This study describes the introduction of a new working organization in
an administrative office of the Italian public sector. Staff members
actively contributed and realized their ideas to improve service and i
ncrease organizational flexibility. These improvements resulted in a p
aradox: they went unrecognized by the staff members themselves who mor
eover sabotaged them to reproduce the organizational malfunctions exis
tent prior to the changes. This study aims to understand both why staf
f members rejected the changes that they themselves had proposed and w
hy they sought to return to their previous situation. The analysis see
ks to shed light on the importance of individual recognition for the p
ublic employee and how this variable influences both barriers to, and
opportunities for, innovation in the public service organization.