Hybridisation of human resources management practices: the case of local government in France

The dissemination of New Public Management principles is transforming human resources management practices in the public sector. The transformations that have taken place follow four logics: the logics of formalisation, contractualisation, individualisation and politicisation. The article examines the consequences of the interplay of these logics on the hybridisation of human resources management practices. To this end, two complementary methodologies were used: a quantitative methodology based on a survey of 223 local authorities within a French department; and a qualitative methodology based on interviews conducted with 25 of these authorities. The results show that these logics coexist, raising questions about the micro-negotiations that allow this coexistence.

Human resources management practices in public organisations are the composite outcome of a set of different, even contradictory, logics: the logics of individualisation, contractualisation, formalisation and politicisation. There is no common shift towards a single new human resources management model within French local authorities. The fact that these logics are always present in different combinations is explained mainly by the internal dynamics between the stakeholders (elected officials, human resources professionals, management, etc.).