Room for leadership? A comparison of perceived managerial job autonomy in public, private and hybrid organizations

The study contributes to our knowledge of leadership in public organizations on three specific areas. First, it is a unique exploration of whether managers in publicly owned organizations perceive less job autonomy than managers in privately owned and hybrid organizations. Hybrid organizations are defined in two categories: shareholder companies with both public and private owners, and public companies (organizations selling their products or services, but publicly owned). Second, the study investigates possible mechanisms - more specifically formalization and professionalization - through which organizational ownership (public, private, and hybrid) is assumed to affect managerial autonomy. Finally, the study incorporates important confounding variables – first and foremost size (number of employees), task (technology), and hierarchical level - missing from many other comparisons of public and private organizations. The main findings support the notion that perceived managerial autonomy in publicly owned organizations is lower than in both hybrid and private organization. These differences are not, however, explained by differences in formalization and professionalization.publishedVersio

Motivational Differences? Comparing Private, Public and Hybrid Organizations

publishedVersio

Political fragmentation and “The purple zone”: how party fragmentation affects political–administrative relations

A good cooperative relationship between politics and administration is essential to good governance and efficient decision making in public organisations. This study of the cooperative relationship is based on the notion that politics and administration is intertwined, making interaction between politicians and administrators necessary. The study focuses on how political fragmentation affects cooperative relations between politics and administration. Using data from both Norwegian mayors and municipal directors (436 respondents from 303 municipalities), the effects of three different types of political fragmentation are investigated: number of political parties in council and the steering coalition, the Laakso-Taagepera index, and ideological distance between parties. The findings indicate that cooperative relationships get worse with increasing ideological distance and improves with political fragmentation in the council under the conditions of divided government (political parties in the steering coalition spanning both sides of the left–right dimensions). Implications for the study of political–administrative relations are discussed.publishedVersionPaid open acces

Alignment of strategy and structure in local government

Author's accepted manuscript.Available from 23/06/2021.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Public Money & Management on 22/01/2020, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09540962.2020.1715093.This article analyses the strategic positions of prospectors, defenders and reactors and structural alignment in Norwegian municipalities. The top-management respondents perceived that the municipalities did align their organizational structures to the strategic positions for prospectors and defenders, but not for reactors, as hypothesized, but these relationships were modest. The top-management respondents, however, often found it difficult to provide consistent responses on their organizations’ choices of strategic positions.acceptedVersio

Does shared service delivery affect cost? A study of the cost-capacity relation in Norwegian local child protection services

Intermunicipal cooperation is often seen as a means to increase capacity and reap economic benefits of scale. Prior research, however, shows that the effects of shared service delivery diverge, leaving scholars and practitioners to question whether, under what conditions and at what expense effects of cooperation manifest. Using a panel dataset on child protection services, we analyze how cooperation affects the cost-capacity relation. The results show that cooperation increases cost. This increase is only partly explained by investments in service capacity, indicating that there are significant transaction costs linked to cooperation as a mode of production.publishedVersio

Service quality and the optimum number of members in intermunicipal cooperation: The case of emergency primary care services in Norway

publishedVersio

Weight development and survival rate of reindeer calves treated against Oedemagena tarandi L and Cephenemyia trompe L

