Public service motivation and job satisfaction: The role of social support during crisis

Abstract

Research background: Different crises (COVID-19 pandemic, war, natural disasters etc.) usually require new ways for providing public services to the citizens and, from this, to reinterpret and adjust the role of the public servant as the strategic key for assuring the continuity of the governance at all levels. Purpose of the article: The article establishes a relationship between the public service motivation dimension and job satisfaction aimed to analyze the mediating role of social support in a crisis. Methods: The standardized questionnaires, i.e. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Work Design Questionnaire, and Perry’s PSM scale, were used to observe variables in the research model. An exploratory factor analysis was used before hypothesis testing. We deployed a structural equation modelling (SEM), as a multivariate technique, to test and evaluate multivariate causal relationships between constructs. Findings & value added: Based on a sample of selected Central and East European countries (namely Poland, Romania, and Serbia), the study confirms the significant impact of social support on the relationship between self-sacrifice and compassion, as a public service motivation dimension, and extrinsic job satisfaction and intrinsic job satisfaction. Social support received from colleagues and supervisor is identified as a powerful non-monetary means of neutralizing negative effects during crises and increasing job satisfaction.