I study how public servants navigate ethical tensions at work, particularly in high-stakes frontline settings such as policing and firefighting.
About
I am an Associate Professor in Public Management at KEDGE Business School. I hold a PhD from Toulouse 1 Capitole University, France.
My research examines how individuals navigate ethical tensions in public organizations. Drawing on social and moral psychology, I study the micro-foundations of behavior in public service: how mechanisms such as moral disengagement and prosocial motivation shape ethical and unethical actions at work.
Research
Ethics and behavior on the frontlines of public service
A central goal of this strand is to understand how organizational environments and everyday interactions, such as leadership, citizen behavior or institutional framing, transform the way individuals interpret and respond to morally complex situations. I am particularly interested in how psychological processes interact with institutional contexts to produce variation in engagement, decision-making and conduct among frontline public servants.
Postcolonial perspectives on public administration
A second strand brings postcolonial perspectives to bear on public administration and street-level bureaucracy. It explores how colonial legacies continue to shape the conditions under which frontline public servants exercise discretion, contributing to a more historically and politically situated understanding of bureaucratic practice.
- Ethical behavior
- Moral disengagement
- Prosocial motivation
- Public service motivation
- Street-level bureaucracy
- Postcolonial perspectives
- Leadership
- Policing & firefighting
Recent publications
- Molines, M., Storme, M., & Guo, C. Y. (2026). When police officers surrender: The effect of citizen incivility on withdrawal and turnover. International Public Management Journal.
- Molines, M., Storme, M., Perrier, A., & Klarsfeld, A. (2026). From organizational reputation to prosocial impact: The role of organizational pride and support. International Public Management Journal.
- Perrier, A., Molines, M., Storme, M., & El Akremi, A. (2024). (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction? The effect of servant leadership on firefighters’ global satisfaction – A social identity approach. Public Management Review, 28(2).
Full list: Google Scholar · ORCID · ResearchGate
For a general audience: media & public writing (The Conversation).
Teaching
I teach team management, leadership, organizational behavior and human resource management at KEDGE Business School (Bordeaux and Marseille), across the Grande École programme (PGE), Master 1 and Master 2 programmes, and continuing education.
Consulting
Alongside my academic work, I conduct consultancy in leadership and psychometric assessment. I work with organizations using evidence-based tools, including Hogan Assessments, to support leadership development and to better understand individual differences in workplace behavior.
Contact
- mathieu.molines [at] kedgebs.com
- Affiliation
- KEDGE Business School, Bordeaux, France
- Profiles
- Google Scholar · ORCID · ResearchGate · LinkedIn