Public Value and Public Service: Reconsidering Humans in a Vuca-D Society

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 March 2026 | Viewed by 926

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Management, University of Turin, 10124 Torino, Italy
2. American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland (AUS), 1814 La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland
Interests: public sector; innovation and digital transformation for public sector organizations; comparative studies (public–private); organization studies and complex systems; motivation and group dynamics; accounting and organizational history; influences and consequences on the introduction of new tools in the workplace; business ethics; CSR and D&I

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Guest Editor
American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland (AUS), 1814 La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland
Interests: consumer behaviour; tourism industry; sustainability and greenwashing; individual factors; electronic WOM

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Guest Editor
1. Istanbul University Institute for Aviation Psychology Research, 34320 Istanbul, Turkey
2. American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland (AUS), 1814 La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland
Interests: aviation psychology; digital assistants; aviation sustainability; industrial and organizational psychology; UAVs; human factors

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Guest Editor
1. Helvetic Business School, 1800 Vevey, Switzerland
2. American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland (AUS), 1814 La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland
Interests: consumer complaining behaviour; service recovery; quality perceptions and product defects
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the complex system of a VUCA-D (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity and Digital) society, the decline of trust and the “theatricalization” of the self, amplified by an exacerbated and often improper use of technology, undermine authentic relationships and result in isolation. Despite various reforms, the public sector struggles to achieve the SDGs, demonstrating the presence of difficult barriers. The network organization emerges as a model for co-creation, aiming to generate public value and promote collaboration between citizens, businesses and administrations. Co-creation empowers citizens as active participants in the design of services, triggering a “new humanism” perspective in public service, focused on sustainability and the rediscovery of the role of the civil servant. Adopting this model requires a cultural change in public administration and ethical governance that promotes well-being and trust, overcoming superficial interactions. A renewed balance between technology and humanity is crucial to unleash the potential of value co-creation in a more efficient and citizen-friendly public sector.

The Special Issue is directed toward scholars and practitioners in the field and embraces a transdisciplinary perspective, welcoming contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including administrative, governance, policy, social, organizational, psychological or welfare elements.

The Special Issue is considered a privileged publication output for the FMOS 2025 Conference (#FMOS2025—https://aus.swiss/fmos-2025) and SSRM (#SSRM2025—https://aus.swiss/ssrm-2025). We will also invite the interdisciplinary community of the American Institute of Applied Sciences in Switzerland (around 700 members) and their respective networks to contribute to this Special Issue.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following research areas:

Post-pandemic sustainability;
Diversity, equity and inclusion;
New visions for transport and infrastructure;
Innovation in transport;
Artificial intelligence and sustainability;
Metaverse and sustainability;
Poverty reduction;
Responsible and sustainable tourism;
Risk management;
Challenges in retail operations;
Service operations management;
Servitization as a business model;
Supply chain management;
Sustainable solutions in operations and logistics;
Corporate social responsibility;
Total quality management and six sigma;
Sustainable operations;
Emerging countries;
Renewable energy production/solutions;
Environmental recovery;
Financial technology;
Network organization model;
Organizational and strategic anti-crisis solutions;
Social reporting;
Human-centric view;
Value co-creation;
Blockchain digital technologies.

Dr. Giuseppe Modarelli
Dr. Mouna Nasr
Dr. Seda Çeken
Dr. Giuseppe Catenazzo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • public sector
  • new humanism
  • technology
  • digitalization
  • co-creation
  • network organization
  • innovation
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

30 pages, 4269 KB  
Article
Persistence and Resilience in Smart/Hybrid Working Practice: A Gender Evaluation in Public Sector
by Giuseppe Modarelli
Systems 2025, 13(10), 837; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems13100837 - 24 Sep 2025
Viewed by 62
Abstract
This research aims to evaluate and highlight the potential mesostructured architecture of established behaviours and operational practices based on the working model change imposed by the pandemic emergency in the public sector. After the intervention of an exogenous shock, the readiness, perceived usefulness [...] Read more.
This research aims to evaluate and highlight the potential mesostructured architecture of established behaviours and operational practices based on the working model change imposed by the pandemic emergency in the public sector. After the intervention of an exogenous shock, the readiness, perceived usefulness and ease-of-use of technologies made the Technology Acceptance Model [TAM] verifiable. Concurrently, it is also possible to verify the Theory of Planned Behaviour [TPB] in the motivation and intention to change employees’ working habits under the lens of complexity and urgency, involving a From Knowledge To Knowledge Strategy [FKTKS]. The research protocol encompasses semi-structured interviews with public managers in Italy, alongside a perceptual and sentiment trend analysis of 70 public employees [35 females and 35 males] regarding their sentiments on digital transition and smart/hybrid working habits before, during, and after the pandemic. In the public sector, change is perceived as a shock-generative tension. In this way, the research aims to answer the genderised issue related to the perception and the persistence of using digital tools in the workplace during the post-urgency period as a regular habit based on perceived usefulness and ease-of-use. The study highlights a gender-specific trend in the use of the smart/hybrid working model after the health emergency. This propensity may also be attributable to the gender traits defined by Hofstede, within whose paradigm the interpretative dynamic provided is embedded. The during-COVID-19 acceptance and usage behaviours define an element related to masculinity because of its urgency and pressing deadlines. In contrast, endurance connects to femininity, emphasising resilience and long-term goals. This approach prioritises resilience and comprehensive well-being, focusing on achieving a good work–life balance [WLB] rather than just addressing immediate issues. Full article
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