Motivations for a managerial career: A study with lawyers from the Attorney General's National Treasury Office
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21118/apgs.v15i3.13854Abstract
Research Objective: This study aimed to investigate the motivations for a career transition from a technical position to a managerial role in the Brazilian public administration. More specifically, research with lawyers from the Attorney General's Office of the National Treasury (PGFN) was conducted to identify the relative importance of different motivators in the decision to assume a managerial role in the organization.
Theoretical framework: The theoretical support for the study were self-determination theory and the literature on career transition, with focus on intra-organizational upward mobility.
Methodology: After a qualitative stage, in which a set of seven motivators was identified – possibility to influence the organization’s directions and strategies, openness to develop new and challenging projects, telework, clarity of attributions, support staff, training, and financial rewards –, conjoint and cluster analysis techniques were applied, with the participation of 515 PGFN lawyers.
Results: The conjoint analysis, which shows the relative importance of the factors, revealed that the most important are the possibility to influence the organization’s directions and strategies and teleworking. The cluster analysis pointed to three different groups, called protagonists, cautious and pragmatics.
Originality: The study applied conjoint and cluster analysis techniques, which are relatively scarce in the literature on the subject.
Theoretical and practical contributions: This research contributes to the literature on public management and career transition, by addressing the factors that motivate public servants in the transition from a technical role to a managerial position. From an applied perspective, the results can guide the design of policies to increase the attractiveness of management positions within the Brazilian public administration, including encouraging greater participation of women in these positions.
Keywords: Mid-level bureaucrat; Career transition; managerial career; Motivation; Self-determination theory.
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