Three trials with treatment of reindeer warbles are carried out. All treated groups were injected intramuscularly with Warbex (35%, American Cyanamid), dosage 10 mg active ingredient/10 kg live weight. In total 911 calves and 403 adult females were included in the experiments. All animals were individually marked with plastic eartags. The trials tried to give answers as to the effect of treatment on: a) weight development during winter, b) weight development to the normal age of slaughter (18 months) and c) loss rate during winter. One trial deals with the effect of weight loss during winter by different date of treatment. All studies are undertaken within sex. Generelly the trials show that treated animals lost more weight during winter than untreated. There was found significant higher weight loss for treated female calves (0.7 kg, p=0.005) in the period January 13. — April 28. in trial I and for male calves (0.8 kg, p=0.01) in the period February 14. — April 4. in trial II. There is a trend that treatment increases the slaughter weight. A significant higher increase in the slaughter weight (0.8 kg, p=0.05) of treated male calves was found in trial III. No effect was found by treatment in the loss of animals in winter. The calves lossed during winter had a significant lower live weight at the start of the trial compared to those which survived. In the period February 14. — April 4. there was a higher weight loss in the male calves which were treated on February 14. compared to those treated on November 27. (0.5 kg, p=0.01). Forsøk med behandling av reinkalver mot reinbremslarver (Oedemagena tarandi L og Cephenemyia trompe L).Effekt på kalvens kondisjon målt ved levende vekt og overlevingsevne.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Det er utført tre forsøk med behandling av rein mot reinbremselarver (Oedemagena tarandi L.) og Cephenemyia trompe L.). I alle forsøk er brukt intramuskulær injeksjon av Warbex (Am. Cyanamid) 35% med dosering 30 mg aktivt stoff pr. 10 kg levende vekt. I alt inngår 911 kalver og 403 voksne simler i forsøkene. Forsøkene har søkt å gi svar på mulige effekter av nevnte behandling på a) vektutvikling om vinteren, b) vektutvikling frem til normalt slaktetidspunkt (18 mndr.),c) tap av dyr om vinteren. Videre er det søkt å gi svar på om behandlingstidspunktet (27/11 og 14/2) har betydning for vekttapet om vinteren, alle undersøkelser er gjort innen kjønn. Generelt viser forsøkene at behandlede dyr tar av mer i vekt om vinteren enn ubehandlede dyr. Det ble funnet signifikant større vekttap for behandlede simlekalver (0.7 kg, p=0.005) i tidsrommet 13/1—28/4 i forsøk I og for behandlede bukkekalver (0.8 kg, p=0.01) i tidsrommet 14/2—4/4 i forsøk II. Det er også en tendens til at behandlingen virker til å øke slaktevekten. Det ble således funnet signifikant høyere økning i slaktevekt (0.8 kg, p=0.05) for behandlede bukker i forsøk III. Det ble ikke påvist effekt av behandlingen på tap av dyr om vinteren. De kalvene som ble borte om vinteren hadde signifikant lavere vekt ved forsøkets start sammenlignet med de som overlevde. I perioden 14/2—4/4 ble det funnet større vekttap hos de bukkekalver som ble behandlet 14/2 sammenlignet med behandling 27/11 (0.5 kg, p=0.01).Koikelu poronvasojen hoitamiseksi poropaarmantoukkia vastaan. Vaikutus vasojen kuntoon mittana elopaino ja henkiinjååmiskyky.Abstract in Finnish / Yhteenveto: Suoritettiin kolme koetta porossa loisina esiintyvien kurmunja saulakantoukkien (Oedemagena tarandi L ja Cephenemyia trompe L) torjumiseksi. Kokeissa kåytetiin Warbex-35%:sta valmistetta ruiskeena lihakseen, annoksen suuruus oli 30 mg vaikuttavaa ainetta 10 elopainokiloa kohti. Kaikkiaan kokeissa kåsiteltiin 911 vasaa ja 403 vaadinta. Kokeissa selviteltiin kåsittelyn mahdollisia seurausvaikutuksia a) talven aikaiseen painonkehitykseen b) painonkehitykseen normaaliin teurastusajankohtaan saakka (18 kk) c) elainten talviaikaiseen katoon. Lisåksi pyrittiin vielå selvittåmåån onko kåsittelyajankohdalla (27.11. ja 14.2.) merkitystå porork talvella tapahtuvaan painonalenemiseen. Kokeet tehtiin samaa sukupuolta olevilla elåimillå. Yleisesti kokeet osoittavat, ettå kåsiteltyjen elainten paino våhenee talvella enemmån kuin kåsittelemåttomien elainten paino. Koe I osoitti, etta kåsiteltyjen naarasvasojen paino aleni merkittåvåsti (0.7 kg, p=0.005) 13.1.—28.4. vålisenå aikana, samoin kokeessa II kåsiteltyjen urovasojen (0.8 kg, p=0.01) 14.2—4.4. vålisenå aikana. Kåsittely nåyttåå myos kohottavan teuraspainoa. Kokeessa III havaittiin kåsitellyillå uroksilla merkittåvån korkea teuraspainon lisååntyminen (0.8 kg, p=0.05). Kasittelyn mahdollista vaikutusta porojen menehtymiseen talvella ei voitu osoittaa. Ne vasat, joita ei talvella tavattu, olivat jo kokeen alkaessa huomattavasti keveåmpiå kuin ne vasat, jotka såilyivåt yli talven. 14.2. kåsitellyt urovasat menettivat 14.2.—4.4. vålisenå aikana enemmån painoa kuin 27.11. kåsitellyt (0.5 kg, p=0.01)

Outpatient treatment of acute poisoning by substances of abuse: a prospective observational cohort study

