Public managers as agents of change in New Public Management reforms: proposal for a conceptual model

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of the public manager as a central actor of change in New Public Management (NPM) reforms, drawing on an in-depth literature review and proposing a conceptual framework adapted to the Moroccan context. The research is based on a systematic literature review drawing on scientific publications from major academic databases, particularly Scopus and Web of Science, covering the recent period of development of research on New Public Management and public administration transformations. Faced with the gap identified in the literature, which has largely privileged the institutional and structural determinants of reforms to the detriment of internal managerial dynamics, this article highlights three fundamental roles of the public manager: translator, mediator, and mobilizer. As a translator, the public manager interprets and adapts the principles of NPM to local institutional and cultural realities. As a mediator, they ensure the articulation between strategic orientations and operational practices. As a mobilizer, they engage teams and help overcome resistance to change. These three roles structure an integrative conceptual framework articulated around four theoretical propositions concerning the applicability of NPM as a dependent variable. In this perspective, the applicability of NPM is understood as the capacity of public organizations to adopt and implement the principles and managerial instruments associated with New Public Management in their management practices. The fourth proposition integrates the Moroccan institutional context — bureaucratic rigidities, governance deficits, and persistent cultural resistance — as a moderating variable that attenuates the effect of the three managerial roles on the applicability of NPM. The analysis of the Moroccan context reveals that these roles are exercised in an environment marked by bureaucratic rigidities, governance deficits, and persistent cultural resistance, highlighting the need to strengthen managerial capacities as an essential lever for administrative modernization.

Classification JEL: H83

Paper type: Theoretical Research