Abstract

This study examined the influence of Public Service Motivation (PSM) and Transformational Leadership (TL) on Organizational Commitment (OC) among government employees. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and data were collected from 367 civil servants across selected ministries using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analyses were employed to analyze the data. The findings revealed high levels of public service motivation, perceptions of transformational leadership, and organizational commitment among respondents. Correlation analysis indicated significant positive relationships between PSM and OC (r = 0.58, p < 0.01) and between TL and OC (r = 0.60, p < 0.01). Regression results showed that both PSM (Ξ² = 0.35, p < 0.001) and TL (Ξ² = 0.41, p < 0.001) significantly predicted organizational commitment, jointly explaining 53% of the variance (RΒ² = 0.53). Transformational leadership exerted a slightly stronger influence on organizational commitment than public service motivation. Further analysis revealed that the dimensions of transformational leadership differentially predicted components of organizational commitment: idealized influence predicted normative commitment, inspirational motivation and individualized consideration predicted affective commitment, while intellectual stimulation predicted continuance commitment. The findings suggest that intrinsically motivated employees who work under transformational leaders are more likely to develop stronger attachment and loyalty to their organizations. The study highlights the importance of promoting public service values and strengthening transformational leadership practices to enhance employee commitment and improve effectiveness within the public sector.

Keywords

  • Public Service Motivation
  • Transformational Leadership
  • Organizational Commitment
  • Government Employees
  • Public Sector Leadership

References

  1. Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2004). Multifactor leadership questionnaire: Manual and sampler set (3rd ed.). Mind Garden.
  2. Banks, G. C., McCauley, K. D., Gardner, W. L., & Guler, C. E. (2018). A meta‐analytic review of authentic and transformational leadership: A test for redundancy. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(1), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.02.006
  3. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
  4. Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Sage Publications.
  5. Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. Harper & Row.
  6. Caillier, J. G. (2020). Do transformational-oriented leadership and transactional-oriented leadership have an impact on perceived organizational performance? Public Organization Review, 20(4), 641–655. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-019-00447-0
  7. Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  8. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
  9. Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
  10. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
  11. Jensen, U. T., Andersen, L. B., & Holten, A.-L. (2019). Explaining a dark side: Public service motivation, performance, and burnout. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 29(4), 634–650. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muz010
  12. Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30(3), 607–610. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308
  13. Likert, R. (1932). A technique for the measurement of attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 140, 1–55.
  14. Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-Z
  15. Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
  16. Ohemeng, F. L. K. (2011). Institutionalizing the performance management system in public organizations in Ghana. Public Performance & Management Review, 34(4), 467–488.
  17. Olowu, D. (2002). Human resource management in Africa: Challenges and opportunities. Public Administration and Development, 22(3), 199–205.
  18. Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
  19. Perry, J. L. (1996). Measuring public service motivation: An assessment of construct reliability and validity. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 6(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jpart.a024303
  20. Perry, J. L., & Wise, L. R. (1990). The motivational bases of public service. Public Administration Review, 50(3), 367–373. https://doi.org/10.2307/976618
  21. Ritz, A., Brewer, G. A., & Neumann, O. (2016). Public service motivation: A systematic literature review and outlook. Public Administration Review, 76(3), 414–426. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12505
  22. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson.
  23. Vandenabeele, W. (2014). Explaining public service motivation: The role of leadership and basic needs satisfaction. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 34(2), 153–173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X14521458
  24. Vandenabeele, W., & Jager, S. C. (2020). Government calling: Public service motivation as an element in selecting government as an employer of choice. Public Administration, 98(4), 1089–1105. https://doi.org/10.1111/padm.12619
  25. Wright, B. E., Moynihan, D. P., & Pandey, S. K. (2012). Pulling the levers: Transformational leadership, public service motivation, and mission valence. Public Administration Review, 72(2), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2011.02496.x