The long-term outcomes of reform processes in the public sector remain understudied inthe literature. This study investigates the Swedish Transport Administration (STA)employees’ and managers’ translation and internalization of their new role as societaldevelopers. Since the STA’s founding in 2010 and until 2018, the STA head officeneither guided nor centrally determined how to define and understand the STA’s role as asocietal developer. We examine this internalization process through the lens ofCzarniawska’s translation model of the distribution of ideas as a collective creationthrough local translation and adaptation. The study shows that the ongoing friction thatoccurs when the concept and role of a societal developer are discussed and disseminatedwithin an organization is influenced by prevailing identities and local action nets. It alsoshows that the translation of this new role eventually failed, due to either it beingsubmerged within already-existing concepts or it having a perceived lack of relevance.We conducted this mixed-method study over six years (2016–2021) using documentaryanalysis, workshop participation, interviews and a survey.

Gender mainstreaming has been hampered by the governance guides of New Public Management (NPM). Public Value Management is an alternative approach that can be interpreted as a concept for management accounting that meets the challenges that NPM was never able to handle. This paper discusses the case of gender mainstreaming in the Swedish transport sector.

The authors suggest that the governance of public value will contribute to highlighting important qualitative aspects necessary for the successful implementation of gender mainstreaming. The success of work with the strategy of gender equality is dependent on which management accounting system that is in use. A good example is to use gender-awareness as an input and to go beyond short-term assessment of output into long-term valuation of outcomes. To avoid ending up with irrelevant output measures, gender-aware planning and assessment of qualitative processes and outcomes is required. 

Att använda dialoger har visat sig vara ett viktigt inslag i verksamhetsstyrning då de kan överbrygga komplexitet och brister i formella styrsystem. Denna rapport handlar om Trafikverket, en av Sveriges myndigheter som tillsammans med andra aktörer styr med samhällsvärde i fokus. Trafikverket har formulerat en verksamhetslogik som bygger på ett värdeskapande utifrån-och-in-perspektiv vilket ska fånga många olika samhällsrelevanta behov, samtidigt som alla tillgängliga resurser ska användas på ett så kostnadseffektivt sätt som möjligt, inifrån-och-ut. Den övergripande styrningen i offentlig sektor är vertikal, uppifrån-och-ner, samtidigt som kraven ofta är horisontella. Detta är exempel på några perspektiv i verksamhetsstyrningen som behöver samordnas på ett öppet och tydligt sätt med trovärdighet, legitimitet och engagemang. 

Detta forskningsprojekt utgör en förstudie om dialogens roll i myndigheters styrning. Resultaten pekar på dialogens betydelse och vikten av att förstå och arbeta med dialogens villkor såväl i intern som i extern samverkan. 

Traffic information is vital for travellers' ability go get around effectively. In this qualitative interview study, we highlight how providers of traffic information position themselves as travellers to describe the difficulties and challenges with traffic information. In public traffic information the use of the self becomes problematic, if those who deliver a service are homogeneous and lack knowledge of lived experiences of other gender, age and function variation of those that are users of the same service. In order to create inclusive equally distributed public services acknowledging and embodying the diversity among users of traffic information hence becomes important. This paper contributes with a discursive, qualitative approach to literature on gender and diversity in the transportation sector.

The strategy of gender mainstreaming has been promoted by the UN to enhance gender equality. It was implemented in the era of New Public Management when quantitative performance measures were much more valid than qualitatively assessed aspects on the effects of performances. Consequently, the status of gendered power relations was only disclosed by the counting of women and men which hampered the intended results of gender mainstreaming (Wittbom, 2015). Besides statistical records, mapping the presence of women and men in horizontal and vertical organizational dimensions, symbols and discourses that construct gender need to be analysed. Interactions between women and men enacting dominance and subordination, individual identity and personal thoughts about fitting into a certain context are also qualitative aspects which together with a quantitative pattern can give a comprehensive evaluation of gendered power relations (Acker, 1992, 1990; Connell, 2002).

