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PSM and Turnover Intention in Public Organizations: Does Change-Oriented Organizational Citizenship Behavior Play a Role?

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Review of Public Personnel Administration: The Journal of Public Human Resource Management

Published online on

Abstract

Not all employees contribute equally to the performance of their organizations, and the highest performers may have a disproportionate impact on organizational success. It is thus crucial for public organizations to retain top performers. Public service motivation (PSM) has been shown to be a differentiator of various types of individual job performance, and has also been linked to reduced turnover intention. This study examines the relationship between PSM, change-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (CO-OCB), and turnover intention using survey data from 16 central government ministries in South Korea. Analysis results suggest that CO-OCB plays a mediating role in the relationship between PSM and turnover intention, providing a creative outlet for the most intrinsically motivated employees that in turn strengthens their commitment to their organization. A number of implications of these findings are discussed.