Publications / Articles / 2002 / 2002:121 Ånden som går? Om utbredelse og utforming av kommunal målstyring i Sverige, Danmark og Norge
Ånden som går? Om utbredelse og utforming av kommunal målstyring i Sverige, Danmark og Norge
This study of the implementation of management-by-objectives (MBO) in Scandinavian Local Government demonstrates that MBO-inspired models are widely used in local authorities in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The common interpretation of MBO among Chief Executive Officers in the local autorities echoes the core elements of the MBO concept as presented in the normative management literature, However, this understanding of MBO tends to include other management techniques inspired by New Public Management. In the public sector, MBO is introduceds as a tool for 'strategic political leadership', but it is often related to governanace tools typical of New Public Management. There is no common MBO practice across Scandinavia. There is considerable variation as to what extent local authorities comply with the demands of the ideal-type model regarding the understanding of MBO, its application and practice. However, steering and management in Scandinavian local authorities are certainly framed in the "spirit" of MBO. The piecemeal and 'a la carte' approach to implementation indicates that the implications of introducing new management comcepts, such as MBO, cannot be studied as a uniform phenomenon. On the contrary, the research challenges lie in the encounter between various mixes of new steering and management