When tasks feel unjustified: effects of illegitimate tasks on public servants’ citizen-oriented boundary-spanning behaviours

The bureaucratic, resource-constrained, and politically contested nature of the public sector often exposes public servants to illegitimate tasks – assignments perceived as unreasonable or unnecessary. Such tasks frustrate public servants and can undermine behaviours critical to high-quality public service. Despite their prevalence, their consequences in public sector contexts remain underexplored. This study investigates how illegitimate tasks affect citizen-oriented boundary-spanning behaviours (COBSBs), a set of positive work behaviours connecting agencies with stakeholders through service delivery, knowledge sharing, and external representation. Using a time-lagged survey of Vietnamese public servants, we find that illegitimate tasks indirectly reduce COBSBs by increasing work cynicism. Surprisingly, public service motivation and ethical leadership – typically considered resources – intensify rather than buffer the negative effects of illegitimate tasks. By uncovering the costs of illegitimate tasks and these counterintuitive moderating mechanisms, the study offers new insights for public management theory and practice concerning task assignment, leadership, and motivation.