Abstract
This article investigates the transformation of local government leadership as a change in interaction. Traditional interaction patterns are challenged by the increasing complexity of governance relations. The empirical analysis is based on biographical narratives of very experienced (born in 1945-1950) Finnish municipal chief executive officers. The narratives form a rich set of interpretations about the changes that have occurred in the role of municipalities during the last four decades. According to the narratives, both the quantity and quality of interaction have changed markedly: interaction is needed at numerous surfaces, but the quality of interaction is undergoing alteration. The current trend of instant interaction requires more situational awareness, social skills and quicker responses.
Highlights
This article investigates the transformation of local government leadership as a change in interaction
Instead of focusing on mayors, we focus on chief executive officers (CEOs), the highest civil servants in Fin-How to cite this paper: Haveri, A., Airaksinen, J., & Paananen, H. (2015)
We argue that municipal leadership is unlike any other; that a municipal CEO works in a very special environment affected by many complex governance relations (Siegel, 2010: p. 140)
Summary
Traditional interaction patterns are challenged by the increasing complexity of governance relations. The research question is: How is the increased complexity seen in interaction needs and patterns and how does this affect the work of a municipal CEO?. Examination of how the Finnish municipal CEOs describe important changes in their leadership environment reveals in-depth familiarity with current international discourses on network governance, the role of the state, citizen and markets, and the fragmented nature of politics and administration. The data were collected from one country and are bound to a specific cultural context It is justified, to suppose, that the narratives of Finnish municipal CEOs can both support and increase wider theoretical understanding concerning local leadership change while providing interpretations of and explanations for a phenomenon that is basically international
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