Career Calling and Taking Charge Behavior among Street-Level Public Servants: the Roles of Public Service Motivation and Collectivist Orientation

Abstract

Taking charge behavior (TCB) is fundamental to government governance and public reform, especially in developing countries like China. Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study presents a moderated mediation model to examine whether and how career calling (CC) impacts TCB among Chinese street-level public servants. The sample was based on a survey of 548 full-time street-level public servants from the Chinese public sector, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrap analysis. The results show that the CC of street-level public servants positively influenced TCB; that public service motivation (PSM) partly mediated the CC-TCB link; and that this relationship was stronger among street-level public servants with a high level of collectivist orientation (CO). These findings have theoretical implications for the TCB literature and managerial implications for public sector administrators.