Emergent Coordination in Public Sector HRM: COVID-19 and the Reconfiguration of Accountability, Predictability, and Common Understanding

Coordination is a critical yet challenging aspect of organizational functioning, particularly in public sector organizations characterized by formalized structures and siloed operations. These challenges are exacerbated during crises, which often disrupt established practices and require adaptive responses. Despite the significant role HR managers are assumed to play in navigating such disruptions, limited research has explored how their coordination practices evolve in times of crisis. This in-depth qualitative study draws on interviews with senior HR managers across Swedish public sector municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic to address this gap. According to HR managers’ accounts, the pandemic disrupted traditional coordination arrangements by challenging the three integrating conditions of coordination: accountability, predictability, and common understanding. Prior to the pandemic, coordination was described as relying heavily on formal, predefined mechanisms tied to specialization and hierarchical structures. During the pandemic, however, HR managers experienced a shift toward more emergent and relational forms of coordination characterized by cross-boundary collaboration and adaptive, real-time problem-solving. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how crises can reconfigure coordination practices within public sector organizations and by highlighting the importance of flexibility and emergent coordination even in traditionally bureaucratic contexts. Furthermore, the findings advance our understanding of HR managers as boundary-spanning coordinators who facilitate organizational adaptability and integration during disruptive events.