L'univers axiologique des fonctionnaires

Abstract

This article has been written in the framework of long-term research on public service motivation. It aims to examine empirically civil servants'values by comparing them to those of employees in the private sector, and in several European countries. The axiological dimension plays a vital role in the perception of reforms and management tools. The article demonstrates that French civil servants differ from their European counterparts in their egalitarianism, their quest for autonomy at work and their refusal to allow social success to be a major criterion for assessment. It can be seen that certain tools which are supposed to affect motivation, such as merit- or performance-based pay, have no effect on the degree ofsatisfaction at work, including in countries that have undertaken the most extensive public management reforms. There are major variations between teachers and civil servants who are managers. In contrast, the gap with employees in the private sector is fairly narrow.