Fostering organizational change through co-production. Insights from an Italian experience

Abstract

Even though public service co-production is achieving a growing popularity among scholars and practitioners, there is limited evidence on its implications and consequences. To contribute in filling such a gap, this paper investigates the role of public service co-production in fostering organizational change. A descriptive case study approach was taken, concerning a group co-production experience targeted to the reorganization of primary school meal services in the Municipality of Quarrata, a medium-sized town established in Central Italy. A step-by-step approach was implemented to realize the full potential of public service co-production. Direct and indirect stakeholders were concomitantly involved in the reorganization of school meal services. Service co-production paved the way for several positive outcomes, including: increased user satisfaction, cost savings, greater social and environmental sustainability, and lower water footprint. The research findings suggested that public sector organizations need to perform as enablers of the co-producers’ sleeping resources, enacting a self-nourishing cycle of public value co-creation. The enhancement of the co-producing skills that are available in the community is a fundamental ingredient of the recipe for more effective and smooth processes of organizational change. This is one of the first attempts to examine the role of service co-production in promoting organizational change in public sector organizations.