The Bureaucracy versus Post‐Bureaucracy Paradox in Public Administration: A Historical Perspective on the Selection and Training of Public Managers

ABSTRACT In the historical trajectory of public administration (PA), bureaucratic and post‐bureaucratic models have competed and coexisted in unstable relations. Recent studies have put forward the idea that those models constitute two poles of the paradox. Despite growing interest in this paradox perspective in PA literature, extant studies have not extensively explored it across time and multiple organizational domains. To address these gaps, this article investigates how PAs have navigated the bureaucracy versus post‐bureaucracy paradox over almost 30 years in two interrelated organizational domains: managers' selection and training. Our study reveals that the balance between bureaucracy and post‐bureaucracy poles has changed over time and across two organizational domains, thus influencing different coping practices. We contribute to theoretical development by unraveling the (i) time‐specificity and (ii) domain‐specificity of the practices adopted to navigate the bureaucracy versus post‐bureaucracy paradox. Finally, we draw implications for policymakers and practitioners, emphasizing the importance of context‐sensitive ambidexterity.