1. ABSTRACT It is well-known that owning and retaining high motivation in an organisation is significant and will positively impact the employee and the employer. High motivation can cause improved...Show more1. ABSTRACT It is well-known that owning and retaining high motivation in an organisation is significant and will positively impact the employee and the employer. High motivation can cause improved job performance and -satisfaction. The public sector recruitment process consists of several phases where several components and factors of a job applicant are measured and analyzed to find the most suitable person for the job. Unfortunately, there is not enough space to focus on the recruitment process's principal components and phases. As a consequence, this inductive qualitative study will analyze the importance of expected motivation during the interview procedure of the public sector recruitment process, through the eyes of recruiters. Thereafter, there will be analyzed and investigated if different motivational values occur on different levels in public sector organizations. As already mentioned, this study has a qualitative inductive approach and by interviewing eight recruiters on as well local, regional, and national levels, it has been tried to find a valid answer to the research question. In this study, practical knowledge from recruiters is mixed with scientific theoretical knowledge to give a well-grounded analysis of the finding. In the end, this study has several interesting findings and generated innovative knowledge about the significance of motivation during the interview process. First, there must be stated that most recruiters think that motivation is in general still an important concept in the public sector recruitment process. Although, some respondents think that motivation is only really important in certain vacancies and job applications. During the interview process, many respondents share the opinion that working in the public sector requires intrinsic motivation, and therefore this type of motivation is valuable for job applicants. In addition, many respondents think that extrinsic motivation, regarding financial rewards and bonuses, does not have a high utility and is not necessary to have in public sector organizations. Furthermore, several types and theories of motivation mentioned in this study will be distinguished based on the Social Determination Theory and will be converted into practical knowledge in the analysis. Additionally, the Public Service Motivation and Organismic Integration Theory are discussed, and if these theories have any influence on the interview process. Finally, the Cognitive Evaluation Theory is described and it is explained how this may affect the local and national level values of motivation in the public sector.Show less
Gender equality is becoming a more important value day by day, which is also recognized by the United Nations itself. However, reaching gender equality is a difficult aspect. One measure to reach...Show moreGender equality is becoming a more important value day by day, which is also recognized by the United Nations itself. However, reaching gender equality is a difficult aspect. One measure to reach gender equality is by introducing gender quotas. Countries can implement legislated or voluntary quotas to have a more equal gender division in their national parliaments, which represents countries’ citizens. Most of the existing theory discusses that gender quotas are expected to influence the gender division positively. This thesis tests whether quotas in general, legislated quotas, and voluntary quotas do influence the gender division of a countries’ parliament. There have been performed 10 regressions to test the drafted hypotheses. Even though the correlation was expected to be positive, the results show the opposite. Found estimators representing the influence of (different kind of) gender quotas are unsignificant and remarkably low. However, the found effects are negative which goes against most of the existing theory. There is not a clear answer yet to the question if quotas influence the gender division, but if the negative results are correct, this need to be further researched. Therefore, more research and the inclusion of more variables would be beneficial.Show less
This thesis investigates the problem of Affinity Bias in recruitment processes, particularly in Dutch public organizations. Affinity Bias refers to the tendency for recruiters to favor candidates...Show moreThis thesis investigates the problem of Affinity Bias in recruitment processes, particularly in Dutch public organizations. Affinity Bias refers to the tendency for recruiters to favor candidates with similar backgrounds or characteristics, resulting in hiring decisions based on personal preferences rather than qualifications, skills, and experience. This bias can have a detrimental effect on diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace. The thesis aims to identify Affinity Bias’s manifestation in recruitment and selection processes and its impact on Dutch Public Organizations. The theoretical model proposed in this paper builds on existing literature on Diversity and Inclusion, Recruitment and Selection Processes, Social Identity Theory, and Affinity Bias. The inductive research design applies interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore how public sector recruiters make sense of their experiences through Semi-Structured Interviews. This thesis aims to contribute to the existing literature on Affinity Bias and its interrelation with the Social Identity Theory, as well as provide empirical evidence on the presence of affinity bias in Dutch public organizations, extending existing knowledge by exploring a model in a new context and a different population, and providing practical implications for public organizations in the Netherlands and beyond.Show less
This study aimed to determine the influence of student’s images of scientists by students currently studying at a Dutch university on their willingness to work at a public university as scientists....Show moreThis study aimed to determine the influence of student’s images of scientists by students currently studying at a Dutch university on their willingness to work at a public university as scientists. Based on the social Identity theory and the concept of social normative influence, an experimental survey was designed to measure this influence. Due to errors made in the research design and methodology, the implemented manipulation did not have the necessary effect. This paper further focusses on what went wrong and what could have gone better in the research design phase and offers several recommendations for future research. These recommendations are implementing an instrumental manipulation check (IMC), piloting the survey prior to distribution, and using more or stronger forms of manipulation vignettes. For future research on this subject with other research designs, it is recommended to perform semi-structured interviews or conduct a large N survey.Show less
