Supervision and assessment mechanisms and work performance among rural public servants: the mediating role of public service motivation and the moderating effect of red tape

Background Village-assigned officials play a pivotal role in advancing rural revitalization and implementing policy at the grassroots level. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates how supervision and assessment mechanisms (SAM) affect work performance by examining the mediating role of public service motivation (PSM) and the moderating effect of red tape. By integrating motivational and institutional perspectives, this study provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying performance management in public administrations. Methods Data were collected from 354 village-assigned officials in two counties and two county-level cities under the jurisdiction of City C in Shandong Province, China, through a formal online survey conducted between May and June 2026. Mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using Mplus. Results Supervision and assessment mechanisms had a significant influence on PSM, which in turn positively affected the level of work performance. Red tape moderated the effect of supervision and assessment mechanisms on PSM. Specifically, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that red tape moderated the positive indirect effect of supervision and assessment mechanisms on work performance through PSM so that the indirect effect decreased with increasing red tape. Conclusion Supervision and assessment mechanisms significantly improve rural public servants’ work performance, with public service motivation serving as a key mediator. However, red tape undermines these motivational benefits. Public organizations should strive to attenuate the degree of red tape that public servants feel and experience to elicit public service motivation, thereby enhancing work performance and strengthening grassroots governance effectiveness.