Values and Motivation: An Introduction

Abstract

Decades of research have demonstrated what many public servants instinctively know from their own experience: working in the public sector is different from working in the private sector. While there are many very concrete reasons that this is the case – differences in funding models, governance structures, and political oversight, to name a few – there is also a deeper ethos that pervades the public service. People who work in the public sector are often motivated as much by an intrinsic desire to serve the public interest as they are by extrinsic rewards like pay and job security. They have a deep desire to serve their communities and future generations. They hold values that prioritize the public welfare over individual interests. However, public sector values are complex and nuanced. The same values are not held by all public servants or by government employees generally. Dynamic tensions exist between the public and private sectors both in values and in the practice of governance. Values are expressed at every level, from the words used by public servants to the very structures we use to govern. The study of the unique values and motivations of the public sector is the topic of this chapter.