It will be the purpose of this thesis to describe and analyze the events and factors which shaped installation of the first electronic data processing system acquired by the City of Denton, Texas--a "medium-sized" municpal organization operating under the council-manager plan. Because the environment may have some degree of effect upon such an effort within the public sector, a certain amount of space will be given over to description of the community as a geographic location, as an aggregation of people engaged in varied activities, and, by implication, as a background for the operation of a municipal government.

This essay examines if the centralized model for municipalities has potential so be a solution for local democracy when it comes to streamlining the organization without reducing the democratic legitimization. To do so, the essay examines documents from five Swedish municipalities which have transformed their organization according to the centralized model: Arvika; Sunne, Bengtsfors, Leksand and Tierp. The material is analyzed through a qualitative text analysis with the help of theories on democratic legitimization and ideals for organizing municipal management.The results show that the centralized model has the potential to be a solution for streamlining the organization while preserving democratic legitimization. The analysis concludes that it takes thorough preparatory analysis and distinct purposes for the reform to give good results, and that a wide perspective as well as political consensus on the organizational issue makes the implementation easier. Further the study concludes that a reform into the centralized model is not a ‘quick fix’ for a troubled municipality. On the contrary, to succeed with the reform it takes a lot of work and commitment from the whole organization as well as a carefully analyzed foundation and directives for the implementation.

<p>Syftet med studien är att belysa och jämföra hur två jämnstora kommuner i Sverige har implementerat lagen om det kommunala uppföljningsansvaret för ungdomar mellan 16 och 20 år som inte studerar på ett nationellt eller specialutformat program. Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ metod där vi har intervjuat fem personer i tre olika funktioner för att få olika perspektiv på det vi studerade. Vi fann att det praktiska arbetet skiljer sig åt mellan de båda kommunerna trots att målet är detsamma: att hitta och kartlägga alla ungdomar som befinner sig utanför gymnasieskolan och sedan erbjuda hjälp baserat på individuella intressen, behov och förutsättningar. Kommunerna har liknande verktyg för att hitta och motivera ungdomarna som t.ex. samma registreringssystem, centralt placerade utanför skolan, liknande kontaktsätt och trycker lika starkt på frivilligheten som en viktig faktor. De hittar även alternativa lösningar med sikte på studier, arbete eller övriga åtgärder osv. De skiljer sig även åt i många avseenden bl.a. så finns de under olika förvaltningar, den ena organisationen ligger inom kommunen, den andra externt, den ena samarbetar lokalt och den andra nationellt osv. Vi har dragit slutsatser som t.ex. att bägge kommuner har insett allvaret i att låta ungdomar utanför skolsystemet vara utan sysselsättning och tillsammans med ungdomarna så försöker de därför finna lösningar som fungerar i längden samt att olika sätt att organisera verksamheten kan leda till samma mål.</p> / <p>The aim of this study is to elucidate and compare how two equally-sized municipalities in Sweden have implemented the law on the municipal responsibility for monitoring young people between 16 and 20 who are not studying at a national or specially designed program. We have used a qualitative approach in which we have interviewed five people in three different functions to get different perspectives on what we studied. We found that the practical work differs between the two municipalities, although the objective remains the same: to find and identify all young people who are outside high school and then offer assistance based on individual interests, needs and conditions. The municipalities have similar tools to find and motivate youngsters such as the same registration system, centrally located outside the school, similar means of contact and they both press as strongly in free will as an important factor. They can also find alternative solutions that focus on study, work or other activities. They also differ in many respects, for instance they are under different administrations, one is located in the municipality and the other outside, one works locally and the second nationally and so on. We have drawn conclusions such as both municipalities have realized the gravity of letting young people stay outside the school system be without jobs and together with the young people they try to find solutions that work in the long run and also that different organization of each activity can lead to the same goal.</p>

