Understanding implementation in complex public organizations – implication for practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v11i2.142Keywords:
contextual complexity, implementation, public service innovation, NAV, Norway, work inclusionAbstract
The effective implementation of politically initiated public service innovations to the front-lines of the public service organization, where the innovation is to be applied, is a challenge that both practitioners and researchers struggle to solve. We highlight the importance of analysing contextual factors at several levels of the implementation system, as well as the importance of considering how the practical everyday work situations of the front-line workers influence their application of the innovation in question. We illustrate this by exploring the implementation process of a specific work inclusion measure, looking at its wider context and some of its implementation outcomes at a specific public agency. The intention is to illustrate the significance of considering the contextual complexity influencing implementation work as a reminder for practitioners to take this into account in their planning and practices.
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Danermark, B., Ekstrom, M., Jakobsen, L., & Karlsson, J. C. (2001). Explaining Society. An Introduction to Critical Realism in the Social Sciences. Oxon: Routledge.
Duell, N. S. S., & Tergeist, P. (2009). Activation Policies in Norway, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 78, OECD Publishing.
Dyrstad, K., Mandal, R., & Ose, S. O. (2014). Evaluering av Jobbstrategien for personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne. SINTEF A Apen (pp. 1–257).
Easton, G. (2010). Critical realism in case study research. Industrial Marketing Management, 39(1), 118–128. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2008.06.004
Fagerberg, J. (2005). Innovation. A guide to the literature. In J. Fagerberg & D. C. Mowery (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fjeldstad, Ø. (2016). Nav kjøper tjenester for milliarder. Magasinet Velferd, (2). Retrieved from http://www.velferd.no/nav-kjoeper-tjenester-for-milliarder.5858272-227399.html
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245. http://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
Gustafsson, J. (2013). The employer's perspective on Supported employment for people with disabilities: Successful approaches of Supported employment organizations. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 38(2), 99–111. http://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-130624
Gustafsson, J., Peralta, J. P., & Danermark, B. (2014). The employer's perspective: employment of people with disabilities in wage subsidized employments. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 16(3), 249–266. http://doi.org/10.1080/15017419.2013.785976
Harrison, D., & Easton, G. (2004). Temporally embedded case comparison in industrial marketing research. In S. Fleetwood & S. Ackroyd (Eds.), Critical realist applications in organisation and management studies (pp. 194–210). New York: Routledge.
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Hartley, J. (2013). Public and private features of innovation. In S. P. Osborne & L. Brown (Eds.), Handbook of Innovation in Public Services (pp. 44–59). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Healy, M., & Perry, C. (2000). Comprehensive criteria to judge validity and reliability of qualitative research within the realism paradigm. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 3(3), 118–126. http://doi.org/10.1108/13522750010333861
Hill, M., & Hupe, P. (2003). The multi-layer problem in implementation research. Public Management Review, 5(4), 471–490. http://doi.org/10.1080/1471903032000178545
Hill, M., & Hupe, P. (2014). Implementing public policy (3rd ed.). London: Sage.
Hupe, P. (2014). What happens on the ground: Persistent issues in implementation research. Public Policy and Administration. 29 (2), 164-182.
Kempster, S., & Parry, K. W. (2014). Critical realism and grounded theory. In P. K. Edwards, J. O'Mahoney, & S. Vincent (Eds.), Studying Organizations Using Critical Realism: A Practical Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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NAV (2016). What is NAV? Retrieved 9 September 2016, from https://www.nav.no/en/Home/About+NAV/What+is+NAV
Moulton, S., & Sandfort, J. R. (2016). The Strategic Action Field Framework for Policy Implementation Research. Policy Studies Journal, (0), 1–26. http://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12147
Mihailescu, M., Mihailescu, D., & Carlsson, S. (2013). “The Conditions of Complex Innovation Adoption Occurrence — A Critical Realist Perspective.” The Electronic Journal Information Systems Evaluation 16 (3), 220-231.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour (2006). Arbeid, velferd og inkludering (Meld. St. 9 2006-2007). Oslo: Department of Work and Inclusion Oslo.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour. (2012) Arbeidsrettede tiltak. (NOU 2012:6). (p. 334). Oslo: Departementets Servicesenter.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour (2013). Flere i arbeid (Meld. St. 46. 2012-2013). Oslo: Departementets Servicesenter.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. (2006). St.meld. nr. 8 (1998-99). 030005-27040015. Retrieved from http://www.regjeringen.no/nn/dep/ad/dokument/proposisjonar-og-meldingar/stortingsmeldingar/19981999/stmeld-nr-8-1998-99-.html?id=430886
Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. (2016). NAV i en ny tid – for arbeid og aktivitet. (Meld. St. 33. 2015 – 2016) (pp. 1–83). Oslo: Departementets Servicesenter.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion. (2009). Grunnlag for drøftinger om en ny IA-avtale. Rapport fra en partssammensatt arbeidsgruppe. http://doi.org/https://www.regjeringen.no/globalassets/upload/aid/publikasjoner/rapporter_og_planer/2009/r_ia-avtale_arbeidsgruppe.pdf?id=2097663
OECD (2005). The Inclusive Workplace Agreement: Past Effects and Future Directions. An interim OECD assessment(pp. 1–16). Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/36892986.pdf
OECD (2013). Mental Health and Work Mental Health and Work: Norway. OECD Publishing. OECD Publishing.
