Organizational Behavior Employees in Public Sector Organization

Organizational Behavior

Employees in public sector organization are known to be -- and in many instances expected to be -- more flexible and more committed when it comes to putting in extra hours and extra effort to complete important assignments for the organization and the community. That concept is believed to be true because public sector organizations are more focused on the betterment of the community rather than on profit, power, or prestige for individual employees.

This concept is fully explored in an article published by the Journal of Business Ethics. The authors Rayner, et al., point out that when employees go "the extra mile" and do positive things for the organization it is referred to as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). And when it comes to those working in public sector organizations, there is a "public service ethos" which embraces the ideas of "…service, duty and obligation" (Rayner, 2012, p. 118). In fact, public service ethos is an "umbrella term" used to point out the differences between people working in the public sector vs. those in the private sector (Rayner, 120).

The authors (118) argue that in general, public sector employees are "…more altruistic and pro-socially oriented than those employed in the private sector," and hence the leadership in some public sector organizations have instituted reforms that attempt to take advantage of the kindly, altruistic worker. Those reforms include "financial incentives" and "management control" that may "crowd out" the gut-level motivation of private sector employees.

The research presented in this article measured the three dimensions of public service ethos (public service beliefs; public service practices; and public interest). Empirical findings reflect that those involved with the public service ethos "uniquely predict OCB" and that the behavior of public service practitioners is more connected to individuals in the community than the organization for which the public service individual is linked to.

Reflection

It is true as a general rule that individuals involved in nonprofit organizations (or, "public sector" organization such as social service components of local and county governments) are not there for the money or the prestige. The individuals that have taken positions with public sector organizations are generally there because they believe in the services that are being provided, and in many cases, they are committed to social change. Hence, it should come as no surprise that these employees of nonprofits and public sector organizations are willing to go "the extra mile" to provide the important services communities need.

Even though public sector workers are willing to work overtime or go beyond their job descriptions to make sure certain important services are provided, they should not be squeezed by bosses and government oversight committees. Some of the public sector issues raised in this article point out that altruistic workers can be taken advantage of because they are "true believers" and their social commitments are powerful. Hence, they sometimes are paid less than they should be paid, and given thankless tasks that take them away from their more vital functions as described in their job descriptions.