Syftet med studien är att belysa och jämföra hur två jämnstora kommuner i Sverige har implementerat lagen om det kommunala uppföljningsansvaret för ungdomar mellan 16 och 20 år som inte studerar på ett nationellt eller specialutformat program. Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ metod där vi har intervjuat fem personer i tre olika funktioner för att få olika perspektiv på det vi studerade. Vi fann att det praktiska arbetet skiljer sig åt mellan de båda kommunerna trots att målet är detsamma: att hitta och kartlägga alla ungdomar som befinner sig utanför gymnasieskolan och sedan erbjuda hjälp baserat på individuella intressen, behov och förutsättningar. Kommunerna har liknande verktyg för att hitta och motivera ungdomarna som t.ex. samma registreringssystem, centralt placerade utanför skolan, liknande kontaktsätt och trycker lika starkt på frivilligheten som en viktig faktor. De hittar även alternativa lösningar med sikte på studier, arbete eller övriga åtgärder osv. De skiljer sig även åt i många avseenden bl.a. så finns de under olika förvaltningar, den ena organisationen ligger inom kommunen, den andra externt, den ena samarbetar lokalt och den andra nationellt osv. Vi har dragit slutsatser som t.ex. att bägge kommuner har insett allvaret i att låta ungdomar utanför skolsystemet vara utan sysselsättning och tillsammans med ungdomarna så försöker de därför finna lösningar som fungerar i längden samt att olika sätt att organisera verksamheten kan leda till samma mål. / The aim of this study is to elucidate and compare how two equally-sized municipalities in Sweden have implemented the law on the municipal responsibility for monitoring young people between 16 and 20 who are not studying at a national or specially designed program. We have used a qualitative approach in which we have interviewed five people in three different functions to get different perspectives on what we studied. We found that the practical work differs between the two municipalities, although the objective remains the same: to find and identify all young people who are outside high school and then offer assistance based on individual interests, needs and conditions. The municipalities have similar tools to find and motivate youngsters such as the same registration system, centrally located outside the school, similar means of contact and they both press as strongly in free will as an important factor. They can also find alternative solutions that focus on study, work or other activities. They also differ in many respects, for instance they are under different administrations, one is located in the municipality and the other outside, one works locally and the second nationally and so on. We have drawn conclusions such as both municipalities have realized the gravity of letting young people stay outside the school system be without jobs and together with the young people they try to find solutions that work in the long run and also that different organization of each activity can lead to the same goal.

Bakgrund och problem:         Målstyrning, som utvecklades inom den privata sektorn, blev som en följd av New Public Management (NPM) ett vanligt styrsätt inom svenska kommunorganisationer redan i början av 1990-talet. Skillnader i förutsättningarna mellan privata och offentliga organisationer har sedan dess gjort att det funnits svårigheter att tillämpa styrsättet. Tidigare forskning har identifierat problem i form av målträngsel, målformulering, mätbarhet och uppföljning. Studier som fokuserat på beslut i kommunorganisationer har bland annat tittat på tjänstemanna- kontra politikerrollen och individernas egenskaper. I den här studien dockas de båda områdena samman då beslut under kommunala organisationers målprocesser studeras med särskilt fokus på individers påverkan på besluten. Forskningsfråga:                        Hur påverkar individer i en kommunorganisation, i praktiken, de beslut om mål och delmål som förekommer under målstyrda arbeten? Och varför ser påverkan ut som den gör? Syfte:                                              Syftet med studien är att förklara individers påverkan på beslut om mål och delmål under ett målstyrt arbete i en kommunorganisation, detta för att skapa en helhetsbild som ökar den totala förståelsen för målarbeten i dessa organisationer. Teoretisk referensram:           Studien koncentreras kring individers påverkan på beslut, genom att ta utgångspunkt i den vidareutvecklade Garbage-Can-teorins begrepp; problem, lösningar, tid, engagemang och möjligheternas fönster. Samtliga delar inriktas på målstyrda kommunorganisationers förutsättningar, genom att de beskrivs med utgångspunkt i tidigare forskning kring NPM, målstyrning samt individers roller och egenskaper. Ett praktikteoretiskt perspektiv används för att länka samman delarna till en förklarande helhet. Metod:                                           Arbetet har genomförts som en kvalitativ fallstudie och empiriinsamlingen har i första hand gjorts genom direkta observationer under mötestillfällen i en kommunal målprocess. Slutsatser:                                    Studien har visat att individer i målstyrda kommunorganisationer påverkar beslut om mål och delmål genom att argumentera för olika problem och lösningar och agera med skiftande tidsinsats och engagemang. Detta i sin påverkan av målförslagen, arbetsfördelningen och beslutsprocessen. Att påverkan ser ut på detta sätt beror enligt vår studie på att den, tillsammans med den sociala värld där den ägt rum, är en del av en ömsesidigt grundläggande helhet. Den sociala verkligheten är formad av flera strukturella och politiska förutsättningar som både påverkas av individerna och som påverkar dem. / Background and problems:   Management by objectives was developed in the private sector and became, with the help of New Public Management (NPM), a commonly used mode of control in Swedish municipalities in the early 1990s. Different prerequisites between private and public organizations have made the implementation problematic all from the beginning. Previous research has identified problems with goal inflation, goal writing, measurability and monitoring. Studies of decision making in municipal organizations has focused on the roles of officials and politicians and the characteristics of these individuals. This study brings the two areas together by focusing on decisions during municipal goal processes and the impact of the individuals on the decisions made in these processes. Research question:                   How do the individuals in a municipal organization, in practice, affect the decisions of objectives that occur during work managed by objectives? And why does the affect appear this way? Purpose:                                        The purpose of this study is to explain the individual’s impact on objectives set for a municipal work managed by objectives; this will help to create an overall picture that increases the understanding of goal processes in this kind of organizations. Frame of reference:                 The study concentrates on individual’s impact on decisions by starting off from the concepts of the extended Garbage Can theory; problems, solutions, time, dedication and windows of opportunity. By being described in relation to previous research of NPM, MBO and the roles and characteristics of individuals, these components where oriented towards the conditions of a municipal organization managed by objectives. Practice Theory has been used to link the concepts together to a holistic explanation. Method:                                        This study was made as a qualitative case study where the empirical data collection where made primarily through direct observations during meetings in a municipal goal process. Conclusions    The study has shown that individuals in municipal organizations managed by objectives affect decisions of objectives by arguing in favor of different problems and solutions and acting with shifting time effort and dedication. This in their effect on the suggested objectives, the division of labor and the decision process. According to this study, the affect appears this way because it is, together with the social world that surrounds it, a part of a mutual constitution. The social world is formed by both structural and political conditions that are being affected by the individuals as well as they affect them.

