In the same organisation, there can be many different perceptions of what the word ‘strategy’ means. Therefore, Centre Director Nicki Olsen from the National Police believes that all strategy processes should start by clarifying: What do we mean when we say ‘strategy’? In his final master’s project at the CBS Master of Public Governance (MPG), he investigated how strategy is understood and translated, and he received the MPG Master Prize for the best task of the year.
What did you investigate in your master’s project?
As a leader in the public sector, strategy and strategy implementation play a significant role. As a centre director, I am responsible for implementing the overall strategy, so I wanted to explore how strategy is understood and translated within my organisation, and what impact it has on subsequent implementation.
Why did you choose this particular theme?
There were actually two reasons for that. Firstly, the various subjects during the MPG education made me reflect on how strategic work functions in my organisation, as my colleagues and I sometimes experience misunderstandings during the strategic work in the implementation phase. Secondly, shortly before I had to write my master’s thesis, I became a centre director myself, and therefore had to oversee the strategy work in my centre. This naturally made me pay attention to how it could be successful. Thus, I had a natural motivation for my task not only to be theoretical but also practical, creating new knowledge and actionable insights for me in my work with strategy translation in my centre.
What conclusions can you draw based on your project?
In reality, the conclusion can be boiled down to something very concrete: the importance of a common language, including a shared understanding of the concept of strategy.
In my interviews, it became apparent that various actors within the organisation perceive the term ‘strategy’ differently. When one actor understands strategy as an action-oriented plan, another interprets it as a framework intention, and yet another has a different perspective, misunderstandings can arise. Through translation theory, it became possible to focus precisely on this issue and become aware of ‘translation’ as a necessary and crucial part of strategic work.
What significance can your master’s project have for your organisation?
Specifically, my task has led me to place significant emphasis on translation work and communication. I engage in discussions and elaborate on concepts and meanings in my communication, involving both my superiors and colleagues. These discussions don’t traditionally start by examining what should be prioritised in the strategy, etc. Instead, they begin at the linguistic level—what does a strategy mean in our centre, what purpose should it serve, and how can we utilise it?
The master’s project can have a decisive impact on strategic work, not only within my organisation but across all organisations. I contend that these linguistic challenges exist in most organisations—both public and private. It’s something I’ve actively addressed and brought to the attention of our leadership group, enabling us to engage in these cross-functional discussions.
The MPG programme fosters personal and professional development for leaders. How has your work on the master project contributed to this growth?
Isolating the direct contribution of the master project to my development is challenging, as it represents a continuation of the growth I have experienced throughout the entire MPG programme. Prior to the education, I already possessed years of leadership training and experience from the military. The diverse subjects covered in the MPG programme have added dimensions and nuances to my leadership. Notably, it has enhanced my contextual understanding and expanded my language and conceptual framework beyond my initial expectations.
Naturally, it is difficult to disentangle what is directly attributable to MPG versus the development I have undergone in a new organisation, context, and the developmental path towards becoming a centre manager. However, there is no doubt that the interplay between expanding my theoretical knowledge through MPG, engaging in reflections and philosophical discussions about leadership with fellow students and instructors, and finally having the practical opportunity to apply these new perspectives has been an incredibly rewarding and developmental process. This process has transformed me as a leader far more than I anticipated when starting the MPG programme. Even before the education, I had an extensive four-year leadership training as an officer, and the MPG programme has managed to build upon that foundation, creating additional perspectives, nuances, and dimensions in my leadership.
About the MPG Master Prize
The MPG Master Prize is awarded at each graduation based on recommendations from the supervisors of the master projects and a representative from MPG’s stakeholder panel.
