Strategy at Esbjerg Municipality

Vision 2025 defines the direction for the initiatives of the coming years. The focus is on a series of issues under the heading Welfare and Growth. In the realization of the strategy, the organization, citizens, and players surrounding the municipality are included in initiatives focusing on concrete action and an experimental approach.

What is the main challenge in your strategy realization?

It is important that people feel a sense of ownership, not only at the managerial level, but also at the levels of politicians, employees, businesses, educational institutions, citizens, and associations. We need other people than the usual suspects to be part of it, and therefore we put people together in ways that go across hierarchies. The cooperation across the organization will be crucial for the municipality moving forward.

How do you understand the term "strategy"?

To me, strategy and vision are intimately connected. Everything we do has to be related to the vision in a way that generates value and makes it possible for us to meet our targets. When working with our vision, we have involved a wide variety of people. Politicians, managers, employees, businesses, and citizens have participated, and our strategy contains something for everyone.

How do you manage the strategy realization?

Management should not drive the strategic process by themselves. We want to create a shared sense of ownership, which is why the departmental managers are coordinating the realization. They work interdisciplinarily as part of “Team 2025” and not necessarily within their own area of expertise, but in close interaction with citizens, associations, and in particular young people from Esbjerg. We use design processes as ways of creating prototypes and adjusting along the way. The people involved can influence the solutions, and that creates a sense of ownership.