Conception of Motivating to Participate in Services and Identification of Motives
Action motivation is identification of a set of factors (motives and stimuli) that motivate to better performance of duties, designing and employing motivation methods and ways in order to promote the actions built on these factors (Zakarevicius, 2003). Thus, the concept of motivating includes two core dimensions: stimuli that
promote the actions and ways of motivating. That allows stating that motivating client participation can be defined as follows: identification of behavioural motives and employment of suitable ways seeking to motivate client participation in co-production of public services,.
Seeking to disclose the composition of potential clients‘ motives to participate the motives highlighted in scientific literature, are discussed further.
Although the question what motivates clients to co-produce public services has been researched little, literature on the factors that motivate citizens and volunteers to participate in other activities is numerous. Motives to participate have been also analysed in the scientific literature on co-production of public services. Thus, according to Alford (2002), literature review allows making up a list of potential motives on the basis of which the ways of motivating are selected. Such analysis is logical because the participation is a conceptual, social construct, the object of interdisciplinary research.
The standpoint that public service clients firstly act as rational decision makers because they are concerned that their personal needs were met is followed in this paper. Etgar (2008) assumes that consumers put the maximum personal benefit in the first place. Percy (1984, cited by Pestoff, 2006) has identified that co-creation of public services is most productive in those spheres where the benefit of citizens‘ input goes firstly to clients; where this benefit is distributed to others clients tend to participate in co-production less (Percy 1984) (free rider‘s problem).
The study of Alford (2002b) is the most in-depth work on motives for client participation in public services. Having analysed 4 case studies in the public sector of Australia (Tax Inspection, Labour Exchange, Post Office and Social Apartment Rent Office), the researcher identified 5 likely groups of motives for client participation: sanctions, material rewards, intrinsic rewards, solidarity stimuli and expressed values. Let us review each of them in detail.
In general, client participation is related to positive actions and depends on clients‘voluntary commitment to donate their resources. Sanctions (social, psychological, economic) cause a negative reaction, the client experiences pressure to participate. However, sanctions are used in public services. Research conducted by Alford (2002b) shows that sanctions are not suitable factors to motivate a positive behaviour. The main reason is that wrong message is sent to clients by showing that the required behaviour in services is something unpleasant and therefore must be avoided. To threaten the client with sanctions means to show distrust in him. Sanctions stimulate only obedience but not voluntary participation. When such stimuli are used, the client‘s behaviour will change in particular situations but not his long-term attitude towards co-production. It is believable that punished client will behave opportunistically. But there are services where sanctions are necessary. Such are mandatory services provided for the benefit of the client even if he does not want them (e.g., social care). This paper will not deal with such services, all the more because a voluntary decision to participate is emphasised in the co-creation conception.
Another group of motives is material rewards or economic motives. Material rewards can be monetary and
non-monetary, offered in exchange for doing definite tasks in services. The financial criterion is a very solid basis of motivation in business services. When the organisation reloads part of the service providing costs onto the participating client, he expects a compensation for his input. Thus, clients are more willing to participate when they get a compensation, e.g., in the form of lower rates for the service (Ple et al., 2008). Meanwhile research conducted by Alford (2002b) shows that monetary rewards are not very effective motives for client participation in public services.
Economic barter is little problematic in public services where collective participation is often needed. The organisation must very clearly and exactly define the work to be done and limit the client‘s chances to get a reward without any input. According to Alford (2002b), such accuracy is a tricky matter, almost impossible, except in the simplest activities of creating the service. Thus, economic motivation of particular client becomes real and effective when the tasks to be done are specified and given personally to him and his input can be measured. A direct contact between the managing subject and the client is necessary in the service creation process so that the behaviour of the participating client would be watched. Consequently, the statement that material rewards are ineffective motives for the promotion of client participation in public services would be ungrounded.
Another group of motives are non-material rewards: intrinsic rewards, solidarity stimuli and expressed values.
The client‘s inner motivation is very important in those services where he must perform a more complicated role. Measuring of the client‘s input, personalising the offer, promoting self-esteem give the best result in those services which target at changes in the client‘s behaviour or state. But, like in the other groups of motives discussed above, these are not the only or the main motivating factors. When the benefit of the service is more public it is not enough to have personal inner motives.
It has been noticed that such values as the community spirit, cooperation, etc., identified by Alford as solidarity stimuli, motivate to participate more actively those clients, who focus on the personal benefit. Community and solidarity feelings are very strongly motivating factors for the clients of those services, where community actions are needed (Camilleri et al., 1985, cited by Alford, 2002b). Honesty of the service provider, concern for the clients have been identified as motives in those services, where personal participation is necessary; they are also to be attributed to solidarity stimuli. However, expressed values – communal aims, justice, perceived norms and commitment to moral and social matters are more important motives for participation in these services. Perceived benefit of participation, a weighty determinant of participation, has been emphasised in many studies. Only when clients perceive the benefits of participation they participate more actively in the service co-creation process.
Having conducted research into the services, where close contact with the clients and their intellectual input is necessary, Bettencourt et al. (2002) found that the client‘s participation depends on how effective inter-personal relationship between the service provider and the client is.
Holbrook (2006) has highlighted other social motives: striving for status and social respect. Co-production of services fosters the development of communication skills and ability to keep up a dialogue with the partners. If other clients participate in the service then the value of the social contact is created: pleasure to share activities, common interests and ambitions with other people (Berthon, John, 2006).
It is important to note that client motivation is unquestionably viewed as the prerogative of marketing in literature although in general motivation has important place in the structure of the person‘s behaviour and is one of the core concepts used to explain driving forces of any activity. Motivation cannot be analysed separately from the social reality. Generalisation presented by Marcinkevičiūtė (2005, p. 240) is very significant in the analysed context: “motivation is a multisided social phenomenon and a very complicated sphere of activity, it is closely related to the evolution of society and is also conditioned by the local culture“, therefore it can be stated that seeking for design of client motivation model tailored to the Lithuanian conditions ways of motivating in action within the social reality must be identified.
the neighbourhood (urban – rural), distance from the district centre, independence of its funding. Data collection lasted until data replication and decreased informativeness was established.
In the second stage seeking to identify the influence of ways of motivating on activeness in participation a qualitative research (survey of active clients) was conducted. The survey instrument was designed on the basis of qualitative research findings. The characteristics of the general population were framed: real clients of public services (N=600).