Vingar som bär och management by walking around- En fallstudie om politikers respektive förvaltningens ledarskap på kommunal nivå
LeadersLeadershipSenior officialsMunicipal chief officersPoliticiansLocal governmentDemocracyPolitical and administrative sciencesStatsvetenskapFörvaltningskunskapManagement of enterprisesFöretagsledningManagementLaw and Political ScienceBusiness and Economics
This essay studies the practice of both the political and the administrative leadership at the municipal level from the point of view of the politicians and the chief officers leadership role, and the relationship between politicians and administrators. I discuss and analyse how politicians and senior officials practice leadership, differences or similarities and if their practice of leadership raises any challenges in a democratic framework at the municipal level. I conducted interviews with the municipal political leader and the head of administration at the municipal level in Karlshamn and Sölvesborg. In the analysis I discuss communication as a leadership process which highlights ?enabling elements? and potentials of the leadership process. The practical content of a leadership is the product of a collective process between the leader, the followers and the surrounding social environment. Constitutions and rules for the head of administration and the party for the political leader, serves as the foundation for gaining approval in the organization. I also discuss how political ideology affects their practice of leadership. There is an unspoken risk with the indistinct interface between politics and administration, namely an anomic state. The analysis ends with a discussion regarding the personal relationship between the political leader and the head of administration, which could result in problems with autonomy.