Christine Blomquist

In the name of managerialism : Reforming organizations in the Swedish public sector

Abstract This paper focuses on the translation of managerialism in the Swedish public sector. A field study of the attempts by two large municipalities to launch a grand reform in the name of managerialism, that is, a purchasersupplier reform, shows the by now familiar difficulties of trying to change public organizations. Thus the actual consequences of actions taken in the name of managerialism are perhaps more complex than is often understood within new public management theory. The concept of translation could be a way of improving this understanding. By using this concept it is possible to grasp the complexity as well as the ambiguity and dynamism of change processes, a task that conventional concepts sometimes fail to fulfill. The overall analysis of the field study is held within the framework of institutional organization theory. By applying the notion of translation, a theoretical link can be constructed between organizational and institutional change.

Leadership challenges of strategic research centres in relation to degree of institutionalisation

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to describe and analyse leadership challenges in the organisation of strategic research centres, focusing on the relationship between organisation and the level of institutionalisation. Four main themes of leadership challenges were identified: (1) the changing university context, including relationships with top management and faculties; (2) research strategy, considering decisions about diversity or a focused perspective; (3) management, dealing with prioritising administrative work; (4) affiliation, the sense of belonging to a strategic research centre, comprising issues of leadership, trust, attitude towards recruitment and succession. We concluded that leadership and effective administration are vital for research collaboration, not only within small research groups as been shown in other studies, but also within large groups in university-based research centres.