The Norwegian Police - Experiencing Change Through Reform

Abstract

During the past three years, the Norwegian police has undergone a reform process, similar to police organizations in other countries. The proximity reform (nærpolitireformen) has introduced multiple change initiatives during the process. Some of the initiatives have been welcomed by the organization, while others have been a cause of criticism. This master thesis will look closer into the process of implementing the new police reform in the Norwegian police. The focus of the study will be on how the change process has been led and how employees in the Norwegian police, have experienced it. Through a review of relevant literature, and insights from interviews with employees in the police, the aim is to generate a clear overview over the human aspect of the reform, as well as aspects of the process itself. The first section of the thesis gives an introduction to the topic, followed by a literature review which will aim to sum up the most relevant research on the area. The next section will look at the methods used during the study, in addition to a description of the process, the sample and ethical considerations in the study. That includes a description of the qualitative methods which have been selected to derive valuable information about the research topic. Further, an analysis and discussion of the most relevant findings from the interviews will follow in addition to a discussion of the research question. Finally, some concluding remarks will be made and the identification of potential future research.