Working in the public sector implies the need to make decisions in the face of dilemmas. As consistent decision-making is highly desirable for organizational performance, the question arises: what... Show moreWorking in the public sector implies the need to make decisions in the face of dilemmas. As consistent decision-making is highly desirable for organizational performance, the question arises: what do public service professionals base their decisions on? This study aims to increase our understanding of whether public service motivation and professional role identity are useful concepts by which to predict what decisions public service professionals will make in complex situations. Using survey data, this research investigates the impact of these two concepts on the decision-making of veterinary inspectors working at the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. The results support the hypothesis that decision-making is influenced by the way in which veterinary inspectors interpret their professional role. Public service motivation, in contrast, seems to have neither a direct nor a moderating effect on decision-making in the context of dilemma situations.Points for practitioners Two important conclusions of this study are of interest for managers working with professionals. Our findings should urge them to consider the different views that employees have about their job when teams are formed or when specific combinations of tasks are assigned. For example, attention should be paid to the question of which mixture of professional role identities is most suitable to accomplish organizational objectives. Second, the construct of public service motivation can be used by human resource managers to assess whether public professionals are motivated to provide public services. However, the results also indicate that the operationalization of public service motivation needs to be adapted to the professional context of public service providers. Show less
The understanding of co-production as a concept is fragmented; there are many different definitions and many cases are labeled co-production. Two dimensions seem to be important in most definitions... Show moreThe understanding of co-production as a concept is fragmented; there are many different definitions and many cases are labeled co-production. Two dimensions seem to be important in most definitions: the ability of the co-producer to self-produce or to produce the same product without input from others and the extent to which co-producers’ participation is voluntary. Based on these dimensions, this article develops a typology of co-production. It is shown that cases in which involuntariness is combined with a high ability of self-production are rare. This article contributes to the literature by studying such a case, namely Dutch food safety services. Show less
On the first day at a new job, you have sweaty palms, nerves race through your system, and you feel insecure. Now, a couple of months later these feelings have left. You know what to do in... Show more On the first day at a new job, you have sweaty palms, nerves race through your system, and you feel insecure. Now, a couple of months later these feelings have left. You know what to do in your new role and have become part of the organization. The process leading to this result is called organizational socialization. But how did it happen? What did you learn? Where and from whom did you get the information? Studying the case of Dutch veterinary inspectors, using a mixed methods design, this research tries to increase our understanding of the dynamics underlying the organizational socialization process. Does it matter when public professionals spent most of their time outside the organization? Do external actors influence the organizational socialization process? What role do organizational level strategies play in the individual socialization process of public service professionals? What do public professionals learn from their interactions with colleagues? This study concludes that learning is not the only way employees adjust to ther new working environment. Equally important is the perception of being supported by the organization. Show less
In public service motivation (PSM) literature, PSM is assumed to have a positive effect on performance. Even though frequently mentioned, this assumption has proved difficult to verify empirically.... Show moreIn public service motivation (PSM) literature, PSM is assumed to have a positive effect on performance. Even though frequently mentioned, this assumption has proved difficult to verify empirically. In this article, we argue that individual interpretations of what it means to serve the public interest need to be considered to get a grip on the concept of PSM and its behavioral consequences. As interpretations of "the public interest" vary depending on the roles people occupy in society, so too does the meaning of PSM. A theoretical argument is developed that helps to clarify the meaning of PSM and its relationship with performance by introducing insights derived from identity theory. This is illustrated empirically by a study of veterinarian inspectors. The theoretical, empirical, and practical relevance of this new approach to PSM is pointed out. Show less
Inter-rater reliability is a prominent topic within inspection services. We address inter-raterreliability as a problem beyond the technical concern for improving regulatory instruments.We combine... Show moreInter-rater reliability is a prominent topic within inspection services. We address inter-raterreliability as a problem beyond the technical concern for improving regulatory instruments.We combine theories on professionalism and identity theory to deal with an issue overlookedin much of the literature on regulation and inter-rater reliability: the potentially diverging waysinspectors perceive their professional role. Studying veterinary inspectors in the Dutch foodsafety services, our focus is on how we can empirically differentiate between different roleidentities and how these identities diverge from ideal-typical expectations the organizationholds of its inspectors. Show less
