Hybridity in the Governance and Delivery of Public Services: (7 Studies in Public and Non-Profit Governance)

About the Book

The concept of hybridity, although well developed in various research areas, is relatively new in the management field, where "organisational hybridity" refers to organisations that combine managerial features, value systems and institutional logics of different sectors (market, state, civil society). Hybrid organisations have traditionally been compared with private, public and non-profit ones, by considering goal ambiguity, governance, organisational structures, personnel and purchasing processes, and work-related attitudes and values. This research has led to substantial evidence on relevant differences between hybrid and other organisations. Hybridisation has also become a permanent feature in today's welfare system. New Public Management and welfare state reforms of the mid 1990s contributed to the emergence of hybrid organisations, with neo-institutional theory also attributed to this phenomenon.


Considering the hybrid phenomenon as a whole, little is known about governance and controls, especially with regard to accountability mechanisms and issues such as the prevention of corruption. Even less is known when we consider the main variables of hybridity to be mixed ownership, competing institutional logics, multiplicity of funding arrangements, and public and private forms of financial and social control.


This book seeks to answer the unsolved questions related to hybrid organisations. It does so by adopting a multifaceted approach along its ten chapters, which focus on different national contexts, including the UK, Italy, Australia, and Sweden, as well as global organisations. The authors consider policy sectors including humanitarian aid, local transport, healthcare, and welfare services.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. How History Challenges Current Thinking On Hybridity: The Effects of Hybridity on London’s Transport 1933-1948; James Fowler   2. Transparency, Accountability and Control in Hybrid Organizations: The Case of Enterprises Owned by Local Government; Gissur Ó. Erlingsson, Anna Thomasson and Richard Öhrvall  3. The Role of Boards of Directors in Transparency and Integrity in State-Owned Enterprises; Ilenia Cecchetti, Veronica Allegrini and Fabio Monteduro  4. The Influence of Human Resources Practices On Corruption Behavior in Humanitarian Aid; Soha Bou Chabke and Gloria Haddad   5. Adapting to Person-Centred Care: Changes in Caring Organizations in The Australian Disability Sector; Bruce Gurd, Cheryll Lim and Ellen Schuler  6. New Public Management and Hybridity in Healthcare: The Solution or The Problem?; Roman Andrzej Lewandowski and Łukasz Sułkowski   7. The Institutional Governance of Global Hybrid Bodies: The Case of the World Anti-Doping Agency; Jean-Loup Chappelet and Nicolien Van Luijk  8. Strategic Philanthropy in Foundations: The Board Members' Perspective; Giacomo Boesso and Fabrizio Cerbioni   9. Collaboration Between For-Profit and Non-Profit Organizations: Some Insights into The Social Doctrine of the Church; Paolo Andrei, Federica Balluchi and Katia Furlotti  10. Boundary-Spanning Leadership in Hybrid Networks: A Case Study of English Local Safeguarding Children Boards; Adina Dudau, Alvise Favotto and Georgios Kominis

About the Author :
Andrea Bonomi Savignon is Assistant Professor in Public and Non-Profit Management at the Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.  Luca Gnan is Full Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. He is past President of the European Academy of Management (EURAM).  Alessandro Hinna is Associate Professor of Organization Theory and Public Management at the Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.   Fabio Monteduro is Associate Professor of Business Management and Public Management at the Department of Management and Law, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy.

Review :
This work unites international contributors in management law, organizational behavior, public management, business administration, economics, and accounting. They address issues and unresolved questions related to hybrid organizations that mix public and private elements to deliver public goods and services. Hybrid organizations are defined as organizations that combine managerial features, value systems, and institutional logics of different sectors, such as market, state, and civil society. Themes of the book include accountability and transparency, sector-specific challenges, and nonprofit governance. Examples and cases are presented from different national contexts and policy sectors. Some specific topics include the influence of human resources practices on corruption behavior in humanitarian aid, public management and hybridity in healthcare, strategic philanthropy in foundations, and collaboration between for-profit and non-profit organizations.