Lessons for public management reform from the insourcing of the Probation Service of England and Wales

IMPACT: This article provides lessons for policy-makers and organizational leaders based on a case study of the renationalization of probation services in England and Wales: a rare case of whole service insourcing. These are as follows: first, that structural change—interacting always with an organization’s longer history of reforms—represents an extraordinary energy drain on those involved at every level of a public service. Second, formal milestones of change cannot be taken for granted. Perceptions around progress and timescales will differ considerably, with important consequences. Third, structural reform can address, but also create, challenges regarding the need to achieve an organization’s (re-)legitimation among stakeholders. A renewed focus upon practice, the craft of the public service practitioner, should be at the core of considerations around public management and its reform.