Crisis as change strategy in public organizations

In: International review of administrative sciences: an international journal of comparative public administration, Band 74, Heft 1, S. 65-77

Abstract

According to the common vision, the public sector is strongly change-resistant. Is this justified? In this research, we adopt the Northian distinction between institutions and organizations by focusing on the latter and their capability for change. We try to identify the strategically most effective lever to operate an organizational change in the public sector. We first review the literature on change strategies and their setting in the context of public organizations. Then, we synthesize the conclusions of four case studies around a question: `Is building public organizations capable of co-evolution with their environment feasible?' We will present some strategies of evolution for public organizations, in response to a state of crisis, constituting a vector of organizational change. We conclude on the interest of considering crisis as a vector of organizational change in public organizations. Points for practitioners The public sector is commonly said to be change-resistant. Through case studies we prove this opinion to be false and that change aptitudes are identical to other organizations. We emphasize crises that provide particular opportunities that allow us to offset the absence of performance evaluation and the lack of feedback from the market, and we underline possible change strategies.