Public Value Management (Moore, 1995, 2013) is an alternative which can be interpreted as a concept for management control meeting the challenges that New Public Management never could handle. There is no consensus regarding the definition of Public Value. Such an ambiguity can turn out to be a strength, since there are no ready-made facts to take for granted. Hence the administration needs to listen to and discuss together with various actors before decisions are taken regarding societal changes.

This paper discusses the case of gender mainstreaming in the Swedish transport sector which has been on the agenda for over two decades. The Swedish government is now scrutinizing the unintended effects of New Public Management. At the same time, the Swedish Transport Administration has ordered a shift from identification with the building of infrastructure to the broader role as a societal developer. These developments have brought about new questions concerning the policy goal of a Gender equal transport system.

Evidence stems from consecutive, longitudinal qualitative research projects conducted with an interpretive approach by means of close reading of documents, interviews and observations (Alvesson & Sköldberg, 2018).

A change of strategy from production orientation to customer orientation has been emphasized during the era of New Public Management (NPM). However, the NPM-logic has not made state agencies governable for outcomes, as focus ended up in output control in an inside-out approach (Almqvist et al. 2011). When central governments as well as citizens ask for outcomes, a strategic shift towards Public Value Management (Moore, 1995 2013) can be traced, indicating a move from inside-out to outside-in.

This paper presents a study of a tentative strategic shift within the Swedish central government. The empirical research is conducted within three state agencies in the transport sector: (i) Transport Analysis – responsible for providing decision-makers in the sphere of transport policy with relevant policy advice, and with a mission to include more qualitative effects in their assessment of the transport policy goals, (ii) The Swedish Transport Agency – responsible for drawing up and controlling regulations, and involved in a transition towards a system based control and (iii) The Swedish Transport Administration – responsible for national transport systems and with a new mission to act as societal developer, and therefore in need of going beyond the agency’s traditional production orientation. Thus, all three agencies are striving to adopt a new steering logic adjusting the organizations’ deliveries and competence in accordance with external public needs/values.

Evidence stems from longitudinal research projects based on interviews, observations, a survey and close reading of documents. By means of an interpretive approach (Alvesson & Sköldberg 2018) the empirical findings indicate an on-going process of change and a need to align strategy, organization and management control. The paper discusses if the outside-in perspective in line with Public Value Management is challenging the inside-out perspective in New Public Management or if a strategy renewal including both perspectives is called for.

Hur stödjer ett internt styrnings- och ledningssystem rollen som samhällsutvecklare? Det är den övergripande forskningsfrågan i vår treåriga studie av Trafikverkets verksamhetsstyrning. För att kunna förstå styrningen i relation till samhällsutvecklarrollen har vi i denna delstudie valt att fokusera på regeringens krav att FN:s Agenda 2030 för hållbar utveckling ska integreras i alla politikområden genom de ordinarie styrprocesserna.

Till denna kvalitativa studie med en tolkande ansats har vi hämtat empiri i dokument, intervjuer och observationer vid workshops och seminarier. Studien har pågått samtidigt som myndigheten genomför genomgripande förändringar av sitt interna styrnings- och ledningssystem. Trafikverket inför en ny strategisk inriktning som kommer att påverka verksamhetens förmåga att genomföra sina uppdrag. Vision och verksamhetsidé ligger dock fast och visar att Trafikverket har valt att vidga perspektivet på sitt uppdrag – från samhällsbyggare till samhällsutvecklare:

"Alla kommer fram smidigt, grönt och tryggt. Vi är samhällsutvecklare som varje dag utvecklar och förvaltar smart infrastruktur. Vi gör det i samverkan med andra aktörer för att underlätta livet i hela Sverige."

