PA-POP Lab, SDA Bocconi takes up the challenge of changing the Public Administration

Italy’s recovery must involve a new model of Public Administration. The NRRP makes it clear. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan puts public governance at the center, specifically organizational innovation and talent development, with key support from digital technology. We are now facing a great opportunity, but also a great challenge for every Administration.

SDA Bocconi has risen to this challenge by launching its PA-POP (People, Organization, Performance) Lab to develop the “organizational capacities” of the Public Administration. This think-tank is focused on innovation in HR organization through synergy among academic research, managerial training and initiatives for supporting organizations.

PA-POP Lab’s mission focuses on transforming the culture and organizational and management model of Public Administration. This implies a dramatic change in organizational and procedural dimensions:

• Organizational Models: from rigid bureaucratic silos to agile forms of organization geared to the satisfaction of citizens and users.
• Management Policies of HR Management: from mere economic and legal administration to skill planning and development guiding recruiting, selection, training and career development.
• Work Planning: from the logic of “clocking in and out” to flexible and stimulating ways of working.
• Role of the HR function: from merely warranting compliance to being a driving force for change in the Public Administration.
• Planning and programming systems: from legal obligations to an integrated vision in a strategic and value creation methodology.
• Performance evaluation systems: from the measurement of activities and processes to the evaluation of impacts, results and satisfaction of citizens and users. 

This transformation process engages our PA-POP Lab in a variety of projects, and research and training activities targeting public administrations with a view to creating specific managerial culture and skills for this sector – from “open” research-operational projects, open to interested public administrations, and “custom” projects, developed ad hoc for individual administrations, to self-financed research projects, academic and general-public publications, corporate case studies, events, workshops, panels and webinars to disseminate research results and keep in touch with stakeholders, as well as networking activities with the participation of leading luminaries.

PA POP Lab purpose is "generative": we want to develop new knowledge and to be into the institutions and with the institutions to promote real transformations.

Marta Barbieri, SDA Bocconi Associate Professor of Practice di Public Management



SDA Bocconi School of Management