AUTHOR=Sun Sirui 

TITLE=The Relationship Between Public Service Motivation and Affective Commitment in the Public Sector Change: A Moderated Mediation Model

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631948

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631948

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>How can public organizations promote change recipients’ affective commitment to public sector change? Based on socially desirable responding theory, this study explores the theoretical mechanism and boundary effect of the relationship between public service motivation and affective commitment to change. By conducting a survey of 465 front-line public employees in an eastern Chinese city undergoing public sector change, this study found that voice behavior partially mediates the relationship between public service motivation and affective commitment to change. Superficial harmony also negatively moderates the relationship between public service motivation and affective commitment to change through the mediation of voice behavior. This study mainly contributes to our understanding of the theoretical mechanism and the conditional effect of change recipients’ affective commitment during public sector change.</p>