Suchergebnisse

This study examines municipal enforcement officers' role perceptions because their role has shifted from a traditional officer to a broader, social role within the community as a "city host." Furthermore, we investigate whether role perceptions influence how officers cope with role conflicts. Interviews showed that municipal enforcement officers perceive sufficient discretion in their work and develop their own role perceptions. Some officers adopt a networking role and cooperate with various parties while others fulfill a narrower role as a bureaucrat and rely heavily on rules and protocols. Some officers successfully balance both roles. The way municipal enforcement officers perceive their role has an influence on their coping behavior. Given the belief that there should be a shift from bureaucratic styles of policing towards a broader, more social, role in communities, organizations should be aware that role perceptions play an important role in how officers behave.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected numerous areas of civil servants' working life. We investigate, using the JD-R model, the impact of the current crisis on civil servants' wellbeing. Furthermore, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic might have different consequences for civil servants with various role perceptions. We distinguish between traditional, NPM, and NPG civil servants. A longitudinal survey ( N = 569) has shown that: (a) wellbeing decreased over a 6-months period; (b) job demands, including work pressure and work-life disbalance, negatively influence wellbeing; and job resources, including autonomy, task variety, and social support, positively influence wellbeing. In terms of personal resources, self-efficacy positively influences wellbeing; and (c) civil servants' role perception directly influences wellbeing. Although the effect is small, we found an interaction effect in the relation between leader support and burnout for NPG civil servants. The consequences of these findings for HR strategies related to civil servants' wellbeing are discussed.

The COVID-19 crisis has affected numerous areas of civil servants' working life. We investigate, using the JD-R model, the impact of the current crisis on civil servants' wellbeing. Furthermore, we argue that the COVID-19 pandemic might have different consequences for civil servants with various role perceptions. We distinguish between traditional, NPM, and NPG civil servants. A longitudinal survey (N = 569) has shown that: (a) wellbeing decreased over a 6-months period; (b) job demands, including work pressure and work-life disbalance, negatively influence wellbeing; and job resources, including autonomy, task variety, and social support, positively influence wellbeing. In terms of personal resources, self-efficacy positively influences wellbeing; and (c) civil servants' role perception directly influences wellbeing. Although the effect is small, we found an interaction effect in the relation between leader support and burnout for NPG civil servants. The consequences of these findings for HR strategies related to civil servants' wellbeing are discussed.

In this article we raise the question whether servant leadership became more important for performance and work-life balance satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two alternative hypotheses are formulated stating that on the one hand the impact of servant leadership may have increased during COVID-19 as servant leadership can help in dealing with a crisis. On the other hand, it may have become more difficult to express leadership behaviors when leaders and employees are physically distanced from one another. A longitudinal approach was taken to examine the role of servant leadership in relation to the performance and work-life balance satisfaction, comparing the situation before and during the pandemic. Panel data was collected in a Dutch government organization ( N = 293). Results indicate that there was a decrease in the amount of servant leadership experienced by employees, however its impact remained in times where leaders and employees were confined to their homes.

AbstractCivil servants' work is being affected by an increasing variety of government reforms. As such, the role of civil servants is a major topic of research. Nevertheless, no validated measurement scales exist for how civil servants themselves perceive their own role in a complex and constantly changing environment. We develop and validate measurement scales for civil servants' role perceptions. Using data from two surveys (N = 161 and N = 1080), we develop scales for bureaucratic, entrepreneurial, and networking role perceptions. We found that each role perception consists of two idiosyncratic elements. We tested our scales for reliability and validity and found that all three role perceptions related to role ambiguity, commitment, and engagement. Moreover, the entrepreneurial and networking role perceptions correlated with Public Service Motivation (PSM), while the bureaucratic and entrepreneurial role perceptions correlated with performance. We discuss opportunities to systematically study the effects and antecedents of civil servants' role perceptions as they have practical implications.