Recruitment and selection are key processes in Public administration (Pa). Nevertheless, these processes are extremely formalized and standardized and this highly limits civil servants’ action. Moreover, it seems that recruitment procedures are mainly driven by the compliance towards the pervasive national legislation rather than its effectiveness. This article investigates, based on semi-structured interviews with public managers of some municipalities, which are the main organisational and operative issues that arise during recruitment and selection processes and which strategies are adopted by civil servants to innovate and overcome the identified problems. The empirical analysis sheds light on the gap between what civil servants carry out to overcome the issues and what they actually obtain from their efforts. The interviews shows that civil servants operate within the ‘iron cage’ of bureaucracy and this inhibits their efforts to improve and innovate the recruitment process. This vicious circle is furtherly fostered by the lack of leverages to dismantle the cage, such as adequate technical competences and skills on recruitment and selection or the control of the communication and relationship with the main stakeholders of external to the Pa.
I processi di selezione del personale rivestono un ruolo centrale all’interno della Pubblica amministrazione (Pa). Ciononostante, tali processi risultano fortemente formalizzati e standardizzati, con limitati margini di manovra da parte dei funzionari pubblici, e spesso volti alla compliance con la normativa nazionale piuttosto che alla loro efficacia. Il presente articolo esamina, grazie allo svolgimento di interviste semi-strutturate a dirigenti di enti locali, le principali problematiche connesse alla selezione del personale della Pa e quali strategie sono adottate dai funzionari pubblici per cercare di innovare e migliorare i processi concorsuali. L’analisi empirica mostra l’esistenza di un gap significativo tra gli obiettivi perseguiti dai funzionari e i risultati che essi ottengono. Le interviste mostrano chiaramente come essi si ritrovano a operare all’interno della “gabbia di ferro” della burocrazia, che inibisce ogni tentativo di innovazione e miglioramento dello status. Questo circolo vizioso è ulteriormente alimentato dalla mancanza delle leve necessarie per scardinarla, come adeguate competenze tecniche in tema di reclutamento o il controllo delle relazioni e comunicazioni con i principali stakeholder esterni all’amministrazione.
De-burocratizzare la Pubblica Amministrazione: problematiche e strategie per i concorsi degli enti locali / R. Ruffini, M. Ingaggiati, G. Barbato. - In: SVILUPPO & ORGANIZZAZIONE. - ISSN 0391-7045. - Luglio/agosto/settembre 2021:300(2021), pp. 30-40.
De-burocratizzare la Pubblica Amministrazione: problematiche e strategie per i concorsi degli enti locali
R. Ruffini;M. Ingaggiati;G. Barbato
2021
Abstract
Recruitment and selection are key processes in Public administration (Pa). Nevertheless, these processes are extremely formalized and standardized and this highly limits civil servants’ action. Moreover, it seems that recruitment procedures are mainly driven by the compliance towards the pervasive national legislation rather than its effectiveness. This article investigates, based on semi-structured interviews with public managers of some municipalities, which are the main organisational and operative issues that arise during recruitment and selection processes and which strategies are adopted by civil servants to innovate and overcome the identified problems. The empirical analysis sheds light on the gap between what civil servants carry out to overcome the issues and what they actually obtain from their efforts. The interviews shows that civil servants operate within the ‘iron cage’ of bureaucracy and this inhibits their efforts to improve and innovate the recruitment process. This vicious circle is furtherly fostered by the lack of leverages to dismantle the cage, such as adequate technical competences and skills on recruitment and selection or the control of the communication and relationship with the main stakeholders of external to the Pa.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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