Fra tre-nivå til to-nivå. Omorgansiering av kommunale barnehager.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how daycare staff in the City of Oslo have experienced the process of reorganising from traditional organisation with a manager in each daycare facility to organisation with cluster management. The study aims to identify whether the staff consider the new type of organisation as appropriate in relation to their daily work. The study asks the following questions: 1) What do the employees think of the level of access to information, predictability and participation in the actual transition process? 2) How has the distribution of work been perceived compared to before the reorganisation? 3) Do the employees experience that the new organisation is working more appropriately in relation to their daily work? 4) Do the employees have any suggestions for improving the organisational structure in order for the organisation to work more appropriately?

The study shows that the higher the position a person has, the more positive the attitude is towards the reorganisation. The cluster managers and the specialist managers believed that the access to information was good, whereas the early childhood educators have different opinions on this aspect. With regard to influence, all levels agreed that the reorganisation was a predetermined decision. However, 50% of the cluster managers believed that they had a high degree of influence in relation to the reorganisation. Both sub-studies show that there has been a general delegation of tasks downwards in the groups of positions. Among other things, the early childhood educators have taken over some tasks which were previously carried out by the daycare -facility managers, and many therefore believe that they now have less time for close contact with the children. Most specialist consultants and specialist managers see the reorganisation as a positive change, however employees in these groups also feel that they have taken over a number of tasks from cluster managers and therefore have less time for their specialist work. The cluster managers are very satisfied with the distribution of work after the reorganisation.
The experience that the reorganisation has contributed to a more appropriate organisation is increasingly less positive moving further down the position hierarchy. One suggestion for improving the structure is smaller clusters. The daycare-facility employees often find that the specialist consultants or the cluster managers are not available because they are in a meeting or similar. Another suggestion is to establish more administrative positions to carry out administrative tasks.

The study is based on a qualitative part, in which interviews were conducted with all daycare employees in a district in Oslo, which had been reorganised. The interviews were carried out in 2009. In addition, the study is based on a quantitative part, a follow-up part from 2010, in which questionnaires were sent to daycare employees in another district in Oslo which had also been reorganised. A total of two cluster managers, three specialist consultants, 11 early childhood educators and eight childcare assistants were interviewed. The questionnaire survey was answered by six out of six cluster managers, 11 out of 14 trade specialist managers (faglige ledere) and 34 out of 75 early childhood educators. Very few assistants answered the questionnaire, which is why these have not been included in the study.

Larsen, A.K. & Slåtten, M.V. (2012). Fra tre-nivå til to-nivå. Omorgansiering av kommunale barnehager. Rapport 2012 nr. 10. Høgskolen i Oslo.