ANOTHER LOOK AT PUBLIC‐PRIVATE DISTINCTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT: A CULTURAL EXPLANATION

This study argues that the literature on public‐private distinction has failed to distinguish among different types of organizational culture found in the public sector, while recognizing other important differences. Drawing upon a distinctive bureaucratic culture in South Korea, this study seeks to examine Korean public and private managers' perceptual and attitudinal differences associated with their levels of organizational commitment. Influenced by Confucian values and experience with past military regimes, Korean public managers score higher on their perceived job prestige and perceived centralization than do their counterparts in the private sector. No significant differences are found in the dimensions of commitment to stay, job satisfaction, and perceived inequity between the two sectors. This study also reveals that one of the powerful antecedents of organizational commitment in the Korean public sector is the job prestige perceived by public managers. Finally, implications are discussed.