Abstract:
Purpose - Modern bureaucracies are under reconstruction, bureaucracy being no longer "modern";
they are becoming "post" bureaucratic. Defining the post-bureaucratic organization as a hybrid form
provides insight into the intrinsic difficulties involved in the refurbishment of large complex
organizations. The purpose of this paper is to examine these difficulties empirically.
Design/methodology/approach - The paper describes the case of an Australian public sector
agency, subject to "corporatization" - a metamorphosis from a strictly public sector outlook to one
that was imputedly more commercial. It focuses on the transition from personnel management to
strategic HRM in the HR function.
Findings - A series of difficulties affected these changes: difficulties in inventing a new identity;
differences in perception of that identity; organizational philosophy towards strategic HRM;
unsuitability of extent networks; and identity conflicts.Two factors emerge as the core explanation for
the difficulties encountered: the "stickiness of identity" and the difficulties associated with network
development
Originality/value - The paper outlines the difficulties experienced in the putative "refurbishment"
of a large public sector agency as it made its way to "corporatization".
