Managers’ Identities:

Solid or Affected by Changes in Institutional Logics and Organisational Amendments?

Authors

  • Laila Nordstrand Berg Department of Political Science and Management, University of Agder
  • Anu Puusa Business School, University of Eastern Finland
  • Kirsi Pulkkinen Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland
  • Lars Geschwind Department of Learning, School of Education and Communication in Engineering Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v21i1.14890

Keywords:

Doctors, Professional identity, Institutional logics, Management, Finland, Norway

Abstract

This paper studies doctors in Norway and Finland to compare how identities among professionals in managerial positions were expressed after changes in management in the aftermath of ‘New Public Management’ (NPM) reforms. Studying shifting identities provides a basis for investigating how institutions have changed and illuminates how agents within an organisation have implemented NPM-inspired reforms. Data from both countries revealed three groups: the majority of doctors/managers, who had a strong managerial identity; a smaller group who mainly identified as doctors; and a few doctors who displayed hybrid identities. Work experiences have a strong effect on how identity is perceived. Doctors who hold on to their professional identities seemed uneasy with their skills and ability to perform the tasks related to their new position. Many of the doctors were found to have altered their identities due to organisational amendments and the expanded focus on management-related issues. Hence, this paper concludes that a strong intervention in the sector from central government, as seen in Norway, has resulted in implementing general management to a larger degree than in Finland, but in a more hybrid manner. This is expressed through a focus on management, the institutional logics at stake and doctors’ identity formation.

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Author Biographies

Laila Nordstrand Berg, Department of Political Science and Management, University of Agder

Laila Nordstrand Berg has a PhD in Public Policy and Administration. She is working as a senior researcher and project coordinator at University of Agder where she is participating in projects comparing management and governance of health and higher education in different countries. Laila’s interest is related to the intersection between public policy and administration, organizational studies, reforms, management and identities in the sectors.

Anu Puusa, Business School, University of Eastern Finland

Anu Puusa, Ph.D, is a Professor in Management working at the Business School of the University of Eastern Finland. Her research interest areas are for example cooperatives, organizational identity and organizational change. Puusa has written four textbooks and published numerous journal articles.

Kirsi Pulkkinen, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lapland

Kirsi Pulkkinen is a higher education researcher and political scientist at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lapland, with a focus on interaction between research and public policy-making. She is involved in a number of projects on public engagement, societal impact and effectiveness of science. In addition she works as a consultant on societal interaction and knowledge advocacy. Her research interests include public engagement of science and co-creation practices between science communities and societal stakeholders.

Lars Geschwind, Department of Learning, School of Education and Communication in Engineering Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Lars Geschwind is Associate Professor in Engineering Education at KTH Royal Institute of Tech- nology, Stockholm Sweden, with special focus on policy, governance and leadership issues. His latest work includes publications on academic work, leadership and management, doctoral education and major organizational restructuring in higher education. He is currently involved in a number of research projects on universities and change in the Nordic countries. Lars holds a PhD in History from Uppsala University.

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Published

2017-03-01

How to Cite

Nordstrand Berg, L., Puusa, A., Pulkkinen, K., & Geschwind, L. (2017). Managers’ Identities:: Solid or Affected by Changes in Institutional Logics and Organisational Amendments?. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 21(1), 81–101. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v21i1.14890

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