What is Identity Work

This chapter addresses the ‘co-production turn' in public sector organisations from a top management perspective. The co-production turn is seen as a historical development from new public management to the concept of new public governance. Ideas on collaborative governance have been advanced as an answer to some of the challenges of the public sector in health services, caregiving, and social work. Current issues in welfare production in public sector organisations are seen as a result of the economic rationalisation ideas in new public management, and co-production has been theoretically advanced as a new way to involve citizens in the co-production of welfare. The co-production turn is explored as an emerging research field in this book, and in the current chapter, the authors explore how three top managers make sense of this concept when developing and implementing new strategies in their public organisations.