Rebalancing the public sector equation in Tanzania: The influence of internal marketing strategies in enhancing public service delivery through employee motivation and attitudinal alignment

This study examined the influence of internal marketing practices (strategies) in enhancing public service delivery through employee motivation, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment in Tanzanian public institutions. Despite decades of reforms, service inefficiencies persist due to a limited focus on internal workforce support. The targeted population was all public servants who were working in public institutions in Tanzania. Guided by the Services Marketing Triangle Model, the study employed a cross-sectional design with a sample of 443 pensionable public servants selected through convenience sampling from eight regions. Data were collected via structured questionnaires and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that internal marketing practices significantly impact employee motivation (β = 0.033, p < 0.001), job satisfaction (β = 0.030, p < 0.001), and organizational commitment (β = 0.031, p < 0.001), leading to improved service delivery performance (β = 0.033, p < 0.001). Indirect effects confirm that internal marketing enhances performance through motivation, satisfaction, and commitment, highlighting the importance of internal strategies for service quality in Tanzanian public institutions. The study concludes that internal marketing is a critical, yet underutilized, strategy for sustainable public service improvement. The study thus recommends integrating internal marketing into HR policies, rebalancing reforms to include employees’ support, and incorporating internal marketing indicators into performance evaluations. Theoretically, the study extends the Services Marketing Triangle to public sector contexts, offering empirical insights and actionable strategies for institutional and policy-level reforms in Tanzania.