What does the Minister do?

If management matters to performance, then it is also likely to be of importance how managers spend their time. Hence, ‘what does the manager do’ has been a classical research question, which this paper applies to leaders at the ultimate top asking, what does the minister do? The research is based on a unique data-set consisting of a survey with 18 out of 20 ministers, and qualitative interviews with Ministers as well as former Ministers. The Ministers performed a detailed registration of their time-consumption during a working week. In addition data on job-tasks and geographical locations were provided. The unique data collection allows us to insight into how ministers spend their time and in the working conditions at the top of the central democratic institutions. The data is analyzed drawing on the insights of the work-activity school, and the paper shows, that when looking into how Ministers spend their time, the metaphor developed by Carlson (1991[1951] of the CEO as a puppet master being pulled by an endless amount of strings – rather than the other way around – also fits the Ministers.