Human Resource Management in the Public Sector
Edited by Ronald J. Burke, Andrew J. Noblet and Cary L. Cooper
Chapter 15: Case study of ‘peak performing’ public sector units and successful change efforts
Michela Arnaboldi and Giovanni Azzone
Extract
Since the mid-1980s, government reforms have been characterized by a managerial shift, addressed as new public management (NPM) (Hood, 1991; 1995; Lapsley, 2008), in which organizations have been challenged to move away from centralized, homogenous, bureaucratic models to new configurations characterized by autonomy and flexibility (Pollitt, 2009). This increased autonomy has created higher heterogeneity of performances among public administration, which still raises the questions (Lapsley, 2009; Arnaboldi and Azzone, 2010; Pipan and Czarniawska, 2010; Arnaboldi and Palermo, 2011) of how these differences emerged within the same legislative context, and how some organizations – here addressed as peak performers – have been able to better seize the opportunities offered by autonomy. More specifically, in this contribution, we analyze how and on which factors peak performers have leveraged to enact a process of change, which is now visible in markedly better performances.
You are not authenticated to view the full text of this chapter or article.
Elgaronline requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books or journals. Please login through your library system or with your personal username and password on the homepage.
Non-subscribers can freely search the site, view abstracts/ extracts and download selected front matter and introductory chapters for personal use.
Your library may not have purchased all subject areas. If you are authenticated and think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.