In Denmark, we currently have 860,000 public sector employees, and as a society we spend DKK 1,300 billion on the public sector. With such a large consumption of resources, the public sector is an important player in creating and ensuring cohesion in society. However, an increasing number of bad cases are threatening this cohesion, and as a society we are experiencing a general decline in trust and support for the common good.
We see a tendency for the handling to be very one-sidedly focused on placing legal responsibility. An empty chair is automatically set up in the room, reserved for the public sector employee(s) who have been asleep in class. Once the legal judgment has been made, the case is usually closed.
We also see a tendency to always try to prevent bad cases through more rules and production requirements and more control and supervision - even though we know that the mistakes are also - and perhaps even more so - about failing management, incompetence and an unhealthy culture. Here, too, the legal approach will play a dominant role.
The dominance of the legal approach to errors and failures means that opportunities for learning from
other factors that influence the occurrence of errors and failures, such as lack of professionalism, poor management or an unhealthy corporate culture, are lost. Interest in the cases typically disappears with the resolution of legal culpability.
The question is, have we reached the limit of what the law can and should be used for in both the handling and presentation of complaints? Has the law and the legal mindset gone from being part of the solution to also being part of the problem?
Who?
The event is mainly aimed at lawyers specializing in administrative law and public personnel law, as well as public top managers and public managers working with law and HR.
Price?
Participation costs DKK 2.995,- ex. VAT. Media are welcome.
The event is pre-approved by the Danish Bar and Law Society with 4 course points.
Program:
Meet LEAD's speakers at the conference
Emil Herskind
Partner and Area Director| Read more here
Arne Hauge Jensen
Partner and Area Director | Read more here
A year with Britta Nielsen - Eyewitness account from a messy case
In 2018, Britta Nielsen, a trusted employee at the National Board of Social Services, became nationally known for transferring almost DKK 121 million of the funds set aside by the Danish Parliament for society's most vulnerable citizens to herself. The fraud had been going on for 25 years, but no colleagues or bosses suspected anything. And no one missed the money that disappeared.
Emil Herskind was Head of Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and was given responsibility for handling the case. It was his job to uncover the extent of the case and get the Minister of Social Affairs through the process in one piece. He was assisted by consultant and former civil servant Arne Hauge Jensen.
In this book, the two provide a unique insight into the sordid affair; from the first suspicion, to discovering the enormity of the fraud, to realizing a year later that the case has been solved and that no one other than Britta Nielsen could be accused of the fraud. However, the minister, the media and ordinary Danes are pushing for accountability. "Who made it possible for an employee to pocket state money?" "The person responsible must be punished."
The two authors take us right into the heart of the civil service system and show what happens when it is hit by a bad case.
Contact us to learn more about what we can do for your organization
Are you facing an organizational change? Do you need strategic advice or a cultural development program?
Contact us and together we will tailor a process that develops the exact competencies and structures that strengthen and future-proof your organization.
Arne Hauge Jensen
E-mail: ahj@lead.eu
Tel: 22 81 99 99 78
