Title: HRM practices sustaining PSM: when values congruency matters

Authors: David Giauque; Simon Anderfuhren-Biget; Frédéric Varone

Addresses: University of Lausanne, IEPI, Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland ' University of Geneva, 40, bvd Pont-d'Arve, 1211 Genève, Switzerland ' University of Geneva, 40, bvd Pont-d'Arve, 1211 Genève, Switzerland

Abstract: This study aims at identifying the organisational antecedents of public service motivation (PSM). It focuses on human resources management (HRM) practices as one category of organisational factors that impact on PSM. Concretely, this research questions how intrinsic and extrinsic HRM practices are related to PSM and whether these relationships are direct or mediated by person-organisation (P-O) fit. The empirical findings are based on a survey of 6,885 civil servants working in Switzerland. Regression analyses highlight that intrinsic HRM practices are positively related to PSM, whereas extrinsic ones are negatively related to PSM. Furthermore, mediation tests shows that only the intrinsic HRM practices are mediated by PO fit. Thus, civil servants who value intrinsic work incentives maintain a high PSM level when they perceive congruence between their individual expectations and the values of their organisation.

Keywords: public service motivation; PSM; human resource management; HRM; intrinsic incentives; extrinsic incentives; person-organisation fit; value congruency; civil servants; Switzerland; individual expectations; organisational values.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPSPM.2015.067812

International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 2015 Vol.2 No.3, pp.202 - 220

Published online: 05 Mar 2015 *

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