Leadership roles, organizational support, and public service motivation among public sector employees: A mediation model

As public governance grows more complex, public organizations are increasingly focused on enhancing employee behaviors that improve service quality, with public service motivation being a key area of interest. While leadership is known to influence public service motivation, limited constructs and the exclusion of organizational support as a predictor indicate a need for further research. This study explores the relationship between public leadership roles, perceived organizational support, and public service motivation among 150 public sector employees in a Philippine province. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected through an online survey with adapted questionnaires. Results show high public leadership ratings for supervisors, moderate perceived organizational support, and high public service motivation. Attraction to policymaking emerged as a major factor in public service motivation. Accountability leadership was the strongest predictor of perceived organizational support, while network governance leadership best predicted public service motivation. Although perceived organizational support positively correlated with leadership and public service motivation, it did not act as a mediator, suggesting the non-applicability of the reciprocity concept from a social exchange perspective. Additional factors such as social group identification and the opportunity to serve point toward a new perspective on public service motivation, emphasizing social belongingness and purpose.