The project examines the effects of three different development courses for managers and employees from the public sector. During the project period, September 2019-April 2023, 216 units will be randomly selected to receive one of the development courses. One unit consists of a personnel manager and 11-29 employees. The courses will be held on the participants’ home turf and will be headed by staff from the Center and the consulting firm LEAD.
Each course has a specific objective for the participating units: a stronger focus on an organizational vision; a coordinated division of managerial tasks; or greater motivation among the staff. Ultimately, each course will increase the participating units’ capacities to fulfill organizational objectives. The content of the courses is based on theory and research on visionary leadership, distributed leadership and employee motivation. Danish as well as international research has shown that all three approaches contribute positively to goal attainment in organizations.
The project thus has a dual aim to contribute to the development of the participating units and to generate knowledge about the effects of different development courses, including knowledge about which courses are most effective in various organizational contexts.
Personnel managers and staff in the 216 units participate in two four-hour development days combined with assignments between the two days. The personnel manager and the course leader will meet pre- and post-course. The courses are based on recognized and well-tested methods and conducted according to a systematically prepared script. The effect of the development courses will be tested in several ways. We will send questionnaires to personnel managers and employees before and after the courses to follow the development in e.g., motivation, division of managerial tasks and clarity in understanding of the shared vision. In addition, we will conduct qualitative interviews in selected units to follow up on the effects of the courses. Finally, we will record employees’ sick leave etc. via register data. Follow-up on the courses will take place immediately after and one year after completion to ensure that we capture both short and longterm effects of the development courses.
The project is headed by Center Director Lotte Bøgh Andersen and Organizational consultant Cecilie Lindgaard Petersen. The interdisciplinary working group consists of researchers from the Center and consultants from LEAD. Initial results will be presented mid-2020.
