Antecedents affecting public service motivation

Purpose The purpose of this article is to examine various antecedents to establish their effect on public service motivation (PSM) and its four dimensions. Design/methodology/approach Five categories of antecedents were examined these included: personal attributes, role states, job characteristics, employee‐leader relations, and employee perception of the organisation. Results were obtained through: structural equation modelling for the examination of multiple relationships between PSM and its dimensions, and the antecedents; and ANOVA for testing the individual hypotheses. Findings This study provides some evidence to show that the PSM of public employees is mainly the result of the organisational environment surrounding them. The motivational context variables particularly those related to the organisational setting are the most dominant predictors of the PSM dimensions. Research limitations/implications The empirical results presented in this study should be viewed as preliminary that necessitate further extensive empirical research. Practical implications The findings suggest that public sector management has the task of creating a proper and appropriate climate for its employees. Furthermore, PSM has generated particular interest because it is perceived or assumed to have a positive impact on the job behaviour of individuals in particular, job satisfaction and fulfilment, and their respective level of performance. It is therefore important that public sector organisations find ways of encouraging PSM amongst its employees. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature regarding PSM by examining the relationship between dominant antecedents and the dimensions of PSM, and presents the findings as a model to show the dynamics in these relationships.