180 HP eller 180 i bänkpress? - En fallstudie om akademiseringen av officersprofessionen och förändringen av befälssystemet

Sammanfattning: Throughout the past decade, the Swedish Armed Forces have undergone substantial changes. However, the decisions made have been heavily debated and publicly criticized. As of 2008, in order to become an officer of the Swedish Military, new recruits must obtain a bachelor's degree (a total of 180 credits) in Military Science. In parallel with this change, the structure of the military ranks was adjusted in favor of the abovementioned recruits. As a result, conflict and significant friction has followed the changes, polarizing the organization. Thus, by analyzing the implications of these fundamental changes - in relation to the organization's individuals and considerable esprit de corps - we contribute to the understanding of the difficulties of implementing change in a complex bureaucratic organization, with long-standing traditions, and the consequences of not acknowledging a strong internal culture. The case study context was characterized by the friction surrounding the new military officers as well as the conflicting institutional logics and discrepancies that senior officers have faced following the organizational change and the new identity of the officer corps. By combining change theories with theories on institutional sensemaking we investigate the mistakes made on a macro level and their consequences in relation to the individuals' social perceptions, professional norms, esprit the corps and rationalizations on a micro level. Given the bureaucratic environment and strong culture surrounding the military, we conclude that fundamental change is particularly difficult to implement and requires significant communication as well as a challenge of current norms and beliefs.