Post‐NPM approaches to personnel management
Employee roles, motivation, and challenges in contemporary public administration
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11959211 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Adnan Karataş (0000-0003-2399-8013, Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Ataturk University Erzurum Turkey, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Australian Journal of Public Administration (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0313-6647 • E-ISSN: 1467-8500 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1467-8500.70034 |
| OpenAlex | W7131134604 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
The ongoing debate between New Public Management (NPM) and post‐New Public Management (post‐NPM) represents a central tension in contemporary public administration, yet its implications for personnel management remain insufficiently explored. NPM reforms, with their focus on efficiency, performance measurement, and market‐oriented mechanisms, have been criticised for fragmenting organisations and neglecting the human dimension of governance. In contrast, post‐NPM emphasises trust, collaboration, employee empowerment, and public value creation. This article critically analyses personnel management through the lens of post‐NPM, arguing that it redefines employee roles, reshapes motivation, and repositions human resources as a core element of governance capacity. Drawing on recent theoretical and empirical studies, the paper advances three key contributions: (1) it conceptualises four evolving dimensions of personnel management—employee roles, professional development, well‐being, and leadership—within post‐NPM frameworks; (2) it integrates insights from public service motivation, networked governance, and collaborative governance theories to illuminate attitudinal and institutional dynamics; and (3) it outlines practical strategies and future research directions addressing challenges such as digital transformation, work–life balance, and sustaining motivation in complex governance settings. Ultimately, the article calls for a shift beyond managerialism toward a more human‐centred, trust‐based, and sustainable model of personnel management in the public sector. Points for practitioners Transitioning from New Public Management to post‐NPM requires reorienting personnel management toward collaboration, trust, and employee empowerment rather than rigid managerial control. Evidence shows that participatory decision‐making and decentralised personnel structures enhance employee engagement, job satisfaction, and accountability in public organisations. Empowering employees and leveraging their professional expertise supports innovation and improves the responsiveness and quality of public service delivery. Integrating democratic values into personnel management practices strengthens institutional legitimacy and fosters a sustained commitment to public service among employees
Accountability · Corporate governance · Empowerment · Human resource management · Managerialism · New public management · Public sector · Public service · Public Service Motivation · Public value · Facilities and Workplace Management · Management and Organizational Studies · Public Policy and Administration Research
Performance Management in the Public Sector
Public Management Reform
Leadership Without Easy Answers
The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis
Collaborative innovation in the public sector
Inclusive leadership
From old public administration to new public management
Toward a public administration theory of public service motivation
Development of a Public Service Motivation Measurement Scale
Understanding the burnout experience
Public Value
Governance innovation as social imaginaries
Enhancing Employee Voice and Inclusion Through Inclusive Leadership in Public Sector Organizations
Nordic Administrative Collaboration
The manifold meanings of ‘post-New Public Management’ – a systematic literature review
The role of Post-New Public Management in shaping innovation
Post-New Public Management
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations
Enhancing Public Innovation by Transforming Public Governance
The New Public Service Revisited
The Motivational Bases of Public Service
Measuring Public Service Motivation
Whistle Blowers in the Federal Civil Service
Democracy and administrative policy
New Public Management Is Dead--Long Live Digital-Era Governance
Collaborative Governance in Theory and Practice
| Highly cited | No |
|---|