Leadership Programme for the Public Sector

The public sector in Sweden is a big part of the total economy. Like in all welfare states, the public sector organizations face many challenges. In the public sector, the leadership challenges may be more complex than in companies. Whereas the goal of a company is profit maximization, the goal of a public organization can be more multi-faceted and the link between the revenue and the services provided may be weak. It is possible to develop the leadership among managers to improve the performance in the public sector.

We work together with three major public-sector organizations – City of Gothenburg, Region Västra Götaland and the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland – to deliver leadership courses for these organizations. A new set of courses will be delivered during the period 2012-14 with the first courses beginning in December, 2012. The courses are intended for senior managers from these organizations. At the university, the faculties of Social Science and the School of Business, Economics and Law join forces to deliver courses ranging from Strategy to Management Control, Change Management, Conflict Management and Communications. The courses are intended for practising managers. Hence, the courses are delivered in a part-time format to allow the combination of study and work. All teachers are active researchers in their fields. Moreover, the courses give academic credits and courses can be combined to result in a one-year master degree in public management.