En av våra slutsatser är att det är den strategiska styrningen som avgör hur väl samhällsutvecklarrollen kan tillämpas. Det handlar om att arbeta med ett tydligt utifrån-och-in-perspektiv med hjälp av omvärldsanalys och samverkan med olika aktörer på en så kallad adaptiv arena, där de interna förutsättningarna i olika organisationer möter gemensamma externa krav. Effekterna av både det egna arbetet och andra aktörers påverkan fångas då för att utvärdera om det som pågår kan leda till samhällsnytta. Samhällsutvecklarrollen underlättar när det gäller att skapa och upprätthålla goda relationer med andra aktörer. Sådana relationer är väsentliga för att kunna ta väl grundade beslut för samhällsutvecklingen på både kort och lång sikt.

Samhällsutvecklarrollen gör det möjligt för verksamheten att förses den kompetens som krävs för att kunna vara både byggare och utvecklare av samhället. Men rollen innebär också att styra samverkan med andra organisationer som har kompletterande kompetenser. Samtidigt behöver alla egna tillgängliga resurser användas på ett kostnadseffektivt sätt. Ordning och reda i ekonomin kräver kontroll av kostnadseffektiva, rättssäkra och demokratiska metoder. Effektivitet – särskilt yttre effektivitet – uppnås genom att arbeta strategiskt för att gemensamt med andra skapa ett tillgängligt transportsystem.

Genom att samtidigt styra utifrån-och-in och inifrån-och-ut finns både öppenheten för nytänkande och kontroll över att tilldelade medel används på ett tillitsfullt sätt. Vi kan också se att valet av det vidare perspektiv som samhällsutvecklarrollen innebär stödjer Trafikverkets förmåga att klara de komplexa uppdrag som regeringen ger dem. Samhällsutvecklarrollen öppnar en adaptiv arena för att hantera omvärldsförändringar på kort och lång sikt med rätt kompetens, nytänkande och innovation. Resultaten visar att det interna styrsystemet främst stödjer den operativa verksamheten medan strategiskt tänkande gynnar samhällsutvecklarrollen och bidrar till en hållbar samhällsutveckling. 

A change in strategies from production orientation to customer orientation has been emphasized within Swedish central government agencies during the era of New Public Management (NPM). When both central government and citizens are asking for outcomes, a focus only on output control is insufficient in terms of accountability. As a consequence, the NPM-logic does not fit to make a modern central government agency governable. Instead, a strategic shift towards Public Value Management (Moore, 1995, 2013) can be traced, driven by a New Public Governance logic (Wiesel and Modell, 2014).  

This paper presents a study of such a strategic shift at the Swedish Transport Administration – a government agency responsible for national transport systems. A decision back in 2010 to act as a societal developer implies a mission that goes beyond the agency’s traditional production oriented role of providing rail and road infrastructure.

The research question is how this new role of societal developer calls for alternative strategic performance management tools. The empirical research is conducted during the past three years (2015-2017) by interviews, observations, a survey and close reading of documents. By means of an interpretive approach (Alvesson and Sköldberg, 2009) the results show how the management control system is challenged and its strengths and weaknesses are identified.

A change in strategies from production orientation to customer orientation has been emphasized within Swedish central government agencies during the era of New Public Management (NPM). When both central government and citizens are asking for outcomes, a focus only on output control is insufficient in terms of accountability. As a consequence, the NPM-logic does not fit to make a modern central government agency governable (Almqvist et al. 2011). Instead, a strategic shift towards Public Value Management (Moore, 1995, 2013) can be traced. 

This paper presents a study of such a strategic shift at the Swedish Transport Administration – a government agency responsible for national transport systems. A decision back in 2010 to act as a societal developer implies a mission that goes beyond the agency’s traditional production oriented role of providing rail and road infrastructure.

The research question is how this new role of societal developer calls for alternative strategic performance management tools. The empirical research is conducted during the past three years (2015-2017) by interviews, observations, a survey and close reading of documents. By means of an interpretive approach (Alvesson and Sköldberg, 2009) the results show how the management control system is being challenged.