., & Gonçalves, W. (2022) · Revista Brasileira de Política e Administração da Educação - Periódico científico editado pela ANPAE · doi:10.21573/vol1n012022.110703
Public Service Motivation and Servant Leadership
Roberts, G. E. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-69802-7_92-1
Ripoll, G. (2022) · Revue Internationale des Sciences Administratives · doi:10.3917/risa.881.0049
Ramírez, Y., & Tejada, A. (2022) · Revue Internationale des Sciences Administratives · doi:10.3917/risa.881.0145
Rohman, M. B. (2021) · Jurnal Ilmiah Bimbingan Konseling Undiksha · doi:10.23887/jibk.v12i3.38820
Leadership practices in NJ state mandated preschools
Holtje, N. A. (2022) · doi:10.17760/d20467327
Leadership and Motivation Interrelationship in Public Sector Enterprises
Singh, A., & Sudha, S. (2023) · Practice, progress, and proficiency in sustainability · doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-9711-1.ch005
Khan, F. A. K. F. A. (2023) · Theory Methodology Practice · doi:10.18096/tmp.2023.01.02 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Tanjung, H., Salleh, N. S. N. M., & Pradesa, H. A. (2023) · International Journal of Social Science and Business · doi:10.23887/ijssb.v7i4.49540
“…service motivation were conformable with previous research; specifically, the results supported previous findings that a good leader often managing public organization could foster relatively high motivation for service to the public (Andersen et al., 2018; Belrhiti et al., 2020; Caillier, 2014).”
ResultArslan, M. (2022) · Akademisyen Kitabevi eBooks · doi:10.37609/akya.1863 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Leadership in Organizations and the PR Department Work Quality
Terek, E., Kavalić, M., Kovačić, S., et al. (2024) · Management Journal of Sustainable Business and Management Solutions in Emerging Economies · doi:10.7595/management.fon.2024.0001
Leadership positif et satisfaction professionnelle à la Cour des comptes européenne
Umans, T., Argento, D., Grossi, G., & Mattei, G. (2024) · Revue Internationale des Sciences Administratives · doi:10.3917/risa.902.0397
Local leadership in Kashmir: navigating the issues of diversity and compatibility
Bhat, M. A., Ganayee, S. A., & Jahangir, M. S. (2024) · International Journal of Public Leadership · doi:10.1108/ijpl-05-2024-0045
Ebbrecht, C. K., Fuglsang, S., & Ladegaard, C. W. (2021) · CFA Scientific Reports · doi:10.7146/cfasr.v12i1.151877
“(Andersen et al., 2016: 113).”
InfluentialHoang, T. C., & Tran, Y. T. T. (2025) · Revue Internationale des Sciences Administratives · doi:10.3917/risa.904.0763
Tangsgaard, E. R., & Grøn, C. H. (2026) · Public Performance & Management Review · doi:10.1080/15309576.2026.2619461
“Frontline managers are primarily responsible for a well-functioning service provision, which includes transforming and implementing policies into output (Grattet & Jenness, 2005) and supporting employees’ basic needs and motivation (Andersen et al., 2018b; Mikkelsen et al., 2017).”
Managerial Functions and Public Service Motivation Among Early-Career Public Servants
Kim, S. (2026) · Public Personnel Management · doi:10.1177/00910260261421584
“This includes encouragement, recognition, and care for subordinates’ well-being and professional development (Andersen et al., 2018; Camilleri, 2007; Schwarz et al., 2016).”
Liu, Z., Luo, H., Xu, F., Ding, J., & Zhang, Y. (2026) · Journal of Asian Public Policy · doi:10.1080/17516234.2026.2643303
Leader credibility: conceptualization and measurement for public management research
van Luttervelt, M. P. (2026) · International Public Management Journal · doi:10.1080/10967494.2026.2674548
Cameron, B. T. (2026) · International Journal of Public Leadership · doi:10.1108/ijpl-04-2026-0072
- Authors
- Andersen, L. B., Bjørnholt, B., Bro, L. L., & Holm-Petersen, C.
- Affiliations
- Aarhus University (DK)
- KORA – Danish Institute for Local and Regional Government, Denmark
- KORA - Danish Institute for Local and Regional Government, Denmark
- Corresponding author
- Andersen, Lotte Bøgh
- Venue
- International Review of Administrative Sciences
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-09-05
- Volume
- 84
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 675-691
- ISSN
- 0020-8523 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7226
- OpenAlex
- W2513609312
- Semantic Scholar
- 15039caddf61a613d5c650820de77135e6dde00f
- Cited by
- 89
- References
- 43
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 9.60
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- pure.au.dk
- Locations
- International Review of Administrative Sciences (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 › Political Science and International Relations › Public Administration and Political Analysis
- Keywords
- transformational leadership, public service motivation, organizational vision, daycare centers, paternalism, employee motivation, leadership and motivation
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