What makes Sweden the most responsive government in the world?
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The Swedish Prime Minister’s office is located in Rosenbad in Stockholm. Photo by Holger.Ellgaard
Sweden topped a multitude of rankings in the Responsive Government Survey 2021, conducted by Global Government Forum and PA Consulting. Richard Johnstone examines the data to find out what the lessons might be
Sweden stands out as the most responsive government in the world, according to its leaders’ responses to the Responsive government survey. It sits at the top of the rankings for responsiveness in all categories, including the ability to work on location, empowerment, autonomy and accountability, use of evidence, and available tools and resources.
Its high scores make it by far the most positive of the nine countries surveyed.
These high confidence ratings continue across different aspects of the report. 60% of Swedish leaders who responded agreed that there was little unnecessary bureaucracy in their organization – a figure she shared with Norway – compared to just 12% of senior officials in the UK, for example.
Interviewees also said the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has helped it develop capabilities that were not present before Covid. Sweden was also among the first countries (New Zealand and Denmark being the others) that were most confident in their ability to adapt to significant changes as part of their long-term strategy.
Leaders from these same three countries also believe they are able to proactively seek to anticipate and respond to the changing needs of citizens / stakeholders, and can operate in an environment where diverse teams can be formed in the short term to resolve The problems. This group is also the most confident in being able to continuously develop the skills and capabilities of their workforce.
Among the leadership cohorts, Sweden once again surpassed all other nations on issues of empowerment and self-reliance – a reflection of the culture of ‘great trust’ promoted by Swedish employers across all sectors. Together with their Nordic colleagues in Denmark and Norway, the Swedes have also performed well in agreeing that it is “always clear who is responsible for actions and decisions taken at each level of this organization”.
Swedish leaders, as well as their colleagues in the United States and Norway, were also much more convinced than those in other countries that “the technology we need is available or can be developed and that digital technologies are fully integrated into the world. the process of policy development and service design from the beginning “.
They were also the most confident that they would get the resources they needed, with 60% of executives surveyed strongly agreeing that their budget was sufficient.
Confidence, experimentation and risk taking
So what’s the story behind these high marks? With Sweden’s consistently high marks in the World Happiness Report, Swedish officials may be as happy with their lives professionally as they are personally.
But there could be other explanations – more managerial – that provide lessons for other governments around the world.
Dani Dawoodson Razmgah, director of clients at the Swedish Companies Registration Office, said in the report that the high scores were the result of what he called “a totally different management style”.
He added: âI don’t know how to translate it directly, but we have a kind of trust in each other. They give you the ‘what’ to do, but the ‘how’ to do it is up to you, within a framework of course. But I also know that if I don’t deliver what is expected, I’m out of work.
Indeed, empowerment and self-reliance was another area where Sweden topped the charts, reflecting this culture of high trust. The Swedes’ willingness to trust their people is also manifested in their appetite for experimentation and risk taking – they were, again, the most optimistic on most statements about supporting staff to develop new ones. ideas and solutions.
âIf you think of the 80/20 rule that says 80% of people do the right things but 20% don’t follow the rules or don’t deliver, then we think instead of checking everyone out, let’s check just on that 20% instead, âDani Dawoodson Razmgah said. “And that’s why I think this survey shows that people here are pretty happy – it’s a good place to work.”
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