Yours emotionally: How emotional intelligence infuses public service motivation and affects the job outcomes of public personnel

Zehavit Levitats, Eran Vigoda-Gadot

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We investigate the role of emotions in the public sector and their relation with work outcomes typical of public arenas. We focus on the emotional intelligence of public healthcare staff and its potential impact on public service motivation, job satisfaction, affective commitment and the quality of service to citizens. Using data from 200 nurses in a large Israeli public hospital, we examine a mixed model of direct and indirect relationships. The findings support direct positive relationships between emotional intelligence, public service motivation and job outcomes, and several indirect relationships: (1) the mediating effect of public service motivation in the relationship between emotional intelligence and affective commitment, and (2) the moderating role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between public service motivation and service quality. The impact of public service motivation on self-reported service quality is stronger for public employees with more emotional intelligence.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)759-775
Number of pages17
JournalPublic Administration
Volume95
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Public Administration

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