Background: Management Control Systems (MCS) have been withheld as useful tools to support managers and increase performance, whereas Simons’ Levers of Control (LOC) increase the understanding of relations between different MCS. The characteristics of the public sector induce new dimensions of complexity in a municipal setting, where this study reveals how tensions exist between both levers and managers in turn impacting the performance of the organization.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to clarify the comprehensive use and efficiency of the MCS within Swedish municipal organizations. By using existing frameworks to acknowledge the unique challenges inherent, the relation between LOC and municipal performance is tested.  Method: The study reconciles with the pragmatic paradigm, following an abductive mixed-method approach. The research problem is addressed through a sequential explanatory method, where the quantitative research accounts for the foundation of the study, and to further enhance the understanding of the data, qualitative interviews were conducted.  Conclusion: This thesis reveals the intricate relationship between MCS and performance in Swedish municipal organizations, confirming the significance of MCS while challenging assumptions about LOCs’ direct impact on performance. By exploring the moderating role of professional discretion, the study underscores the importance of considering contextual factors in designing effective control mechanisms tailored to organizational needs.

The study aims to investigate what constitutes quality in municipal supported housing for young people (16-21 y/o). The study examines organizational conditions and what working methods are used in the work with the youths. Qualitative interviews have been conducted with unitmanagers, coordinators and employees who work at various municipal supported housing inSweden (10 interviews; 6 supported housing). The interviews have been processed using athematic analysis method and analyzed with self-determination theories combined with a theoretical framework based on implementation science and quality residential care. The resultsshowed some central quality aspects for the supported housing facilities. Related to structurequality, the importance of internal trustworthy relationships in the workplace, opportunities for competence supplies, flexibility, good professional collaborations, and access to resources werehighlighted. For process quality, it depended on how the caregivers produced and contributedto the youth’s goal to independency. The coworkers mainly used practical and emotional support efforts, inspired by Motivational Interviewing approaches. Since the employees mainly used themselves as a working tool, the study concludes that they would need continuous support for their professional and personal development, to maintain a good quality.

