An exploratory study of workplace spirituality and employee well-being affecting public service motivation: an institutional perspective

Purpose The present study aimed to find out the relationship of public service motivation (PSM) with other positive aspects, that is workplace spirituality and employee well-being among academic staff of public sector higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach In order to capture the full picture of the institutional factors that may be responsible for initiating and improving public service motivation among employees, 23 interviews were carried out with employees placed in leadership positions in the public sector universities. The data were qualitatively analyzed through NVivo 12 to gain institutional perspective regarding various organizational factors that could influence PSM. Findings The finding of this study elaborates that, although PSM is a personal attribute of the individual, there are many other organizational factors that exert a substantial effect in promoting PSM. The results of qualitative data also affirmed a significant relationship between PSM and workplace spirituality (a type of organizational culture) and the influence of employee well-being in improving the motivation of public employees towards service provision. Research limitations/implications The data were collected from the specific population that is academic staff of public sector universities which limits the generalizability of the results. Practical implications PSM is a vital concept in public organizations where individuals must understand and focus on public concerns to improve the quality of public service. Therefore, public sector organizations faced the challenge of nurturing an organizational culture in which selfless public service becomes the norm and individuals are driven by the effective accomplishments of their services. Therefore, an organization that is highly oriented towards spirituality likely to improve employee well-being, which is a challenging and important concept in organizations in promoting PSM among employees. Originality/value This study is unique in terms of identifying workplace spirituality and employee well-being as organizational influencers in promoting PSM among employees.