THE INTERACTION EFFECT OF JOB DESIGN AND PUBLIC SERVICE MOTIVATION ON THE JOB PERFORMANCE OF MALDIVES CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYEES

Previous research has shown that people select public sector jobs for meaningful work. In this regard, the meaning of work comes from the way work is conceived, as represented by the model given by Hackman and Oldham (1975), which can have important implications for work-related behaviour. Therefore, this research analyses how job characteristics would influence civil servants' Public Service Motivation and how this leads to the interaction between job characteristics and job performance of those working in the Maldives Civil ServiceThis research used a quantitative design approach and a cross-sectional data collection approach. Data were collected from 370 employees from different public service offices in the Maldives Civil Service. The findings from this research indicate a positive association between job characteristics and job performance. Similarly, job characteristics positively impact public service motivation (PSM), which also affects job performance. In addition, an interaction was observed; detailed findings are given in the research paper.The findings of this research suggest significant implications to those who implement HR, thereby providing insights to improve the job design and human resource management functions of civil servants. In addition, the study presents essential findings on the importance of job characteristics on job performance from the context of the public sector of South Asian countries. It also highlights the need to improve job characteristics to increase the motivation of public sector employees.