Public Sector Reforms as Catalysts for Diffusion of Management Concepts

Within the last decades, there has been an increased interest in examining the diffusion of management concepts in the public sector. Yet, we know little about how the diffusion of management concepts are affected by public sector reforms. In this paper, we engage this puzzle by investigating the widespread diffusion of the Leadership Pipeline model across the Danish municipalities from 2010 to 2017, which took place in the aftermath of a major structural reform. Utilizing a strong mixed-methods design our findings show that amalgamated municipalities adopted the Leadership Pipeline model more frequently, and also sooner than then non amalgamated municipalities. In addition, we analyze how municipalities and consultancies adapted the concept to fit the reform demands and how the reform animated public sector employees in this endeavor. By implication, we argue that reforms are creating a market for management concepts and consultancy work. We conclude by discussing implications for research into public administration."