Managing the Italian Public Sector HRM System in the Post-Pandemic Era

The attention given to human resource management (HRM) in public sector (PS) research is increasing. In particular, the emerging performance orientation has made the theme of the ‘added value’ of HRM directly related to the ongoing debate on PS. HRM in the PS, especially the Italian one, loses its effects in the face of a strictly bureaucratic system that lacks innovation in terms of procedures and process management. The re-emergence of Italy in the post-pandemic era has been closely connected with the “digitalization” and “innovation” of managerial and decisionmaking practices. This work shows how, despite the need to rethink the PS HRM system, the Italian post-pandemic era is suffering from a significant misalignment between internally isolated and thinly populated areas and urban ones. Using a qualitative approach employing semi-structured interviews that involved Italian managers from the PS, we show the different misalignments that are present in such a two-sided PS system.