Shortcomings of New Public Management Ideology from the Power Perspective : Exploration of Power Relations in a Finnish Municipal Organization

Abstract

New public management (NPM) is perceived as a method for restoring the effectiveness of municipal organizations. In Finland, it is the main motivator for the reconstruction of municipal and state-driven public sectors. Our article explores the power relations created through implementing the NPM ideology, and how those power relations are constructed and renegotiated between office-holders and politicians in a Finnish municipal organization. We contribute to the NPM literature through an empirical study by introducing forms of power, including previously neglected concealed power. Typically, the informal rules of NPM, the administrative codex, and municipal politics are considered to delineate official power and highpowered offices. However, we find the (re)negotiation of power relations also involves manipulative elements.