Masterclass: “Digital Transformation in Danish Municipalities and the Public Sector: Organisational Agility and Robustness in a Complex Digital World.”
The Centre for the Digital and Green Transformation in Cities and Communities offers Masterclasses for Danish Municipalities that are interested in being better equipped for the digital transformation that is affecting a broad spectrum of tasks within municipalities and the public sector in general.
Danish municipalities are increasingly experiencing how the digital transition is affecting a broad spectrum of work tasks and how it permeates all parts of the organisation. Each municipality's room for manoeuvre in relation to the digital transformation is no longer defined only by local and national frameworks, but increasingly also by European legislation and political priorities. If a municipality is to utilize the full potential of digital technologies in relation to resource efficiency and the innovation of services, it is necessary to evaluate both the municipality's projects, common practices and the organization's resources and collaborations. The digital development also requires the municipality to rethink its role in relation to the communities surrounding it and become better at collaborating with citizens, businesses, as well and other public institutions or actors - both regionally, nationally and internationally.
The organizational changes and the new role that the municipality must take on, places great demands on management: There is a need for an increased focus on organisational agility and robustness in a complex digital world where priority must be given to investments in technologies, infrastructure, service development and partners. Digitization must be integrated into the organisation as strategic management competence in line with finance, law and HR. The course will give the municipality's management an insight into the landscape that a Danish municipality must act within both regionally, nationally and internationally. The course will also introduce the tools needed to act proactively and long-term within the digitisation area. Participants will thus gain new - and practical - knowledge on how they can work with digitization as an integral part of the organization and as a strategic management competence.
The master classes revolve around subjects such as digitalisation, ecosystems, management, digital strategies, innovation and technology. Internal case studies are a vital part of the master classes in order to make the subjects tangible for the specific municipality as well as to invite the participants to play an active role. Thisted Municipality was the first to participate in the master class in 2019, and was taught by Martin Brynskov (Associate Professor, School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University, Director, DITCOM), Adriënne Heijnen (Senior Scientific Advisor, DIGTCOM) and Andrea Carugati (Professor, Department of Management, Aarhus University). The development of the master classes is a great opportunity for DITCOM to build partnerships with local authorities, which is very much in line with Aarhus University’s strategy for strengthening collaborations with the public sector.
If you are interested in knowing more about our masterclass for municipalities, please do not hesitate to contact Adriënne Heijnen.
