The City of Copenhagen: Work based on trust, not control

Is a consultant with a private consulting firm

Has held leadership roles

In the summer of 2016 she defended her PhD thesis on trust-based management and leadership in public sector organisations, built on experiences from the City of Copenhagen.

About trust-based leadership and management

A way of managing which gives greater scope for action at a local level, and which creates better conditions for self governance by easing off restrictions for the individual employee allowing them to adapt to the context they are in. Closer relations to management is needed, allowing employees to participate in the design of management tools.

About the study

The PhD thesis ”Trust-based management and leadership in public sector organisations – the leap from ambition to practice" is based on a qualitative case study of workplaces at the City of Copenhagen.

It identifies five main obstacles to the introduction of trust-based management and leadership:

• Structural obstacles can complicate decision making processes for changes in management.
• A lack of resources e.g. while cuts have to be made.
• A lack of motivation or skills among employees when it comes to taking on extra responsibility linked to trust-based management and leadership.
• Conflicting expectations lead to differences in the understanding of trust.
• Habit can mean that established ways of doing things within the organisation are sometimes so strong that they are hard to change. 

Made in cooperation with the University of Roskilde and financed by the City of Copenhagen, the Copenhagen Teachers' Association and the Organisations of Public Employees – Denmark (OAO).

Read the thesis here (in Danish)