Transcending New Public Management - the Increasing Complexity of Balancing Control and Autonomy

Abstract

Abstract This paper addresses two main research questions: 1) What characterizes the new complexity and layering of NPM and post-NPM reforms in public organizations? 2) How might we analyze the development of this complexity? What is the role of the political and administrative leadership in this development, and to what extent do other factors come into play? The first question is addressed by giving a brief overview of the change from NPM reforms to post-NPM reforms followed by empirical illustrations from two reform processes in Norway that increased complexity. The second question is answered in a more theoretical discussion related to a transformative approach and to experiences of balancing control and autonomy in NPM and post-NPM reforms. Negotative, cultural and environmental factors are discussed in terms of whether they limit or further potential hierarchical control in designing complexity and balancing political control and autonomy. The paper ends by some reflections on the effects of the new complexity.

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