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International audience; We explore the emerging logic of co-creation in a local public organization which corresponds to a new paradigm and a set of new practices in public management (Torfing et al., 2019).This research context is particularly relevant for institutional scholars as an emerging logic is significantly underdeveloped in terms of prescribed practices (Bertels and Lawrence, 2016) which reinforces the interest in managerial agency (Lynn and al., 2000). The emerging logic is marked by a lack of specification of institutional prescriptions which leads to a high level of ambiguity and uncertainty (Greenwood et al., 2011) challenging managerial practices.Bertels and Lawrence (2016) show that the context of emerging logic leads to specific organizational responses. Beyond the identification of organizational responses, we seek to understand how actors intentionally introduce an emergent and weakly articulated logic and how other actors in the same organization react. To do so, we mobilize the institutional work and materiality approach to understand such practices in a context of emerging logic.The institutional work approach helps to understand these efforts by focusing on the intentional practices of individuals and organizations to create, maintain or disrupt institutions (Lawrence and Suddaby, 2006). The material dimension3 of institutional work seems particularly effective in shaping emerging logics (Cloutier and Langley, 2013), but remains understudied in existing literature (Lawrence and Phillips, 2019). In this sense, we aim to better understand how actors use materiality as a “tool of institutional work” to induce change for co-creation practices in their institutions (Lawrence et al., 2013).Method: We used an exploratory and experimental research design based on a qualitative single-case study approach (Yin, 2015). The case study is a French municipality, and the experiment consisted of both developing a theoretical knowledge base to gain an understanding of the organization and the local context, as well as working with the municipality to design and implement co-creation experiments.The data collection combines a study of semi-structured interviews (one key political actor and five public managers within the municipality); participant and non-participant observation (an informal first encounter, three preparatory meetings, a day of training and two co-creation workshops) and secondary data.Analysis: The data has been analyzed thematically (Miles and Huberman, 2003). Our analysis included two steps: firstly, retracing the history of the case through the identification of the phases of institutional work. Secondly, identifying the logics at play, the forms of materiality and its roles in the institutional work practices. This allowed us to develop the data structure and identify patterns, linking the logics to elements of materiality and institutional work.Main findings: The results of the case study show that materiality is a medium of instantiation both for the emerging logic targeted by institutional work practices and for the logics present within the organization. Based on our findings, materiality is an enacting medium for the emerging logic, a revealing medium for dominant logics, and a confronting medium between the dominant and emerging logics. From a managerial perspective, our study emphasizes the strategic role of materiality in institutional change processes. While little attention is paid to material elements by both managers and neo-institutional scholars, our findings allow us to shed light on their roles.

International audience

International audience

International audience; Faced with the complexity of the challenges of the 21st century, public organizations are invited to adjust their organizational structure by attenuating vertical approaches in favor of more inclusive and participatory models. As such, co-creation of public policy assumes that together, different types of stakeholders can better identify common problems and develop solutions by sharing their experiences and knowledge (Torfing, Sørensen and Røiseland, 2019). Currently at the experimental level in public organizations, it allows for the aggregation of a diversity of perspectives to develop innovative responses that suit the needs and expectations of citizens, and thereby has the potential to effectively address complex societal problems (Bentzen, Sørensen and Torfing, 2020; Ansell and Torfing, 2021) and create public value (Torfing et al., 2021; Voorberg et al., 2015). Among the post-New Public Management (NPM) models of public administration, public value (Moore, 1995) emphasizes the role of government in producing value for users and society by building trust and legitimacy in public decision-making through democratic dialogue (Bryson et al., 2014). Its strong managerial dimension (Rhodes & Wanna, 2007) positions managers in the orchestration of public value creation. This renewal of public management implies a strategic change for public organizations. Change management at the level of decision-making functions has been widely studied (Hambrick & Mason, 1984; Hamel & Välikangas, 2003; Lahouel et al., 2015). In our research, however, we are interested in middle managers, both objects and actors of managerial transformations (Alis & Fergelot, 2012) with a limited latitude for action (Karlsson, 2019). They act as 'linking pins' (Raes et al., 2011) between top managers and citizens, which implies that they have a key role in the appropriation of change. At present, it is discussed whether and how it is possible to transfer the public value approach to European public administrations from the United States where it originated (Rhodes & Wanna, 2007). This invites us to ask to what extent traditional procedures are alleviated in co-creation processes. We wonder about the role middle managers play in this context. Hence, we aim to explore how co-creation transforms the relationships between citizens and middle managers.To do so, we study the city of Klagenfurt, Austria, which, as part of the European Commission’s “100 Climate-neutral Cities” program, aims to co-create local public policy for a more sustainable future. To explore the relationship between the local public organization’s middle managers and citizens in a co-creation process, we propose to mobilize a qualitative approach based on non-participant observation of co-creation workshops, and semi-structured interviews (Romelaer, 2005) with these two types of actors.This research is still in progress at this point. Preliminary findings show that while managers seem to cling to their established role perceptions, and hierarchy effects remain strong, intentional efforts are made for citizens to express themselves. Citizens appear to be eager to seize this opportunity, and open to engage in the co-creation process. However, separation between types of actors with different competences, degrees of expertise, and backgrounds persists throughout the co-creation process. We propose to construct a typology of the relationships between middle managers and citizens participating in a co-creation process. Several types can be identified, ranking from a reciprocal relationship to mutual incomprehension.

International audience

International audience; SDG 17 is all about strong partnerships and cooperation and is required for the achievement of all other SDGs. In that sense, collaborative policymaking is an important target for local public organizations in the European region. The case of Venelles, France, shows how sustainable practices can be promoted through the inclusion of local stakeholders in decision-making processes. As the smallest of only a handful of municipalities in France, in early 2021 Venelles has decided to co-create a local 2030 Agenda hand in hand with its inhabitants. Under the name of "Venelles in Transition," a series of workshops has been initiated, aiming to identify the SDGs that are important for the inhabitants and develop concrete propositions for their implementation. The aim is to analyze the co-creation process and discuss the following question: to what extent could co-creation spur the local implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals? As opposed to the paradigms structuring the public sector today, co-creation has participation and openness at its core and therefore breaks with established approaches to policymaking. Due to it being so different from existing decision-making processes, it requires public managers to master new skills. However, numerous obstacles remain and must be overcome, while activating the numerous drivers, to fully implement co-creation. This chapter aims to shed light on these elements through the example of "Venelles in Transition."

International audience