How a demanding employment relationship relates to affective commitment in public organizations: A multilevel analysis. (20th December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Audenaert, Mieke; George, Bert; Decramer, Adelien
• Other Names: Steen Trui guestEditor.; Schott Carina guestEditor.; van Kleef Daphne guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Public administration. Volume 97:Number 1(2019)
• Page Start: 11
• Page End: 27
• Publication Date: 2017-12-20
• Subjects: Public administration -- Periodicals; Civil service -- Periodicals; 350
• DOI: 10.1111/padm.12378
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-3298

Abstract

Abstract : It has recently been recognized in the public administration literature that multiple reforms coexist in public organizations, ranging from the Weberian bureaucracy to New Public Management and, more recently, new public governance. This study develops a typology of the employment relationship with features of these macro‐level changes and tests their impact on the civil servant's affective commitment by including the individual‐level social exchange relationship. This multilevel model is tested with data from 936 employees in a public organization. The findings confirm the existence of different approaches to the employment relationship: overdemanding, mutual investment and moderately demanding. Civil servants in a mutual investment employment relationship are most affectively committed, and civil servants in a moderately demanding employment relationship benefit most from a positive social exchange relationship. Implications for public management theory and practice are discussed.