Hans Knutsson

This report examines how municipal and regional authorities can strengthen their capacity for leadership—that is, their ability to coordinate decisiveness with effective action—in a context characterised by complex societal challenges, constrained resources, and high demands for legitimacy and efficiency. The report is based on interviews with senior elected representatives and public officials in eight municipalities and three regions.

The point of departure for the report is that municipalities and regions are to be understood as problem solving organisations; to understand their leadership capacity, one must therefore understand how they define and address problems.
To address these differing types of problems, three organisational capabilities are identified as central: the capacity for problematisation, the capacity for problem-solving, and the capacity for collaboration.

The overarching pattern that emerges is that municipal and regional leadership capacity arises when decisiveness and the capacity for action interact effectively. Such interaction does not occur automatically. The report’s conclusions therefore emphasise the importance of cultivating a reflective approach to leadership, in which learning, openness and the courage to fail are central. Achieving this requires, among other things, the establishment of structures and processes that enable a more exploratory approach, where control is not overly dominant.

The report identifies success factors for strengthening leadership capacity both at the structural level (for example, political agreements, leadership groups, and systems for monitoring and evaluation) and at the process level (for example, the quality of dialogue, organisational alignment, translation, and collaboration).

Finally, the report suggests that a revised understanding of leadership and problem-solving may be required in times of complexity and uncertainty. Governance that is aligned between political leadership and administration becomes increasingly important, as different types of problems place different demands on leadership capacity. While complicated problems can usually be addressed through control and additional information, complex problems require greater flexibility, enabling structures, collaboration and systems thinking in order to enhance political impact and create value for citizens.