Sustainable value creation in the public sector (a summary)
During a couple of compressed hours, our seminar participants were able to learn about and discuss both research and experiences of how real change and value is created in the public sector.
On April 10, 2025, Ekan gathered participants with responsibility for leading and developing operations, systems and services in the public sector. We invited them to a conversation about how real change and value can be created in complex public systems and organizations.
Daniel Gyllenhammar, PhD at Chalmers/Halmstad University of Applied Sciences, began by presenting his research on value creation in the public sector – where he highlighted that change work rarely follows a linear process (as many theoretical models suggest), but in practice it is rather an iterative process that requires time, adaptation and consensus.
The seminar continued with a panel discussion consisting of senior consultants from Ekan Management from various specialist areas such as change management, leadership, financial management, information security and neuroscience, showing concrete examples of how value can be created on many levels - but also how important it is to understand the big picture.
Although the connection between subject areas such as neuroscience, information security, and dynamic governance may at first seem weak, it became clear that all are needed to address the complex challenges facing municipalities and other public organizations.
- Helen Nuder: Change management requires flexibility, that we continuously reevaluate the direction of the change effort. How we define what is to be changed affects the outcome. Is the change structural or cultural?
- Mikael Hansson: A new study in neuropsychology shows how the brain influences our decisions and that our values can influence how we act. To create innovation and make successful decisions, decision-making roles must take this into account.
- Knut Fahlén: Financial management highlighted how traditional budgeting inhibits collaboration and change. The budget is based on the future being predictable – which it rarely is. Dynamic management provides better conditions for development.
- Julia Sjöstrand: Leadership & employee development highlighted the importance of unleashing the power of the entire organization, where employees are given space to contribute to value creation, not just in leadership. Trust-based leadership and psychological safety are crucial for self-managing teams to function. She showed how self-managing teams have led to increased user benefit and more engaged employees.
- Per Brantsing Karlsson: Information management and collaboration around national basic data can increase efficiency and quality – and create benefits for the entire society.
All emphasize the importance of collaboration, system understanding and starting from the user – not just from structure or technology.
The participants highlighted several concrete examples and challenges. For example, in the case of major IT changes, it becomes clear how complicated it is to implement transfers in large organizations. They also emphasized that there is an overconfidence in change projects – people believe that change has occurred at the end of the project, that change happens automatically, but that is when the real change work can begin.
Some difficult but important issues that were discussed:
- How do we measure value from a holistic perspective when follow-up occurs in a downpipe?
- How do we maintain value in an ever-changing organization?
- How do we break a top-down management culture?
The seminar showed that real change in the public sector requires both system understanding and collaboration across functional and organizational boundaries, not through isolated efforts in individual parts of the organization. The entire system must collaborate around common goals. It requires consensus, patience and cross-functional work. The end user, the citizen, is the central party in value creation.
Welcome to contact us at Ekan Management if you need strategic support in your change. Why not start with lunch?