The public-sector organizations have been in limelight for research work about the implementation of various quality management approaches with the evolution of process management ideology into this sector. The awareness among the citizens regarding their rights and demand for qualitative service has been increased which led to the focus on the quality management approaches like Six Sigma and Lean. The public-sector organizations such as municipalities, health care, social administrators and others are not driven by profits unlike private sectors making it complex to implement these approaches. This led to the purpose of the thesis to research on proposing a process improvement strategy for increased customer satisfaction in the public sector. Seven tools from Lean and Six Sigma methodologies have been chosen to propose the strategy and they are – Process Mapping, Voice of the Customer, Critical to Quality, Cause &amp; Effect Analysis, 5 Why’s, Benchmarking and Standardization. To execute this research, a qualitative case study methodology has been conducted at MoS department of Linköping Municipality on one of their ground process – customer request handling process. The research questions were designed to understand how to map the process, the customer orientation and process efficiency specific to the case and finally grasp the effectiveness of the selected tools for public sector. Various data sources were collected for this study. The empirical findings led to interesting analysis and discussion on the case study in relation to the previous literatures reviewed in this area. Moreover, the usefulness of these tools has been clearly identified and the strategy for process improvements has been proposed. From the overall discussion, major conclusions on the thesis work have been made with respect to the research questions. Firstly, while mapping the process it is important to consider the customer perspective and identify the process steps which lead to customer satisfaction. Further, communication with the customers and considering their feedback for future improvements is identified to be vital. Finally, the selected tools contribute majorly for the process improvements in public sector where the numerical data availability is limited and the importance of the strategic order for the tools has been highlighted. Key Words: Process Improvements, Six Sigma, Lean, Public Sector, Municipal Organizations, Customer Orientation, Customer Satisfaction.

Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och analysera hur rekryteringsprocessen går till i en kommunal organisation i avseende till att rekrytera kompetensbaserat och rättssäkert, vilket utförts genom en kvalitativ studie i form av fem enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer. Den kommunala organisationen är belagd i Västsverige. Dessa fem intervjupersoner har utifrån erfarenheter och färdigheter beskrivit hur en rekryteringsprocess går till i praktiken, där de anser att rekryteringsprocessen kan ses komplex med hänsyn till de lagar och regler som ska tas i beaktande. Det huvudsakliga resultatet som framkommit under intervjuerna på den kommunala organisationen har varit att organisationen ska ha en rättssäker och kompetensbaserad rekryteringsprocess, då de verkar inom den offentliga sektorn och det är därför viktigt att bibehålla sin rättssäkerhet. Två principer som under intervjuerna har haft särskild påverkan på rekryteringsprocessen är icke-diskriminering och likabehandling. Den beskrivande bilden gällande principerna icke-diskriminering och likabehandling som har förklarats har behandlat att alla som varit involverade i rekryteringen levt med dessa, men att det i störst utsträckning varit ett arbetsmoment som HR haft under kontroll. Utifrån intervjupersonernas förklaringar och beskrivningar kan vi se starka kopplingar till tidigare forskning och teoretiska utgångspunkter. / The aim of this study is to describe and analyze a municipal organizations recruitment process in terms of recruiting competence-based and legal certainty, conducted by a qualitative study in the form of five individual semistructured interviews. The municipal organization is located in western Sweden. Based on experience and skills, these five interviewees describe how a recruitment process goes into practice, where they consider the recruitment process to be complex with regard to laws and regulations to be considered. The main result that has emerged under the interviews of the municipal organization has been that the organization should have a legal and competence-based recruitment process when operating in the public sector and it is therefore important to maintain its legal certainty. Two principles that had a special impact on the recruitment process during the interviews are non-discrimination and equal treatment. The descriptive picture of the principles of non-discrimination and equal treatment that has been explained has treated all those involved in recruitment living with them, but that it was mostly a working life that HR had checked. Based on the explanations and descriptions of the interviewees you can see strong links to previous research and theoretical starting points.   This study is written in Swedish.

The purpose of the study is to examine what significance värdegrund (core values) has in a municipal organization, and if it’s important that employees have personal values corresponding with the organizational values. Some focus is directed at why organizations should work with core values. The qualitative case study includes 11 interviews with employees within the organization Uppsala municipality. Theories and earlier studies indicate a discrepancy between whether organizations should work with core values at all. The result shows a unified opinion that core values are beneficial for the examined organization, and that it has different functions. In regard to personal values, the respondents are not in agreement whether it’s important that they correspond with the organizations core values. A concluding remark, based on empirical findings and accounted theory, is that the municipal organization in this case should use core values to build a culture instead of using it as a method of management, and that they shouldn’t emphasize too much on the importance that personal values and core values corresponds.