How Finnish health and social services reform impact on municipality strategy
Hard, Pekka (2023)
Hard, Pekka
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023092726433
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023092726433
Tiivistelmä
The Finnish Health and Social Services Reform (Sote-uudistus, Sote reform) has been one of the major challenging factors in the operating environment of municipalities. The reform significantly altered the structures of public administration as well as the tasks, fields of operation, and financing of municipalities. Municipal organizations were required to reformulate their strategy as provision of health and social services was transferred to Wellbeing Services Counties. In strategic planning had to be concerned especially the how the Sote reform's goals of equal, high-quality, and cost-effective services are realized.
The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate, examine, and produce detailed information on the relationship between the Sote reform and selected municipalities from the perspective of preparing for the Sote reform in the strategic manner of municipal organizations. The aim of the study is to increase understanding and knowledge about the actions and implementation related to the Sote reform from the perspective of municipalities.
The theoretical framework of the study consists of theories related to strategy, organizational change, and strategic management viewed from the perspective of a public organization. Research material was collected from selected municipal organizations using structured questionnaire and by analyzing documents related to the strategic management system in the context of the Sote reform.
According to the research results changes in the operating environment caused by the Sote reform have required municipal organizations to realign their 3 operations strategically to adapt to the demands of the environment. This was reflected in the reorganization of organizational structures and the reorientation of municipal organizations towards promoting well-being and health from a preventative perspective, as well as advocating for the interests of residents. At the same time, municipal organizations prepared in various ways for the health and social services reform to enable a controlled and smooth transition of social and health services' service provision responsibility to wellbeing services counties.
In summary, the Sote reform brought significant changes to the operating field of municipal organizations, requiring different levels of new strategic directions and actions. The extent of the need for change was widely influenced by how the municipalities had produced its Sote services before the reform. The more extensively a municipal organization had provided its Sote services as own production before the Sote reform, the more strongly it had to strategically reorient itself.
The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate, examine, and produce detailed information on the relationship between the Sote reform and selected municipalities from the perspective of preparing for the Sote reform in the strategic manner of municipal organizations. The aim of the study is to increase understanding and knowledge about the actions and implementation related to the Sote reform from the perspective of municipalities.
The theoretical framework of the study consists of theories related to strategy, organizational change, and strategic management viewed from the perspective of a public organization. Research material was collected from selected municipal organizations using structured questionnaire and by analyzing documents related to the strategic management system in the context of the Sote reform.
According to the research results changes in the operating environment caused by the Sote reform have required municipal organizations to realign their 3 operations strategically to adapt to the demands of the environment. This was reflected in the reorganization of organizational structures and the reorientation of municipal organizations towards promoting well-being and health from a preventative perspective, as well as advocating for the interests of residents. At the same time, municipal organizations prepared in various ways for the health and social services reform to enable a controlled and smooth transition of social and health services' service provision responsibility to wellbeing services counties.
In summary, the Sote reform brought significant changes to the operating field of municipal organizations, requiring different levels of new strategic directions and actions. The extent of the need for change was widely influenced by how the municipalities had produced its Sote services before the reform. The more extensively a municipal organization had provided its Sote services as own production before the Sote reform, the more strongly it had to strategically reorient itself.