Research

As an Associate Professor at the Department of Society and Business, I research public governance and management. My research focuses on the interaction between trust and control, and how management forms and governance tools can be designed to foster trust within organizations. I investigate trust-based leadership, which involves nurturing trust relationships and ensuring structures that support trust. Additionally, Nordic trust reforms are part of my research, with a particular focus on the adoption, translation, and diffusion of trust as a magical concept between countries and organizations. I also study strategies for debureaucratization in the public sector and have conducted empirical studies on the opportunities and challenges of co-creating governance across different actors and levels. Finally, robust governance and management during crises and turbulence is a key research area for me, including the role of trust in public organizations' and professionals' navigation through increased turbulence.

Outreach

In my research, I am driven by an interactive engagement with decision-makers, leaders, and employees in the public sector. This means that my research focus is not only aimed at diagnosing problems but is also highly driven by an ambition to contribute with solutions. I communicate and invite dialogue about my research through lectures, opinion pieces, and social media. Additionally, I have produced both podcasts and short films targeted at practitioners about my research areas. I have continuously contributed as a sparring partner and advisor in policy processes on new reforms concerning administrative burdens and public management in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Likewise, I have served as an advisor on publications directed at public leaders on trust-based leadership. In 2023, I won the HR Researcher Award for my article "Tripod of Trust," which was recognized for being both high-level research and relevant and applicable at a practical level.