Restructuring of the Quebec Public Service : Disparate Configurations and Consequences

Studies of public administration question more and more the idea of convergence toward a single model of reform and many challenge the existence of a coherent set of policies and practices subsumed under the label New Public Management. There does exist, however, a growing consensus that reform has generally meant a degradation of working conditions for public sector employees. Our study contributes to this body of knowledge by demonstrating the variability of restructuring practices within a single public administration and the variability of outcomes for employees within the same reform framework. Observations and analysis are drawn from a study of the implementation of a Modernization Plan set in motion in 2004 by the provincial liberal government. This Plan proposed to reduce employment levels through attrition and increase efficiency by reorganizing work processes and alternative modes of services delivery. We open the public sector “black box” by examining the different configurations that emerged and their consequences for workers via a survey of lay union representatives. First, our results allow us to identify six configurations ranging from a quasi status quo (25% of the administrative units) to units that experienced a more in-depth restructuration (23.8% of the administrative units). These differences in restructuring configurations are explained with reference to the nature and role of the administrative units, political pressures and institutional legacies that pose significant challenges to convergence toward a single model of work organization and service delivery in the public sector. Second, our research shows also that these diverse configurations led to differentiated results for public sector workers. Overall the consequences of public sector restructuring for workers are work intensification, a deteriorating climate, ambivalent performance standards and relatively weak support measures – namely access to training