Abstract
Public administrations (PAs) are fully and deeply plunged in processes like globalisation, dematerialization, and digitalisation. Processes that are contributing to drive/influence the reform that has invested PAs during the last decades calling for their managerilisation. In this environment, smart working (SW) could represent an opportunity for PAs to play their role more efficiently and effectively, that is, better for their citizens and the other stakeholders. SW is essentially based on two principles: greater discretion and responsibility in working activities. This implies the need to manage PAs’ resources appropriately to make possible the deployment and institutionalization of these principles and to move from “hell/purgatory” to “paradise” situations. To this end, the research project (RP) focuses on the relationships between SW and the most relevant resources/capitals in PAs: the human, the structural/organizational, and the relational. In particular, based on the theoretical perspective of the intellectual capital the RP aims at: • analysing the main factors that may impact the implementation of SW in PAs and their impact on individual and organisational performance; • identifying policies and change management models and actions for SW implementation in PAs; Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca MUR - BANDO 2022 • defining tools for measuring and managing performance from planning to control/evaluation of individual and organisational performance in PAs, whether financial and non-financial (e.g. self-esteem, employee satisfaction, gender equality, citizens satisfaction); • establishing an inter-universities laboratory focused on researching SW policies and practices in PAs. A laboratory open to the participation of PAs and their representative bodies, associations of PAs’ stakeholders, and research institutions. To pursue these objectives, the RP adopts an interpretativist approach as it is the most appropriate for enhancing the understanding of “how” SW impacts PAs’ intellectual capitals and PAs’ performance and value creation processes. The research method that will be used is primarily qualitative, i.e. case studies developed through interviews and focus groups. Afterwards, a quantitative methodology will be applied to confirm the results coming from the qualitative methodology adopted also to increase their external validity. In particular, a two steps survey will be realised. First, as a pilot, in the PAs selected as case studies, then, at the national level on a statistical representative sample stratified on the basis of size and location of PAs. The local level of PAs, specifically the municipalities, will be analysed as the governmental level is the closest to citizens, providing different kinds of public services and one of the PAs with the highest number of employees.
Results achieved
The PRIN 2022 SWING project—"Hell, Purgatory, or Paradise? Institutionalizing Smart Working in Governments"—had the overall objective of analyzing the conditions under which smart working can be institutionalized in public administrations, with particular reference to local authorities. The project was funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4 - Component 2 - Investment 1.1, "Fund for the National Research Program and Projects of Relevant National Interest (PRIN)," with financial support from the European Union - NextGenerationEU. As part of the national research group, the University of Bologna Unit, coordinated by Rebecca L. Orelli, developed the strand related to performance measurement and management, with the aim of understanding how smart working impacts planning, control, evaluation, and public value creation systems. The specific objectives of the Bologna Unit were: to reconstruct the state of the art on the relationship between smart working and performance management in the public sector; Analyze the role of performance planning and measurement tools, including the PIAO, in supporting smart working; explore, through a local empirical case, the organizational conditions that allow for the connection between autonomy, accountability, and results; and contribute to the definition of national assessment tools. These objectives were pursued consistently with the project's overall theoretical framework, based on the intellectual capital perspective and the analysis of the organizational conditions that enable results-oriented work management. During the project, the Bologna Unit conducted a literature review on smart working in public administration, with specific reference to the relationship between smart working, performance measurement, and performance management. This work highlighted that smart working cannot be considered merely a remote performance modality, but requires measurement systems capable of transcending the logic of controlling physical presence and enhancing objectives, results, responsibility, coordination, and service quality. The Unit's contribution therefore strengthened the project's managerial dimension, connecting the organizational transformation generated by smart working to strategic planning, management control, and performance evaluation processes. Empirically, the Bologna Unit focused its analysis on the Municipality of Cesena, identified as a significant case study for its experience with performance measurement and its role in regional and national smart working initiatives. After a phase of methodological preparation and discussion with the other research units, guiding questions for the interviews were defined, focusing on the connection between smart working, evaluation systems, organizational objectives, internal coordination, and public value. The interviews conducted at the Municipality of Cesena were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to a shared protocol, contributing to the construction of the national comparative framework together with the cases of Siena, Cagliari, and Formia. The Bologna Unit also coordinated the project's Quality Control activities, preparing the Quality Plan and participating in periodic meetings to verify the consistency between the work plan, activities, and results achieved. This role supported the integration of the various research phases: literature review, focus groups, interviews, national survey, analysis of results, and dissemination. The Unit also contributed to the design and testing of the national questionnaire, which was subsequently administered to local government employees. The survey collected approximately 420 responses, providing a suitable empirical basis for further exploring the relationship between smart working, performance, skills, technologies, and organizational relationships. With respect to the expected results, the Bologna Unit achieved its objectives. First, it advanced knowledge on the relationship between smart working and performance in public administrations, highlighting that the institutionalization of smart working requires measurement systems geared not only to internal efficiency, but also to service quality, employee accountability, collaboration, and the creation of public value. Second, it provided empirical evidence useful for understanding the limitations of traditional control models and the need to strengthen planning and evaluation tools consistent with hybrid work contexts. Third, it contributed to the development of operational recommendations for local governments, particularly regarding the need to connect individual and organizational objectives.Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Rebecca Levy Orelli
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Scienze Aziendali
Coordinatore:
Università di Siena(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 48.833,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
28/09/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
