Mediating Role of Individual-Organization and Individual-Job Proportion in Correlation with Public Service Motivation and Job Performance among Nurses of Governmental Hospitals in Isfahan, Iran

Public service motivation (PSM) is one of the few motivational theories, which investigates the motivation and its organizational outcomes such as job performance in public and governmental sectors. By emphasizing on direct effect of PSM on job performance, previous studies led to contradictory results. In this study, it is supposed that the effect of PSM on job performance is indirect; thus individual-organization and individual-job proportion were investigated as mediator variables in this correlation. Since nursing is one of the best jobs that the PSM might be observed in, this study was conducted in governmental hospitals. Similarly, 103 nurses, who were employed in governmental hospitals of Isfahan, were randomly selected and then answered to PSM, individual-organization proportion, individual-job proportion and job performance questionnaires. Thereafter, the data were analyzed through SPSS AMOS™ structural equation modeling software. Findings indicated that the PSM had a significant and positive correlation with both individual-organization proportion (β = 0.371, P < 0.01) and individual-job proportion (β = 0.561, P < 0.001). In addition, positive correlation between individual-organization proportion and individual-job proportion with job performance was also significant (β = 0.367, P < 0.001) and (β = 0.482, P < 0.001), respectively. However, according to what was assumed and hypothesized for the individual-organization proportion and individual-job proportion, PSM did not have a significant correlation with job performance; therefore, the individual-organization proportion and individual-job proportion confirmed these two variables to serve as a mediator. While private organizations could rely more on material rewards such as financial aid for motivating their employees in the direction of employer’s goals and interests, governmental organizations should focus on requesting their employees in order to attempt for advancing the community goals as well as satisfying individual needs in order to increase their efficiency.