'We're all human resource managers now': Local government middle managers

In the context of the much-publicised moves within local government from traditional Personnel Management to new Human Resource Management (HRM) systems, this article explores the extent to which line managers' day-to-day people management practices had changed as a consequence of their local authority's formal adoption of HRM policies. While many of these managers had made real and substantial changes in their people management activities, it was nevertheless clear that barriers remained to the full realization of the HRM ideal, with potentially adverse consequences for the managers' motivation and pe performance levels and for overall organizational effectiveness.