Implementation and effects of user participation in playground management: a comparative study of two Swedish municipalities

Abstract

This paper describes and analyses how customer orientation strategies, with the focus on user participation, are implemented in playground management and their effects on managers' attitudes and work with physical playgrounds. A comparative case study was conducted in two Swedish municipalities that involve users in different ways: through a manager-driven participation process and through informal user-initiated dialogue. The empirical material consisted of qualitative interviews with professionals in the management organisations and studies of local playgrounds. Implementation of strategies for user participation and tactical management activities appeared to be of importance. The manager-driven participation strategy was associated with a particularly positive attitude among managers, but also difficulties such as maintaining continuous dialogue with users. The small differences found in playground provision between the two municipalities give reason to question the physical effects of participation processes, and show the need for further research.

Keywords:

• strategy implementation
• customer orientation
• playgrounds
• public sector management
• user participation

Acknowledgements

The research studies reported in this paper were possible thanks to the engagement and cooperation of playground managers in the two anonymous municipalities. The authors also wish to thank two anonymous referees for useful comments on an earlier version of this paper.