Network Centrality and Public Service Motivation: The Medium of Organizational Commitment

Abstract

Based on social network theory, this paper studies the mechanism of betweenness centrality on public service motivation and how this influence is mediated by organizational commitment. The theory of public service motivation, as a product of the crisis of Western social government, has attracted a lot of academic interest because of its completely different ideas. In the subsequent development, it has become a parallel with Weber's bureaucratic theory, representative bureaucracy, and public choice theory. One of the four theoretical schools that describe bureaucratic behavior. As an emerging topic in the field of public management research, in-depth study of public service motivation not only helps to select a qualified civil service, but also helps to better improve public service motivation in the public sector and accelerate service-oriented government construction pace. Through a questionnaire survey of 206 public sector members, the empirical analysis shows that the higher the betweenness are, the more motivated individuals are. In addition, the organization promises to play an intermediary role between the betweenness centrality and public service motivation. The article's research conclusions, from the point of view of social network theory, enrich the angle and strength of interpretation of public service motivation, and also provide new ideas for the future public sector to further enhance the public service motivation of the organization members.

Keywords:public service motivation, betweenness centrality, organizational commitment