Background Procedures for the clinical assessment of acute poisoning by substances of abuse should identify patients in need of hospital admission and avoid hazardous discharges, while keeping the observation time short. We assess the safety of a systematic procedure developed at the Oslo Accident and Emergency Outpatient Clinic (OAEOC). Methods All patients 12 years and older treated for acute poisoning by substances of abuse at the OAEOC were included consecutively from October 2011 to September 2012. Data were collected on pre-set registration forms. Information on re-presentations to health services nation-wide during the first week following discharge was retrieved from the Norwegian Patient Register and from local electronic medical records. Information on fatalities was obtained from the Norwegian Cause of Death Registry. Results There were 2343 cases of acute poisoning by substances of abuse. The main toxic agent was ethanol in 1291 (55 %) cases, opioids in 539 (23 %), benzodiazepines in 194 (8 %), central stimulants in 132 (6 %), and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in 105 (4 %). Median observation time was four hours. The patient was hospitalised in 391 (17 %) cases. Two patients died during the first week following discharge, both from a new opioid poisoning. Among 1952 discharges, 375 (19 %) patients re-presented at the OAEOC or a hospital within a week; 13 (0.7 %) with a diagnosis missed at the index episode, 169 (9 %) with a new poisoning, 31 (2 %) for follow-up of concomitant conditions diagnosed at index, and 162 (8 %) for unrelated events. Among the patients with missed diagnoses, five needed further treatment for the same poisoning episode, two were admitted with psychosis, one had hemorrhagic gastritis, another had fractures in need of surgery and four had minor injuries. Conclusion The procedure in use at the OAEOC can be considered safe and could be implemented elsewhere. The high re-presentation rate calls for better follow-up

Success With a Bitter Aftertaste: Success Factors in Inter-Municipal Cooperation

Inter-municipal cooperation seems to be gaining popularity in many Western countries, making it of pressing importance to better understand what factors that may contribute to the success of such arrangements. This article focuses on three inter-municipal cooperative arrangements in the field of child welfare in Norway deemed as successful, setting out to find common features across the three. Combining document-studies and qualitative interviews, the study manages to reveal three main factors explaining success: a sense of urgency, incremental processes, and political and administrative anchoring. The study also indicates that these factors interact, and thus cannot be viewed as isolated explanations. Furthermore, the potential negative effects on allocative efficiency are highlighted. As the success of inter-municipal cooperation at least partly seems to depend on the task in focus is “moved out” of the ordinary activity and anchored at a higher political and administrative level, it is argued that this may further fragment the municipalities’ ability to prioritize between sectors and services.publishedVersionnivå

Outpatient treatment of acute poisonings in Oslo: poisoning pattern, factors associated with hospitalization, and mortality

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Most patients with acute poisoning are treated as outpatients worldwide. In Oslo, these patients are treated in a physician-led outpatient clinic with limited diagnostic and treatment resources, which reduces both the costs and emergency department overcrowding. We describe the poisoning patterns, treatment, mortality, factors associated with hospitalization and follow-up at this Emergency Medical Agency (EMA, "Oslo Legevakt"), and we evaluate the safety of this current practice.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>All acute poisonings in adults (> or = 16 years) treated at the EMA during one year (April 2008 to April 2009) were included consecutively in an observational study design. The treating physicians completed a standardized form comprising information needed to address the study's aims. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with hospitalization.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 2348 contacts for 1856 individuals; 1157 (62%) were male, and the median age was 34 years. The most frequent main toxic agents were ethanol (43%), opioids (22%) and CO or fire smoke (10%). The physicians classified 73% as accidental overdoses with substances of abuse taken for recreational purposes, 15% as other accidents (self-inflicted or other) and 11% as suicide attempts. Most (91%) patients were treated with observation only. The median observation time until discharge was 3.8 hours. No patient developed sequelae or died at the EMA. Seventeen per cent were hospitalized. Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, respiratory depression, paracetamol, reduced consciousness and suicidal intention were factors associated with hospitalization. Forty-eight per cent were discharged without referral to follow-up. The one-month mortality was 0.6%. Of the nine deaths, five were by new accidental overdose with substances of abuse.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>More than twice as many patients were treated at the EMA compared with all hospitals in Oslo. Despite more than a doubling of the annual number of poisoned patients treated at the EMA since 2003, there was no mortality or sequelae, indicating that the current practice is safe. Thus, most low- to intermediate-acuity poisonings can be treated safely without the need to access hospital resources. Although the short-term mortality was low, more follow-up of patients with substance abuse should be encouraged.</p