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Harnessing Sustainable Motivation: A Grounded Theory Exploration of Public Service Motivation in Local Governments of the State of Oregon, United States

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  • Sajjad Haider

    (School of Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
    Department of Business Management, Karakoram International University, Gilgit-Baltistan 15100, Pakistan)

  • Guoxian Bao

    (School of Management, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China)

  • Gary L. Larsen

    (Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207, USA)

  • Muhammad Umar Draz

    (Department of Management and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Malaysia)

Abstract

Employee motivation has always been a matter of concern for both public and private sector organizations. Since the industrial revolution in the late 18th century, organizations have struggled to foster workforce motivation and morale to enhance productivity. While a plethora of literature focuses on private sector motivation research, public sector organizations receive only modest scholarly attention. However, a new concept has emerged in public management literature during the late 1980s and 1990s, later known as public service motivation (PSM). The debate about PSM is premised on the notion that the motivation of public sector employees is quite different from their private sector counterparts because of their orientation to public service. Perry and Wise (1990) expressed this concept in the theory of PSM. Subsequently, a growing stream of scholarship has emerged which explores the many aspects of antecedents and outcomes related to PSM. However, questions remain about how to best keep the motivation of public sector employees sustainably high, and about what factors embolden or enervate the motivation and morale of public sector employees. This study focuses on the sustainable work motivation of local government employees. Its arguments and discussions draw from PSM theory, total quality management (TQM) principles, and inspiration from Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study examines and attempts to uncover the career trajectories of local government employees in the State of Oregon, United States, through a rigorous grounded theory method (GTM) of inquiry. The study reveals a number of factors that facilitate and/or inhibit employees’ PSM. We expect the findings to be useful for both practitioners and government human resource policymakers in understanding the subtlety and vicissitudes of public sector employee careers and motivations.

Suggested Citation

  • Sajjad Haider & Guoxian Bao & Gary L. Larsen & Muhammad Umar Draz, 2019. "Harnessing Sustainable Motivation: A Grounded Theory Exploration of Public Service Motivation in Local Governments of the State of Oregon, United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-30, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:11:p:3105-:d:236409
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mueller,Dennis C., 2003. "Public Choice III," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521894753.
    2. Cheouljoo Lee & Seoyong Kim, 2014. "Making the quality of government better: the possibility of public service motivation (PSM) change," International Review of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(2), pages 107-125, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Gonçalo Santinha & Teresa Carvalho & Teresa Forte & Alexandre Fernandes & Jéssica Tavares, 2021. "Profiling Public Sector Choice: Perceptions and Motivational Determinants at the Pre-Entry Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-15, January.
    2. María Deseada López Subires & Laura Alcaide Muñoz & Andrés Navarro Galera & Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar, 2019. "The Influence of Socio-Demographic Factors on Financial Sustainability of Public Services: A Comparative Analysis in Regional Governments and Local Governments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Silvia ANGHEL-VLAD & Elena CIZMAS, 2020. "The Impact of Human Resources Management and Technical Investments on Operations Management Performance at SC Arabesque SRL Company," REVISTA DE MANAGEMENT COMPARAT INTERNATIONAL/REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MANAGEMENT, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 21(3), pages 373-389, July.
    4. Martina Blašková & Dominika Tumová & Rudolf Blaško & Justyna Majchrzak-Lepczyk, 2021. "Spirals of Sustainable Academic Motivation, Creativity, and Trust of Higher Education Staff," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-25, June.

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