Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Work Engagement: Can Public Managers’ Servant-Leader Orientation Make a Difference?

• Date: 01 September 2021
• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Author: Hyun Hee Park,Sangmook Kim,Jaeduk Keum,Dong Chul Shim
• DOI: 10.1177/0091026020941043
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026020941043

Public Personnel Management

2021, Vol. 50(3) 307 –326

© The Author(s) 2020

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DOI: 10.1177/0091026020941043

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Article

Street-Level Bureaucrats’

Work Engagement: Can

Public Managers’ Servant-

Leader Orientation Make

a Difference?

Dong Chul Shim1, Hyun Hee Park2,

Jaeduk Keum3, and Sangmook Kim4

Abstract

The present study examines the antecedents of street-level bureaucrats’ work

engagement. In particular, this study investigates whether a work-unit manager’s

servant-leader orientation may, directly or indirectly, contribute to increasing

subordinates’ work engagement by shaping employees’ resources (i.e., job autonomy,

goal specificity, public service motivation [PSM], and organizational trust). Data

collected from 416 street-level bureaucrats in Korean local government agencies

and the analyzed results show that work-unit managers’ servant-leader orientation

indirectly influence employees’ work engagement by developing employees’ positive

perceptions and attitudes.

Keywords

servant leadership, work engagement, job demands-resources model

Introduction

Work engagement is a “positive, fulfilling work-related state of mind” (Schaufeli

et al., 2002, p. 74) that allows workers to achieve optimal task performance. Work

1Korea University, Seoul, Korea

2Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea

3University of Seoul, Korea

4Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Korea

Corresponding Author:

Hyun Hee Park, Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration, Kookmin University,

77 Jeongneung-ro, Bukak # 603, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Korea.

Email: hhpark@kookmin.ac.kr

941043PPMXXX10.1177/0091026020941043Public Personnel ManagementShim et al.

research-article2020

308 Public Personnel Management 50(3)

engagement may be particularly important for street-level bureaucrats because those

with a higher level of work engagement are more likely to be dedicated to accomplish-

ing the organization’s mission with enthusiasm, fully immersed in providing better

services to their clients, and better able to maintain motivation and energy in their

work by maintaining their psychological well-being. Thus, work engagement can be a

form of psychological capital that enables public-sector employees to provide better

services and sustain a high level of work motivation.

However, maintaining these employees’ high level of work engagement, so that

they participate fully in providing the social services intended by policymakers, can be

a daunting challenge. Employees of public service organizations often suffer from a

high level of burnout due to various factors, such as insufficient organizational and job

resources, and a high level of emotional and physical job demands (Golembiewski

et al., 1998). The situation has exacerbated as public sector reforms require public-

sector employees to be engaged in emotional labor to enhance clients’ satisfaction and

effective service delivery (Hsieh et al., 2012). Alongside work overload and emotional

labor, street-level bureaucrats may be frustrated by bureaucratic procedures that limit

discretion in the social services delivery process, which ultimately damages employee

motivation (Shim et al., 2017). Furthermore, as governments and nonprofit organiza-

tions struggle with limited and declining financial and organizational resources, sus-

taining employees’ work engagement might become more difficult.

Although it stands to reason that difficult working conditions (lack of job resources

or a high level of job demands) should decrease work engagement levels of public-

sector employees, empirical evidence show this is not the case always. Previous stud-

ies have found that government employees demonstrate higher levels of pro-social

behavior, compassion, and the tendency toward self-sacrifice than most workers

(Hsieh et al., 2012). Besides, despite their highly demanding work environment, indi-

viduals who provide valuable public services may find it rewarding and meaningful to

help those in need, thus finding intrinsic motivation to perform their work with dili-

gence (Shim et al., 2017). This tendency raises the following research question: Under

what conditions can government employees who provide direct services to the public

best maintain their level of work engagement?

Based on the theoretical implication of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model,

the current study investigates the relationship between street-level bureaucrats’ vari-

ous resources (job autonomy, goal specificity, public service motivation [PSM], and

organizational trust) and HCwork engagement. It also investigates the role of servant

leadership in maintaining or increasing the work engagement of street-level bureau-

crats. Arguably, the employees who work under a manager with a strong servant-leader

orientation may be inspired by the leader’s self-sacrificing and pro-social behavior and

may perceive such conduct as that of providing support and resources for their work.

Accordingly, these employees may find their work more meaningful and be more

enthusiastic about providing services to disadvantaged clients. Although several stud-

ies have examined the relationship between servant leadership and work engagement

in private and nonprofit sector organizations (Carter & Baghurst, 2014; Coetzer et al.,

2017; De Clercq et al., 2014; Parris & Peachy, 2012), to our knowledge, few have