Attraction and Attrition: Integrating Insights from PSM, SOC, SOC-R and Excitement Motivation

We know that Public Service Motivation (PSM) matter to attraction, selection and attrition to public sector jobs (Andersen & Pedersen, 2012; Kjeldsen & Jacobsen, 2013; Wright & Christensen, 2010), as well as to performance and behavioral outcomes in public organizations (Andersen, Heinesen, & Pedersen, 2016; Bellé, 2013; Jensen & Vestergaard, 2017). It is also well known that different motivational forms interact and exist simultaneously (Rainey, 2014, Chapter 9). We still need to find out how PSM integrates with concepts from related disciplines. In particular, there is a need to investigate how different motivational forms are at play in different phases of the recruitment process. Putting a lot of effort into recruitment of employees with high PSM is less fruitful, if the employees de-recruit rapidly again if the need for job-fit is not met (Christensen & Wright, 2011). Therefore, we need to expand our knowledge on how different motivational forms matter in different phases of the recruitment process. Thus, the research question in this paper is how the importance of different motivational forms vary in the process of attraction, selection and attrition. The empirical contribution of the paper is to extend the analysis of motivation, recruitment and de-recruitment to an extreme setting in order to discuss the potential motivational forms have for improving public service provision under extreme conditions. The theoretical contribution is to compare and contrast public service motivation with related theoretical concepts in psychology most notably excitement motivation and SOC-R in order to discuss how this can expand the frontier in which PSM may operate in relation to the ASAmodel. By evaluating PSM within the broader theoretical constructs on motivation and experiences of communities we aim to clarify the utility of PSM within a broader landscape of knowledge on career choice and organizational behavior.