Myung H. Jin

Consequences of Work-Related Emotions: Analysis of a Cross-Section of Public Service Workers

In this article we investigate the influence of emotional labor on job satisfaction and burnout across a range of public service occupations. While prior studies in this genre have primarily focused on human services, occupations in this analysis range from routine clerical interactions to emotionally intense first-responder jobs. Despite this range, structural equation modeling shows that (a) emotion work increases job satisfaction as well as burnout; (b) emotive skills lead to an upsurge in job satisfaction and are inversely associated with burnout; and (c) the deleterious effect of emotional labor mainly occurs not with its performance, per se, but when workers must fake their feelings. It is this circumstance that produces an elevated risk of burnout.

Public Service Motivation: A Cross-Country Study

This article addresses the relevance of public sector motivation (PSM) among unemployed workers. Despite the growing research interest among many public management and human resource management (HRM) scholars in employment choice, efforts to understand the “working minds” and motivational factors among the unemployed in their pursuit of a future career choice have been almost non-existent in HR scholarship in the public sector, which is critical considering the growing number of unemployed workers both domestically and internationally. Using data from the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) on Work Orientation modules in 1997 and 2005, this article examines the effects of public service motivation and rewards-based motivation on career decisions among the unemployed in seven countries. Findings indicate that while PSM and extrinsic rewards are positive and significant predictors of choosing to work in the public sector, intrinsic rewards were shown to be in a reversed relationship. Results also indicated that respondents whose previous jobs ended either in dismissal or due to family responsibilities were less likely to choose employment in the public sector compared to those whose previous job ended primarily due to retirement. Implications are discussed.

How Emotional Labor Influences Worker Pride, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout: An Examination of Consumer Complaint Workers

Emotional labor—that is, work that requires public employees to be emotionally engaged with citizens—is an emerging issue on the performance front. By examining a state agency whose primary goal is to resolve consumer complaints, this paper analyzes the conditions under which emotional labor influences three work outcomes that affect performance: job satisfaction, pride in work, and burnout. Results indicate that the performance of emotional labor is self-motivating and contributes to pride in work and to job satisfaction, just as it does in more emotionally intense jobs such as emergency services and law enforcement. We conclude that managing affect is central to program success whenever workers must interact with citizens, regardless of the emotional intensity of the work.

Person-Organization Fit and Turnover Intention: Exploring the Mediating Role of Employee Followership and Job Satisfaction Through Conservation of Resources Theory

This study examines the mediating role of employee followership and job satisfaction in the relationship between person–organization (P-O) fit and turnover intention. Understanding the mechanisms that link P-O fit and turnover intention may provide useful intervention strategies for leaders and human resource professionals to effectively manage and interact with their followers. Using Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory, we explore a three-step mediation model in which high P-O fit is related to turnover intention through employee followership and job satisfaction. This model is tested using cross-sectional survey responses from 692 faculty at an urban public university. The authors discuss the implications of the results as well as the limitations of the study for future research.

Followership and job satisfaction in the public sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explicate the role of followership behavior on employee job satisfaction as well as the conditions that may moderate its impact. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a large n survey data from federal agencies and investigates an additive moderation model in which two situational factors, perceived supervisor support (PSS) and performance-oriented culture (POC), interact with followership behavior. Findings – Employees high on active followership perceived greater job satisfaction when PSS was high, rather than low. On the other hand, employees high on active followership perceived greater job satisfaction when POC was low, rather than high. Research limitations/implications – This is, to the knowledge, the first empirical study based on a cross-sectional survey that tests how the effects of active followership on employee job satisfaction may vary depending on the different types of situational factors. As such, more studies are needed to validate the ca...

Comparing Employed and Unemployed Workers' Job Motivations for Sector Choice in East Asia: Does Employment Status Matter?

This article seeks to extend the understanding of the varying nature of job motivations on choosing public sector employment by comparing the two different groups of people—the employed and the unemployed—in the context of East Asia. Utilizing a subset of data from the International Social Survey Program on Work Orientation module in 2005, this article examines how eight job motivational aspects correlate with the choice between public and private sector employment. Major findings indicate that there are significant differences in job motivations between people of different employment status. Moreover, public service motivation was a not a significant factor of sector choice for the unemployed workers, compared to the employed workers who cited job usefulness to society as a reason to join the public sector employment. Practical implications are presented at the end of the article.

