Looking at the individuals motives: antecedents of satisfaction and commitment in public schools

This present study aims to understand the extent to which job satisfaction and organizational commitment are driven by public service motivation dimensions. Using a survey in various Italian public schools, the analysis shows that some dimensions (commitment to the public interest and self-sacrifice) play a more relevant role than others (attraction to policy making and compassion) in influencing work motivation. The results show that work motivation is based on a mix of factors and that it could have particular features in public organizations. Moreover, some implications for human resource management in public organizations are presented.