After more than 10 years in the public sector in Norway, I admit that I am reasonably pragmatic about reports and probably also deadlines for submitting reports. The experience is that usually not many read what you write, and the report quickly ends up in a drawer (or in a digital archive folder).
But, this is (fortunately) not the case in the Nordic Council of Ministers. I still remember the email I received at 8 am (4 am in the morning here in Greenland) the day after a reporting deadline.
The half-yearly report was requested!
A former colleague, who has worked in several international contexts, said that it was tiring with Norwegians – who always wanted to do things “their way”. Everyone else managed to submit to rules and customs, but Norwegians had to do it differently. Maybe there is a little “you’re not the boss of me”-feeling, even though it is a very long time since Denmark or Sweden ruled over Norway.
But, still, the little voice in my head said:
"Then at least I'll do it my way ..."
So we did – and during the autumn, where I tried to get an overview, read about what NAPA has done before, read about what other institutions in the Nordic Council of Ministers have done, etc., I actually experienced the meaning of making an annual report.
I think I understood NAPA’s role even better, I realized that we should put into place a better reporting system where financial dispositions are linked to the content of the grant letter. I learned a lot about the Cultural Support Program, the significance it has had for cultural actors throughout the Nordic region – and with that, working with our vision got clearer. And so the reports from those who have received support from us actually got an official place where they could present themselves and their work.So, now we have a digital version that hopefully expresses some of the Norwegian’s inherent desire to do it a little differently and maybe even is a little more reader friendly. And of course a pdf version that can be downloaded if you want it the old fashioned way >
Now it remains to be seen if the report will be read. We are very happy for input from you readers. Is there anything you miss – or something we should have written more about? Send us a message. The report is for you😊
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