Oliver, C. (2012). Critical Realist Grounded Theory: A New Approach for Social Work Research. British Journal of Social Work, 42(2), 371–387. http://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcr064
Patton, M. Q. (1999). Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis. Health Services Research, 34(5 II), 1189–1208.
Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. SAGE Publications.
Pressman, J. L., & Wildavsky, A. B. (1973). Implementation: How great expectations in Washington are dashed in Oakland: Or, Why it's amazing that Federal programs work at all, this being a saga of the Economic Development Administration as told by two sympathetic observers who seek to build morals on a foundation of ruined hopes. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
Rambøll-management (2008). Følgeevaluering av prosjektet “Tilretteleggingsgaranti.” Sluttrapport 2008, 1–72.
Riksrevisjonen (2013). Riksrevisjonens undersøking av NAV's forvaltning av tilretteleggingsgarantien, 1–53.
Sandfort, J., & Moulton, S. (2015). Effective implementation in practice: Integrating public policy and management. San Francisco. California: Jossey-Bass.
Schafft, A., & Spjelkavik, Ø. (2014a). Arbeidsgiveres erfaringer med inkludering. In Ø. Spjelkavik & K. Frøyland (Eds.), Inkluderingskompetanse: Ordinært arbeid som mål og middel (pp. 56–173). Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk.
Schafft, A., & Spjelkavik, Ø. (2014b). Arbeidsgiverperspektiver på inkludering: Hva er god inkluderingskompetanse? (AFI-rapport 5/2014) (pp. 1–56). Oslo. Retrieved from http://www.hioa.no/Om-HiOA/Senter-for-velferds-og-arbeidslivsforskning/AFI/Publikasjoner-AFI/Arbeidsgiverperspektiver-paa-inkludering
Smith, C., & Elger, T. (2012). Critical Realism and Interviewing Subjects (pp. 1–31). Presented at the SoMWP.
Spjelkavik, Ø. (2014). Ordinært arbeidsliv som metode og mål. In Ø. Spjelkavik & K. Frøyland (Eds.), Inkluderingskompetanse: Ordinært arbeid som mål og middel (pp. 33–49). Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk.
Tsang, E. W. K. (2013). Case study methodology: Causal explanation, contextualization, and theorizing. Journal of International Management, 19(2), 195–202. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2012.08.004
Van de Ven, A. H. (1986). Central problems in the management of innovation. Management Science, 32(5).
Van de Ven, A. H. (1999). The Innovation Journey. Oxford University Press, USA.
Vincent, S., & Wapshott, R. (2014). Critical Realism and the organizational case study. In Studying Organizations Using Critical Realism: A Practical Guide (pp. 148–167). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wegener, C. (2015). Drivers for welfare innovation: And alternative to phase models (pp. 1–16). Presented at The 9th Researching Work and Learning RWL conference. Retrieved from http://www.rwl2015.com/papers/Paper055.pdf
Wong, C. K. (2005). A critical realist approach to organizational innovation research. Presented at The 4th International Critical Management Studies Conference. http://doi.org/http://www.management.ac.nz/ejrot/cmsconference/2005/proceedings/criticalrealism/Wong.pdf
Wynn, D. E., Jr, & Williams, C. K. (2012). Principles for Conducting Critical Realist Case Study Research in Information Systems. Mis Quarterly, 36(3), 787–810.
Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research: Design and methods. Los Angeles, California: Sage publications.
