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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 5

Publication Date: May 25, 2021

DOI:10.14738/assrj.85.10232. Liu, H., Chao, R., Wu, T., & Hsu, L. (2021). The Impact of Reinvention Reforms and Public Service Motivation on Organizational

Performance in Government Agencies. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(5). 439-448.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

The Impact of Reinvention Reforms and Public Service Motivation

on Organizational Performance in Government Agencies

Hsiang-Te Liu

Associate Professor, Department of Public Affairs

Ming Chuan University, Taiwan

Ren-Fang Chao

Professor, Department of Leisure Management

I-Shou University, Taiwan

Tsung-Lin Wu

Assistant Professor, Department of Leisure Management

I-Shou University, Taiwan

Corresponding Author: tlwuta@isu.edu.tw

Li-Yi Hsu

Professor, Department of Public Administration

National Open University, Taiwan

ABSTRACT

The pursuit of organisational performance has long been a focus of administrative

innovation in government agencies. To understand the impact of reinvention

reforms and public service motivation on organisational performance in the public

sector, the present study conducted a survey with civil servants in Taiwan as the

research subjects. A total of 953 valid questionnaires were collected and analysed

using structural equation modelling. The results show that reinvention reforms

have a significant positive impact on public service motivation, and that public

service motivation has a significant positive effect on both internal organisational

performance and external organisational performance. In addition, the present

study also confirms that public service motivation plays a mediating role between

reinvention reforms and internal organisational performance and external

organisational performance.

Keywords: Reinvention Reforms, Public Service Motivation, Organizational Performance,

Civil Servant, Public Management.

INTRODUCTION

The West has emphasised and focused on strengthening and improving the productivity,

efficiency, effectiveness and quality of administrative organisation since the 19th century,

subsequently contributing to the scientific management movement (Heinrich, 2003).

Administrative reforms over the past 20 years are based on New Public Management and

government reinvention (Kettl, 2002; Osborne & Gaebler, 1992). However, new public

management and government reinvention movements have developed differently in different

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 5, May-2021

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

countries. Nevertheless, common characteristics of the reforms include regarding the people as

customers, market orientation, giving the government more flexibility and result orientation

(Denhardt & Denhardt, 2008; Gore, 1993; Osborne, 1993). The main purposes of these

administrative reforms are improving administrative efficiency and improving the quality of

public services. In the past 20 years, both political figures and directors of public organisations

have been concerned about improving administrative efficiency. The core of innovation

includes financial management systems, benchmarking, performance evaluation, performance- based salary and decentralisation.

Both the new public management and government reinvention movements are related to

market-oriented reforms. As such, they are criticised by traditional public organisation scholars

for their over-emphasis on economic efficiency and neglect of fair and equal public values

(Bozeman, 2007). Regarding government organisations as principal/agent relationships will

reduce trust between government and the people (Dunleavy & Hood, 1994). Many scholars on

public service motivation have pointed out that both new public management and government

reinvention have neglected the fact that some civil servants are also motivated by altruism

(Moynihan, 2008; Perry & Vandenabeele, 2008; Houston, 2009). They believe that the concept

of public service motivation can meet the requirements for organisational reinvention and new

public management (Houston, 2009).

To effectively enhance administrative efficiency, Taiwan has implemented a number of

administrative reform measures in recent years. These measures have a strong emphasis on

market, customer and performance orientation to improve the quality of public services.

However, do civil service reinvention reforms have any impact on organisational efficiency? In

addition, what is the role of public service motivation in promoting organisational efficiency?

These questions are important topics in the field of public administration and are the main

focus of the present study.

LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES DEVELOPMENT

The Relationship between Reinvention Reforms and Public Service Motivation

Reinvention reforms have three different objectives. The first is to provide a methodology and

framework for solving modern problems (Kettl, 2002); in other words, the structure of the

organisation requires urgent “renewal.” The second is that reform will ensure that the

organisation is responsive to the public (Davis & Stazyk, 2015). The third is that organisational

reforms are outcome-oriented and task-focused and will improve individual and organisational

performance (Davis & Stazyk, 2015). In addition, reinvention reforms are divided into two core

elements (Moynihan, 2006). The first step is to establish a clear performance evaluation system.

The aim is to a ensure results-oriented approach, and it is necessary to focus on task completion

by employees. Second, employees must be given greater autonomy. Autonomy allows

employees to exercise discretion and use their own knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve

the organisation’s goals and mission (Moynihan & Pandey, 2005). When employees have

sufficient autonomy, they are believed to make better decisions and perform at a higher level,

improving organisational outcomes.

Motivation-based government agency research in the 1990s mostly focused on public service

motivation. Perry and Wise (1990) initially defined public service motivation as the motivation

to do the work of public organisations and agencies. Motivation can be regarded as the drive of

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Liu, H., Chao, R., Wu, T., & Hsu, L. (2021). The Impact of Reinvention Reforms and Public Service Motivation on Organizational Performance in

Government Agencies. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(5). 439-448.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.85.10232

civil servants to practice internal needs (Perry & Wise, 1990). Past research indicates four

dimensions of public service motivation, namely attraction to policymaking, commitment to the

public interest, self-sacrifice and compassion (Perry, 1996). In other studies, only commitment

to the public interest, self-sacrifice and compassion were found to be valid (Coursey et al.,

2008). Over time, public service motivations have manifested different significance, including

being altruistic, establishing public institutions and prosocial behaviour (Perry & Hondeghem,

2008). Vandenabeele (2007) states that public service motivation is a form of belief, values and

attitudes that goes beyond personal and organisational interests but rather concerns public

interests.

As the reinvention reforms give employees clear objectives and greater organisational

autonomy, employees will demonstrate a higher level of performance within the organisation,

thus increasing employee motivation. Moreover, reinvention reforms will ensure that the

organisation is responsive to the public. In other words, the organisation will make meaningful

change in response to the public interest. Therefore, there is an increased public service

motivation. On this basis, we propose the following hypothesis:

H1: Reinvention reforms of a government agency have a positive and significant impact on

public service motivation.

The Relationship between Public Service Motivation and Organisational Performance

An earlier article by Perry and Wise (1990) pointed out that those with high public service

motivation are more willing to accept administrative reform. The work of government

departments is highly important. The intrinsic motivation of those with a high degree of service

motivation can be enhanced to increase their job participation, compassion, self-sacrifice and

commitment to the public interest. Public service motivation is considered to be related to

prosocial behaviour and government performance (Wright, 2007). When the motivation to

assist others increases, the need for external rewards and incentives decreases, and

administrative performance improves (Wright & Pandey, 2008).

Naff and Crum (1999) also found a correlation between public service motivation and job

performance. Likewise, by citing data from 1996, Alonso and Lewis (2001) found relevance

between public service motivation and job performance. Besides, Bright (2008) found that

public service motivation correlates with job performance as well. Moynihan and Pandey

(2010) propose that public service motivation in civil servants is a special behaviour that can

improve personal and organisational performance. Other scholars suggest that from an

economic perspective, government agencies can learn from enterprises and offer incentives to

civil servants with public service motivation (Francois, 2000). Thus, this study hypothesised:

H2: Public service motivation of government agency has a positive and significant impact on

internal organisational performance.

H3: Public service motivation of government agency has a positive and significant impact on

external organisational performance.

The Mediation Role of Public Service Motivation

As Davis and Stazyk (2015) point out, one of the aims of the reinvention reforms is to improve

the performance of organisations. In order words, we expect that reinvention will have an

impact on organisational performance. Both internal and external performance will be affected