Multiple Loyalties and Commitments at Work - by Armand Brice Kouadio & David Giauque (Hardcover)

About the Book

The authors examine the uniqueness of the public sector in relation to workplace loyalty and commitment, in light of recent phenomena of change in the workplace, including attitudes to work, type of employment and use of technology.

Book Synopsis

As work environments evolve - under the pressure of digitalization, shifting employment norms, and changing social expectations - the meaning of employee commitment is being redefined. Nowhere is this transformation more striking than in the public sector, where loyalty must navigate tensions between professional ethos, bureaucratic constraints, and societal missions.

This book offers a compelling exploration of workplace commitment in contemporary public organizations. It proposes a multi-level framework--macro (institutional and policy), meso (organizational), and micro (individual)--to unpack the diverse forces shaping employee loyalty today. Drawing on cross-disciplinary perspectives, the chapters investigate how public servants relate not only to their employers but also to their professions and to the public interest itself.

With contributions grounded in real-world cases and theoretical rigor, the volume sheds light on how institutional configurations, policy domains, and organizational models intersect with individual meaning-making. It also asks timely questions: How does AI reshape commitment? What happens to loyalty in fluid, gig-like public jobs?

Essential reading for scholars, managers, and policymakers, this book invites a deeper understanding of what binds people to public service - and how that bond is being challenged and transformed.

About the Author

Armand Brice Kouadio is an Associate Professor of HR management in the Business Management department of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO). He holds a PHD in Public administration from the IDHEAP (University of Lausanne). His research interests include employee workplace commitment, personnel policies, and strategic HRM in public and private organizations.

David Giauque is a Full Professor of Human Resource Management and Public Management at the Swiss Graduate School of Public Administration (IDHEAP), University of Lausanne. He is a political scientist by training and obtained a PhD in public administration (2003) from the IDHEAP (University of Lausanne). His research interests focus on HRM and management issues within public administrations.