Towards an agile public sector: reinventing the public administration by designing human-centred and sustainable organizational models, HRM practices and work(places)

Recent years have brought many challenges (economic crisis, COVID-19, digital transformation) to organizations, their arrangements (workflows, teamwork, leadership, and culture) and human resources management (HRM). Digital tools allowed the introduction of new forms of working that revolutionized traditional work practices and respective organizations by redefining individual and organizational boundaries, and social bonds with the introduction of greater flexibility and autonomy in the choice of space, time and technological tools. These also embraced organizational transformation and digitalization processes that were previously neglected, especially in the public sector historically resistant to change. All these have prompted research on the growing intensive use of agile working (e.g., smart, remote, hybrid work) from different angles including organizational or job design, human-centeredness or ethics of technologies adopted, and their effects on quality of work, employee well-being, organizational models, and economies overall. Despite the efforts to define clear boundaries and characteristics, the literature shows an overlapping conceptualization of the different forms of working with contrasting effects these have on employees, HRM, organizations and societies. For instance, a universally accepted definition of agile work is still missing, while often it is overlapping with hybrid, flexible, tele, and remote work. The need for studying these forms relies upon the impact they have at the individual (e.g. diversity management, control, leadership, motivation, well-being), organizational (e.g. technology, performance, flexibility) and societal (e.g. circular economyimpact considering environmental and productivity challenges and benefits due to changing employees commuting and resources consumption habits) levels. The project will employ a comprehensive mixed methodology comprising qualitative, quantitative, and emerging digital research methods, to explore the multifaceted and complex nature of this topic at different levels and to render the study trustworthy. The project will aim at: 1) conciliate the inconclusive and disparate literature on the new forms of working in the public sector; 2) maximize the positive effects these forms have at different levels by analyzing the underlying technology and their characteristics; 3) understand how these forms may support the effective design of flexible and sustainable organizational models; 4) create a forum of relevant actors for reflecting, networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities; 5) increase (inter)national awareness about the status quo on agile forms of working in the Italian public sector by creating and disseminating research results (books, articles, workshops) on best and worst practices; 6) develop solid multi-level research and practice agendas. The project will provide a holistic picture that would be supportive for theoretical, practical and policy implications.