Understanding Employee Engagement in the Public Sector The Role of Immediate Supervisor, Perceived Organizational Support, and Learning Opportunities

Supervisor support is often argued to be a meaningful predictor of employee engagement; however, existing research has yet to fully support this hypothesis. Drawing from the research on social exchange theory, organizational support theory, and job characteristics model, this study investigates the mediating role of perceived organizational support in the link between supervisor support and employee engagement. How this mediating effect might be moderated by learning opportunities in the job is also considered. Data from a sample of 1,251 employees from state and local government agencies show that supervisor support affects employee engagement both directly and indirectly through its influence on perceived organizational support. In turn, this influences the variance in employee engagement. Results further show that the path linking supervisor support to organizational support is moderated by learning opportunities, such that the positive relationships become invigorated among individuals who reported having opportunities to learn and grow in their job.

Does leadership matter in diversity management? Assessing the relative impact of diversity policy and inclusive leadership in the public sector

Purpose While prior research has emphasized the importance of diversity management for the betterment of future workforce, the role of managerial actors in leading the diversity management movement has not been substantiated. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of managers in practicing diversity management and the extent to which inclusive leadership affects employee performance. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on a large survey data (n=415,696) with a representative sample of employees in federal government in the USA. Findings The quantitative results show that diversity policy alone predicts performance less strongly for employees of racial minority than for whites. In contrast, the study finds that inclusive leadership predicts performance more strongly for nonwhites. Research limitations/implications The embodied approach to diversity management proposed in this paper expands the understanding of diversity management research by exploring the interaction effect between diversity policy and diversity leadership. Practical implications The paper is unique in proposing an interaction effect between diversity policy and diversity leadership in managing diversity. Social implications Previous studies in the literature surprisingly neglected to take into account the role of leader behavior in managing diversity. As the study shows the significant moderating role of diversity leadership in diversity management, organizational leaders are encouraged to critically assess and provide training for those team leaders and middle level managers to promote diversity in the workplace. Originality/value This is the first empirical study to distinguish and examine the relative impact of diversity policy and inclusive leadership on employee performance in the public sector.

Does Public Service Motivation Matter in Public Higher Education? Testing the Theories of Person–Organization Fit and Organizational Commitment Through a Serial Multiple Mediation Model

To address some of the inconsistencies in the literature regarding links between public service motivation (PSM) and individual performance, this study proposes and tests a three-path mediation model in public higher education in which the relationship is mediated by person–organization fit (P-O fit) and organizational commitment (OC) in serial. Based on a sample of 692 faculty at an urban public university, we find that P-O fit and OC as a causal chain mediate the relationship between PSM and organizational citizenship behavior and that this mediated relationship varies depending on the specific context of the performance dimensions. While PSM has positive influence on service through its effect on P-O fit and OC in serial, the results indicate an indirect negative effect on research productivity and no association with teaching. The results regarding both direct and indirect effects further reveal that the directions and significance of the relationships can vary depending on how performance is conceptualized.

Making public service motivation count for increasing organizational fit: The role of followership behavior and leader support as a causal mechanism

Many studies in public administration have modeled employees’ person–organization fit perceptions as a function of public service motivation, but previous work has not adequately addressed the causal relationship between these concepts. This article represents the first attempt to explain the “black box” that links public service motivation to person–organization fit. Given the various positive benefits associated with person–organization fit in the literature, an understanding of the mechanisms that underpin its relationship with public service motivation has important managerial implications for leaders regarding their interactions with individual employees. Extending the work-based affect model designed by Yu, we explore how PSM increases person–organization fit perceptions through employee followership and leader support as a potential causal chain. The results from a survey of 692 faculty members at a public university are consistent with the predicted three-path mediation model. Among these respondents, higher levels of public service motivation were associated with greater followership behavior, which, in turn, increased positive perceptions of person–organization fit through greater leader support. Points for practitioners This study suggests that having high levels of motivation to serve the public (i.e. public service motivation) does not directly influence how one perceives his or her fit with the organization. Instead, high public service motivation was associated with person–organization fit indirectly through its influence on active followership behaviors. Managerial actors are thus encouraged to pursue open communications with their subordinates to maintain high levels of public service motivation.