Management; Coordinator: Dag Olaf Torjesen 

A comparative sector study of organisational, institutional and historical conditions for management in the social insurance and health care sector in Norway

Central questions in the project

This project is particularly focused on how management within the Norwegian hospital and social insurance sector is moulded in the squeeze between local, national and global ideas on what good management is.

The project will firstly investigate how new organisational design and new ways of interacting generate new conditions for management. We do this by looking at how the organisational transition within the health care system, from county run hospitals to state run health corporations, has generated new opportunities for development in managerial structures and performance.

Secondly the project will study the relationship between the concept of New Public Management and management within the hospital and social insurance sector. Of special interest is the internal consistency between new administration techniques (adopting the NPM-consept) and new management forms.

Finally, the project will examine how new management “ideals” are adopted and integrated into the organisation. This means taking a closer look at how the concept of “common” management is integrated into the more traditional expert management system.

Theoretical starting point

This study takes as its starting point the various institutional approaches within organisational theory. Classic institutionalism (local traditions and culture), new institutionalism (focusing on the relationship between the organisation and rational surroundings and myths) and Scandinavian institutionalism (focusing on how the relations between and combination of internal and external factors can explain how new forms of management are developed and adjusted to the hospital and social insurance sector.

Data/publishing

The study will utilise different types of data. Both a quantitative and qualitative survey will be performed among leaders at all hierarchal levels at the hospitals and within the social insurances system in Norway. Such surveys will also be administered to the political leaders governing the sector. In addition will document studies be performed on archive material and on central publications in the sector.

The project is planned for the period of autumn 2002 to spring 2006. During this time articles will be published in national and international journals and papers presented at national and international conferences on management and organisational theory. The project is planed published as a main report and thesis at the University of Bergen the spring of 2006.

CV

Dag Olaf Torjesen is currently working as Associate Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Agder Regional University, Norway. Torjesen has been heading an further educational program in management and organisational development for the Norwegian National Social Insurance Services since 1991. His research has mainly been focused on modernisation of management polices within the Norwegian welfare sectors. Torjesen has also been working as a consultant and researcher at the Norwegian Directorate for Communication and Public Management, as well as performed projects financed by the Norwegian Research Council.

Some relevant publications

• 2003: "Management between autonomy and transparency in the hospital enterprise." Notat . Bergen, Rokkansenteret.
• 2003: "From tandem management to unitary management -management reform in Norwegian health care." Paper for the 17th Nordic Conference on Business Studies. Reykjavik, 14-16.08. Organizing, leadership, resource allocation and management in the Health Care Sector. With H. Gammelsæter.
• 2001”. ”Fra styring til ledelse og tilbake igjen. Management idealer og byråkratiske realiteter i trygdeforvaltninga.( Paper for den nasjonale fagkonferansen i statsvitenskap, jan. 2002, Solstrand.
• Torjesen, D. O. (1996): Mellom byråkrati og flerbrukere. Tverretatlig samarbeidsforsøk mellom arbeids-, sosial- og trygdeetat i Grimstad kommune 1993-1995. Offentlig servicekontor rapport, Statskonsult 1996/3.
• Torjesen, D. O. (1994): Mellom byråkratisk narsissisme og utvikling. En iverksettingsstudie av trygdeetatens nye fylkeskontor. ADH-serien nr. 67/1994.
• Torjesen, D. O. (1993): Ingen etat kommanderer arbeidsmarkedet. Den problematiske samordningen av attføringsarbeidet. I P. Repstad (red.) Dugnadsånd og forsvarsverker. Tverretatlig samarbeid i teori og praksis. Oslo, Tano.

Network

• At Stein Rokkan Center, University of Bergen, Haldor Byrkjeflot
• Institute for Administration and Organisational Sciences, University of Bergen, prof. Torodd Strand
• Statskonsult, Senior adviser Annemor Kalleberg
• Norwegian Ministry of Health, former political leaders, among them Idar Magne Holme
• FLOS: Homepage

Mail:  Dag Torjesen