Den mellemskabende organisation: Ledelse mellem det nære og det systemiske

Abstract

Youth crime is often described as a wicked problem, surrounded by complexity and diverging interests. This thesis explores the problem from the organisational perspective of Den Korte Snor, a youth crime prevention initiative in Københavns Kommune. Building on a substantial and diverse theoretical framework I make the case that we as organisations working professionally with crime prevention in general and Den Korte Snor in particular could increase our ability to co-create sustainable practices to address youth crime by adopting an ecosystem perspective and committing to the role of an intermediate creating organisation. I do so by exploring the following research question:
How can Den Korte Snor become an organisation with the ability to create partnerships at an ecosystem level in order to contribute to the development of a common mission across actors?
The thesis proceeds in five chapters. Following an introduction, I outline the theoretical framework and present the essential methodological considerations.
The analysis, which presents the main arguments of the thesis, unfolds in three sections. In the first section of the analysis, I explore the characteristics of youth crime as a systemic problem, finding empirical support for the claim that we need to pool resources and make coordination an ecosystem matter on all levels in order to address youth crime. In the second section, I attempt to understand our role as an intermediate creating organisation in relation to a twofold core task that caters to both the near practice with the youth and families and the integrative dimension of facilitating the prerequisites for ecosystem partnerships. Here, I claim that strong incentive structures commit the organisation to the practical everyday expression of youth crime while the ambitions on an ecosystem level only receive indirect recognition. In the final section of the analysis, I engage in an action research ambition within my organisation to seek out how we can develope our organisational capabilities in order to strengthen our capacity to work systemically.
I conclude the thesis by summarising the most important analytical insights presented, finally offering perspective and connecting the results to my own practice in the intersection between management and leadership.