On Public Service Motivation and Its Enhancing Strategies after Civil Service Pension Reform in Taiwan
Chunta Lee
Abstract
When discussing public service motivation (PSM), one of the core issues is whether it is a personality trait or a state of mind. A personality trait is a stable characteristic of an individual that is consistent in all situations at all time. However, a state of mind is a transient characteristic that can change over time in different situations. If PSM is a consistent trait, civil service PSM would not be changed by pension reform. If PSM is a transient state, the impacts of pension reform may lower civil service PSM. For personality trait cases, the promotion strategies for PSM need to redesign procedure of human resources management to recruit applicants with PSM and provide on-the-job training by emphasizing work value and meaning. On the other hand, the promotion strategies for state of mind cases are creating a supporting organization environment, integrating commitments, visions and leaderships of public organizations, and building the legitimacy of public service recognized by society.
Keywords: pension reform, public service motivation, motivation