scholarly journals PARADOXICAL PRACTICES IN PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS: THE CASE OF A COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION / PARADOXES ORGANISATIONNAL DANS LES ORGANISATIONS PUBLIQUES : CAS D'UNE ORGANISATION A CARACTERE COMMERCIAL ET INDUSTRIEL

Author(s):  
Fouad Bazzine ◽  
Hassane Boujettou

Public sector organizations are by nature complex multifunctional entities, attempting to reconcile partially conflicting objectives and considerations (Perrow, 1972). The advent of new public management (NPM) has only increased the number of paradoxes to be faced, since these new managerial requirements, focused on performance, efficiency and even profitability, were added to those, very present, linked to the essential principles of public action. In this study, we address the paradoxical nature of the daily work of proximity managers and identify strategies for managing the paradoxes they face. Our results confirmed two key points: 1) the presence of organizational paradoxes that affect the daily work of proximity managers; and 2) that proximity managers can respond to paradoxical tensions by applying different defensive and active approaches. They must then show a behavioral complexity that allows them to manage the paradoxes in order to take into account the multiplicity of tendencies that are expressed within the organization. Les organisations du secteur public sont par nature des entités multifonctionnelles complexes, qui tentent de concilier des objectifs et des considérations partiellement contradictoires (Perrow, 1972). L’avènement du new public management (NPM) n’a fait qu’augmenter le nombre de paradoxes à affronter, puisque ces nouvelles exigences managériales axées sur la performance, l’efficience voire la rentabilité, venaient se rajouter à celles, bien présentes, liées aux principes essentiels de l’action publique. Dans cette étude, nous abordons la nature paradoxale du travail quotidien des cadres de proximité et nous identifions les stratégies de gestion des paradoxes auxquels ils sont confrontés. Nos résultats ont permis de confirmer deux points essentiels : 1) la présence des paradoxes organisationnels qui se répercutent au niveau du travail quotidien des cadres de proximité; et 2) Ces derniers peuvent réagir aux tensions paradoxales en appliquant différentes défensives et actives. Ils doivent alors montrer une complexité comportementale leur permettant de gérer les paradoxes afin de prendre en compte la multiplicité des tendances qui s’expriment au sein de l’organisation. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0986/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedetto Lepori

Abstract This article presents the conceptual and methodological design of a register of public-sector organizations, as well as a preliminary delineation of such organizations in Europe. Conceptual and methodological issues are discussed, as well as the potential usage of the register for interlining datasets and analysis. The significance of the register for research policy and evaluation studies is also discussed, as related with changes associated with New Public Management reforms.


Author(s):  
Dirk Werth

The rise of the Internet has structurally changed not only the business area, but also governments and administrative authorities. The usage of information and communication technologies (ICT) influenced the organizational behavior and the daily work of public administrations. In parallel, a new management paradigm has grown in governments and administrations: The New Public Management (NPM) aims to a new orientation on the impact of public activities and on the benefit of public services for its customers, namely citizens and businesses (Barzelay, 2001). It puts the administration and its activities in the triangular relationship between politics, administration and citizens (Osborne & Gaebler, 1992). Within this “ecosphere”, decentralized steering models (Reichard, 2002) as well as market mechanisms are introduced and emphasized (Pollitt & Bouckaert, 2000).


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikos Kartalis ◽  
Mathew Tsamenyi ◽  
Kelum Jayasinghe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how accounting is implicated in the creation and maintenance of organizational boundaries. The analysis focuses on organizations subjected to conflicting objectives as a result of new public management (NPM) reforms. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on case studies of four cultural organizations (Show Caves) in Greece. Data are collected from semi-structured interviews, informal discussions and document analysis. The paper draws on Bourdieu’s concepts of “field”, “capital” and “habitus” and Llewellyn’s analysis of organizational boundary maintenance. Findings – The study observes that NPM reforms contributed to shifting organizational boundaries – from cultural/archaeological to economic/financial and this resulted in conflicting organizational objectives. This subsequently created conflicts between key actors (municipal politicians, professional managers and anthropologists). These actors, depending on the positions (and habitus) they occupy, and the capital (political, cultural and symbolic) they hold, are able to bargain for resources (economic capital). The conflicting objectives (archaeological/cultural/historical, political and commercial) that emerged and the tensions that arose between the key players shaped the identities and boundaries of the Show Caves. Originality/value – The study makes an original contribution by revealing the complexity and struggle between actors and the role of accounting in managing the boundaries. For example, the study explains how financial threshold and accountability structures function within these cultural organizations that are subjected to conflicting objectives in the context of NPM reforms.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (148) ◽  
pp. 369-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang Ludwig-Mayerhofer ◽  
Ariadne Sondermann ◽  
Olaf Behrend

The recent reform of the Bundesagentur fijr Arbeit, Germany's Public Employment Service (PES), has introduced elements of New Public Management, including internal controlling and attempts at standardizing assessments ('profiling' of unemployed people) and procedures. Based on qualitative interviews with PES staff, we show that standardization and controlling are perceived as contradicting the 'case-oriented approach' used by PES staff in dealing with unemployed people. It is therefore not surprising that staff members use considerable discretion when (re-)assigning unemployed people to one of the categories pre-defined by PES headquarters. All in all, the new procedures lead to numerous contradictions, which often result in bewilderment and puzzlement on the part of the unemployed.


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