This qualitative study examined the impact of recruitment sources in the public sector, using inhouse internal recruiters or by outsourcing to external recruiters. Through nine semi- structured...Show moreThis qualitative study examined the impact of recruitment sources in the public sector, using inhouse internal recruiters or by outsourcing to external recruiters. Through nine semi- structured interviews with representative internal and external recruiters insights from a practical level where gleaned. Theoretical insights were used, such as the ASA model, theories involving person-environment fit and challenges in recruitment to indicate the research gap and to develop theoretical contributions together with the practical insights. The research led to several theoretical contributions. The first highlighted the contemporary challenges recruiters deal with, especially the tight labor market. Additionally, inefficient HR departments and the role of the vacancy holder or client also cause hinderance. The second contribution addressed the ‘public sector worker’-type, indicating the increased willingness to work for the public sector, however, there are limited (suitable) people available. Furthermore, the results show that public sector workers are characterized by specific competencies and motivations related to political-administrative sensitivity and desire to give back to society. The third contribution compared the different recruitment processes. The recruiters follow similar steps but it appears that external recruiters have more capacity and advanced systems, enabling them to put more effort in realizing a qualitative match. Although internal recruiters are fundamentally capable of delivering the same work, they face capacity constraints creating difficulties. Besides, not every public organization has the resources to outsource the recruitment process.Show less
This study looks at how web-based hiring affects candidate appeal from the standpoint of public sector job searchers. The study is a qualitative research project that examines the effects of web-...Show moreThis study looks at how web-based hiring affects candidate appeal from the standpoint of public sector job searchers. The study is a qualitative research project that examines the effects of web- based recruitment tactics on candidate attraction through interviews with HR managers and job seekers. The research's conclusions imply that the public sector's branding, which is supported by the organizational attractiveness and image theory theories, has a favourable impact on the hiring process. The Social Exchange Theory-aligned reputation of the public sector as a good employer generally is also discovered to be a crucial element in luring candidates. Additionally, the Environmental Fit Theory-related provision of clear and thorough information about open positions and employment expectations plays a critical role in encouraging job seekers to apply for positions in the public sector. The study's findings highlight the importance of taking public service motivation (PSM) into account as a factor in job applicants' attractiveness to positions in the public sector and shed light on how closely personal beliefs coincide with the goals of public organizations. The study emphasizes how crucial it is to take these elements into account when developing web-based recruitment tactics in order to draw in competent applicants and improve the overall efficacy of the hiring process in the public sector. In order to influence future research and public sector hiring practices, the findings offer insightful information to both researchers and practitioners.Show less
This thesis delves into the implementation and perceived effects of the 3-5-7-model, the Dutch central governments version of job rotation. Previous job rotation literature indicates predominantly...Show moreThis thesis delves into the implementation and perceived effects of the 3-5-7-model, the Dutch central governments version of job rotation. Previous job rotation literature indicates predominantly positive effects for job rotation, such as increased motivation and productivity of rotated employees. Rotating is said to be at the cost of specialization and expertise. The current field of job rotation is solely focused on the private sector, whereas the Dutch central government is a public organization. This thesis uses a qualitative research approach which consists of four semi-structured interviews which were transcribed and were coded thematically with semantic coding. The main finding of this thesis is the lack of implementation and enforcement of the 3-5-7-model. Employees can decide themselves how and when they want to rotate. The perceived effects of the rotating appear to be similar to rotating in private organizations. The four most noted perceived effects of rotating (Career development, New insights and energy, Knowledge deficit and Costs inoutgoing teams) seem to relate to the private sector. Given this information the Dutch central government can implement the 3-5-7-model further and look at the private literature to help them with the implementation.Show less
In light of the evolving human capital crisis faced by the public sector in recent decades, there has been a heightened research focus on identifying the determining factors for public sector...Show moreIn light of the evolving human capital crisis faced by the public sector in recent decades, there has been a heightened research focus on identifying the determining factors for public sector attraction. However, the timeless attraction of the characteristic features commonly found in public organizations has diverted attention away from several other factors that may contribute to individuals' willingness to pursue employment in the public sector. This thesis contributes to the ongoing research by exploring the influence of work flexibility and a diverse work environment on an individual's attention to apply for work in the public sector. To this end, a vignette-based survey experiment with (N=153) participants was conducted. The respondents were asked to rate two randomly assigned job advertisements, each differing in terms of the flexibility and diversity condition. The results obtained from the survey experiment showed that both factors play a significant role in shaping the intention to seek employment in the public sector. This indicates that public organizations can enhance applicant attraction by including flexible work arrangements and actively promoting diversity in their job advertisements.Show less
