Linking Strategy and Performance Management – Case: Ministry of the Interior

“There is a fundamental distinction between strategy and operational effectiveness" and “operational effectiveness is not strategy". (Michael Porter, 1996) These statements describe what this research was set off to explore: The research objectives of this study aimed at contributing to the strategy development and performance management discussion by offering a view of how performance management and strategy development processes were practically managed in a public sector organization. The research questions chosen were:

1. How the corporate strategy and the strategy process are linked with the performance management process in a practical level in different operational environments?

2. Ministry as a strategic entity: (2a) what are the challenges at the ministry-level, (2b) what is causing strategic flexibility or rigidity at the ministry-level, and (2c) the roles of the top management in strategic management?