The Paradox of Post-Bureaucracy: Trust Formation among State Administration Employees in Finland

Abstract

This paper discusses civil servants’ trust in management under conditions of organizational change. The paper draws on asurvey and qualitative interview material collected from five knowledge-intensive public sector organizations in Finland. Theresults indicate that the post-bureaucratic model of organizing work in Finnish state administration may increase insecurityand decrease trust among employees. The paper serves as a reminder that all organizational models have their costs and benefits.Traditional bureaucracy fosters predictability and longevity in employee relations. In this respect, the post-bureaucratic model oforganizing work may not always be as effective in generating trust as traditional bureaucracy is.

Keywords

• Bureaucracy
• Public Sector Reform
• Post-bureaucracy
• Trust
• State Administration
• Finland