Public service motivation and leadership styles in military medicine

This study examined the relationship between the leadership styles and public service motivation levels of military healthcare officers. Additionally, this research provided a framework to assess whether new Navy medicine officers showed higher levels of public service motivation than senior military medical officers. An examination of the relationship between social and organizational variables to leadership styles and public service motivation levels was also made. Two independent survey samples were included in this research. The first sample included 130 senior military healthcare officers. Participants in this sample were asked to complete both a leadership styles and a public service motivation inventory. The second sample included 353 new Navy medicine officers. Participants in the second sample were asked to complete a public service motivation inventory. A correlation matrix and linear regression models were used to evaluate the relationship between the leadership styles and public service motivation levels of senior military healthcare executives. T-test analysis was conducted to compare the mean public service motivation levels of new Navy medicine officers and senior military to analyze the relationship between social and organizational variables to public service motivation levels and leadership styles. This study failed to find evidence of an association between public service motivation and leadership styles as evaluated by correlation analysis and OLS regression models. Additionally, the results showed that new Navy medicine officers exhibited higher public service motivation levels than senior military healthcare officers. The relationship of the social and demographic variables to public service motivation levels and leadership styles was mixed. The lack of an association that was found between public service motivation and leadership styles adds to a growing body of public service motivation literature that explores the relationship of PSM levels with individual attitudes, behaviors, or characteristics. This study also adds to the literature with respect to clarifying previous inconsistencies surrounding the relationship of many social and organizational variables to public service motivation levels and leadership styles.