Belfrage, C., & Hauf, F. (2016). The Gentle Art of Retroduction: Critical Realism, Cultural Political Economy and Critical Grounded Theory. Organization Studies. http://doi.org/10.1177/0170840616663239
Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. http://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Bøllingtoft, A. (2007). A critical realist appraoch to quality in observation studies. In Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Entrepreneurship (pp. 406–433). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Christensen, T., Fimreite, A. L., & Lægreid, P. (2014). Joined-Up Government for Welfare Administration Reform in Norway. Public Organization Review, 14(4), 439–456. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-013-0237-8
Danermark, B., Ekstrom, M., Jakobsen, L., & Karlsson, J. C. (2001). Explaining Society. An Introduction to Critical Realism in the Social Sciences. Oxon: Routledge.
Duell, N. S. S., & Tergeist, P. (2009). Activation Policies in Norway, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 78, OECD Publishing.
Dyrstad, K., Mandal, R., & Ose, S. O. (2014). Evaluering av Jobbstrategien for personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne. SINTEF A Apen (pp. 1–257).
Easton, G. (2010). Critical realism in case study research. Industrial Marketing Management, 39(1), 118–128. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2008.06.004
Fagerberg, J. (2005). Innovation. A guide to the literature. In J. Fagerberg & D. C. Mowery (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Innovation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fjeldstad, Ø. (2016). Nav kjøper tjenester for milliarder. Magasinet Velferd, (2). Retrieved from http://www.velferd.no/nav-kjoeper-tjenester-for-milliarder.5858272-227399.html
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 12(2), 219–245. http://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363
Gustafsson, J. (2013). The employer's perspective on Supported employment for people with disabilities: Successful approaches of Supported employment organizations. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 38(2), 99–111. http://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-130624
Gustafsson, J., Peralta, J. P., & Danermark, B. (2014). The employer's perspective: employment of people with disabilities in wage subsidized employments. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 16(3), 249–266. http://doi.org/10.1080/15017419.2013.785976
Harrison, D., & Easton, G. (2004). Temporally embedded case comparison in industrial marketing research. In S. Fleetwood & S. Ackroyd (Eds.), Critical realist applications in organisation and management studies (pp. 194–210). New York: Routledge.
Hartley, J. (2005). Innovation in Governance and Public Services: Past and Present. Public Money and Management, 1–9. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9302.2005.00447.x
Hartley, J. (2013). Public and private features of innovation. In S. P. Osborne & L. Brown (Eds.), Handbook of Innovation in Public Services (pp. 44–59). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Healy, M., & Perry, C. (2000). Comprehensive criteria to judge validity and reliability of qualitative research within the realism paradigm. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 3(3), 118–126. http://doi.org/10.1108/13522750010333861
Hill, M., & Hupe, P. (2003). The multi-layer problem in implementation research. Public Management Review, 5(4), 471–490. http://doi.org/10.1080/1471903032000178545
Hill, M., & Hupe, P. (2014). Implementing public policy (3rd ed.). London: Sage.
Hupe, P. (2014). What happens on the ground: Persistent issues in implementation research. Public Policy and Administration. 29 (2), 164-182.
Kempster, S., & Parry, K. W. (2014). Critical realism and grounded theory. In P. K. Edwards, J. O'Mahoney, & S. Vincent (Eds.), Studying Organizations Using Critical Realism: A Practical Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Moene, K. (2010). Floating high - How the Nordic model combines capitalist dynamics and worker security. In O. Molven (Ed.), Healthcare, Welfare and Law. Oslo.
NAV (2013). Om NAV. Arbeids- og tjenestelinjen. http://doi.org/https://www.nav.no/no/NAV+og+samfunn/Om+NAV/Relatert+informasjon/Arbeids-+og+tjenestelinjen
NAV (2016). What is NAV? Retrieved 9 September 2016, from https://www.nav.no/en/Home/About+NAV/What+is+NAV
Moulton, S., & Sandfort, J. R. (2016). The Strategic Action Field Framework for Policy Implementation Research. Policy Studies Journal, (0), 1–26. http://doi.org/10.1111/psj.12147
Mihailescu, M., Mihailescu, D., & Carlsson, S. (2013). “The Conditions of Complex Innovation Adoption Occurrence — A Critical Realist Perspective.” The Electronic Journal Information Systems Evaluation 16 (3), 220-231.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour (2006). Arbeid, velferd og inkludering (Meld. St. 9 2006-2007). Oslo: Department of Work and Inclusion Oslo.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour. (2012) Arbeidsrettede tiltak. (NOU 2012:6). (p. 334). Oslo: Departementets Servicesenter.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour (2013). Flere i arbeid (Meld. St. 46. 2012-2013). Oslo: Departementets Servicesenter.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. (2006). St.meld. nr. 8 (1998-99). 030005-27040015. Retrieved from http://www.regjeringen.no/nn/dep/ad/dokument/proposisjonar-og-meldingar/stortingsmeldingar/19981999/stmeld-nr-8-1998-99-.html?id=430886
Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. (2016). NAV i en ny tid – for arbeid og aktivitet. (Meld. St. 33. 2015 – 2016) (pp. 1–83). Oslo: Departementets Servicesenter.
Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion. (2009). Grunnlag for drøftinger om en ny IA-avtale. Rapport fra en partssammensatt arbeidsgruppe. http://doi.org/https://www.regjeringen.no/globalassets/upload/aid/publikasjoner/rapporter_og_planer/2009/r_ia-avtale_arbeidsgruppe.pdf?id=2097663
OECD (2005). The Inclusive Workplace Agreement: Past Effects and Future Directions. An interim OECD assessment(pp. 1–16). Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/employment/emp/36892986.pdf
OECD (2013). Mental Health and Work Mental Health and Work: Norway. OECD Publishing. OECD Publishing.
Oliver, C. (2012). Critical Realist Grounded Theory: A New Approach for Social Work Research. British Journal of Social Work, 42(2), 371–387. http://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcr064
Patton, M. Q. (1999). Enhancing the quality and credibility of qualitative analysis. Health Services Research, 34(5 II), 1189–1208.
Patton, M. Q. (2014). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. SAGE Publications.
Pressman, J. L., & Wildavsky, A. B. (1973). Implementation: How great expectations in Washington are dashed in Oakland: Or, Why it's amazing that Federal programs work at all, this being a saga of the Economic Development Administration as told by two sympathetic observers who seek to build morals on a foundation of ruined hopes. Berkeley, California: University of California Press.
Rambøll-management (2008). Følgeevaluering av prosjektet “Tilretteleggingsgaranti.” Sluttrapport 2008, 1–72.
Riksrevisjonen (2013). Riksrevisjonens undersøking av NAV's forvaltning av tilretteleggingsgarantien, 1–53.
Sandfort, J., & Moulton, S. (2015). Effective implementation in practice: Integrating public policy and management. San Francisco. California: Jossey-Bass.
Schafft, A., & Spjelkavik, Ø. (2014a). Arbeidsgiveres erfaringer med inkludering. In Ø. Spjelkavik & K. Frøyland (Eds.), Inkluderingskompetanse: Ordinært arbeid som mål og middel (pp. 56–173). Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk.
Schafft, A., & Spjelkavik, Ø. (2014b). Arbeidsgiverperspektiver på inkludering: Hva er god inkluderingskompetanse? (AFI-rapport 5/2014) (pp. 1–56). Oslo. Retrieved from http://www.hioa.no/Om-HiOA/Senter-for-velferds-og-arbeidslivsforskning/AFI/Publikasjoner-AFI/Arbeidsgiverperspektiver-paa-inkludering
Smith, C., & Elger, T. (2012). Critical Realism and Interviewing Subjects (pp. 1–31). Presented at the SoMWP.
Spjelkavik, Ø. (2014). Ordinært arbeidsliv som metode og mål. In Ø. Spjelkavik & K. Frøyland (Eds.), Inkluderingskompetanse: Ordinært arbeid som mål og middel (pp. 33–49). Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk.
Tsang, E. W. K. (2013). Case study methodology: Causal explanation, contextualization, and theorizing. Journal of International Management, 19(2), 195–202. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2012.08.004
Van de Ven, A. H. (1986). Central problems in the management of innovation. Management Science, 32(5).
Van de Ven, A. H. (1999). The Innovation Journey. Oxford University Press, USA.
Vincent, S., & Wapshott, R. (2014). Critical Realism and the organizational case study. In Studying Organizations Using Critical Realism: A Practical Guide (pp. 148–167). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Wegener, C. (2015). Drivers for welfare innovation: And alternative to phase models (pp. 1–16). Presented at The 9th Researching Work and Learning RWL conference. Retrieved from http://www.rwl2015.com/papers/Paper055.pdf
Wong, C. K. (2005). A critical realist approach to organizational innovation research. Presented at The 4th International Critical Management Studies Conference. http://doi.org/http://www.management.ac.nz/ejrot/cmsconference/2005/proceedings/criticalrealism/Wong.pdf
Wynn, D. E., Jr, & Williams, C. K. (2012). Principles for Conducting Critical Realist Case Study Research in Information Systems. Mis Quarterly, 36(3), 787–810.
Yin, R. K. (2013). Case study research: Design and methods. Los Angeles, California: Sage publications.
Published
2016-10-31
How to Cite
Høiland, G. C., & Willumsen, E. (2016). Understanding implementation in complex public organizations – implication for practice. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 11(2), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v11i2.142
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