Fostering public sector employees’ citizen-oriented boundary-spanning behaviors through human resource flexibility and employee perceptions of normative public values

Purpose Public sector employees’ contributions play a crucial role in improving public service quality and promoting the image of public organizations. The aim of this research is to unravel how and when human resource (HR) flexibility activates citizen-oriented boundary-spanning behaviors among public sector employees. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from 427 public sector employees and 102 supervisors working for governmental agencies from the districts of a major city in Vietnam. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) was employed to analyze the data. Findings The positive associations between HR flexibility and the three dimensions of citizen-oriented boundary-spanning behaviors were supported. Harmonious passion demonstrated a mediating path for such linkages. Employee perceptions of normative public values were found to exert a positive moderating effect on the positive link between HR flexibility and harmonious passion, as well as their indirect link via harmonious passion. Originality/value This study advances the literature by identifying how and when HR flexibility shapes citizen-oriented boundary-spanning behaviors among public sector employees.