September 2003 · Volume 85 · Number 8

International Pilot Program Takes Off: The First Minnesota/Sweden Exchange Program for Managers

Mike Ericson 
As local government managers, we have ample opportunities for education and professional development—classes, seminars, and conferences—but none of these has ever been as professionally and personally rewarding to me as the international exchange program arranged last year between the Minnesota City/County Management Association (MCMA) and the Association of Swedish City Managers. Eighteen city and county managers from Minnesota visited Sweden for one week in May 2002, and 10 Swedish managers spent three days in Minnesota prior to attending the September 2002 ICMA conference in Philadelphia. 
The program was a first for MCMA, marking a significant step in MCMA’s interest and supportive effort toward promoting an international perspective on professional local government management. It also is hoped that this exchange of trips will be seen by ICMA as a pilot program for future visits by other state associations to locations throughout the world. 
Making It a Reality
Credit for coming up with the idea for the exchange program goes to Matt Fulton, city manager of New Brighton, Minnesota, and Miomir Serbinson, former city manager of Staffanstorp, Sweden. Fulton and Serbinson served together on the ICMA Task Force on International Affiliations, one of whose responsibilities is to build an international perspective on how local government is operated.
At one of the task force’s meetings, held in Malmö, Sweden, Fulton and Serbinson were discussing the role that state associations could play in helping to build this international perspective. They came up with the idea of an exchange program between their respective state associations: Minnesota and Skåne (the region covering the southern tip of Sweden). Given the Scandinavian-based culture of Minnesota, the choice of Sweden as an exchange partner seemed natural, but Fulton points to other reasons as well.
“Sweden has many interesting things to offer in terms of its culture, governance, and history. The people also use a lot of advanced technologies in the ways they look at energy and regionalized services.” He goes on to say, “The idea was appealing to me, and I thought other Minnesota managers would benefit from being exposed to some of the things that Sweden does.”
Although there was no formal marketing campaign for the exchange program, it was promoted through MCMA’s e-mail communication system, in its newsletter, and personally by Fulton. “I was concerned about getting enough people to participate,” explains Fulton, “so throughout the course of the year, as I was promoting it, I would take a $1 nonrefundable deposit from anyone who expressed an interest!”
As it turned out, he didn’t have to worry. He was hoping for five to 12 people but ended up with a total of 27 (18 managers and nine spouses). The only real cost for each participant was his or her airfare (about $750), although, in addition, MCMA granted 12 $300 scholarships. 

In a series of “firsts,” the Minnesota delegation is ready to embark from the Horby, Sweden, City Hall steps on a city bus tour after its first city hall visit on the first official day of hands-on city visits. 
Travel arrangements and the schedule of activities in Sweden were set up by Stig Ålund, executive director of the City Managers Association in Sweden, and his executive assistant, Lilian Persson, who also was responsible for finding home stays for the Minnesota managers. Staying in homes made the trip much more affordable, but, more important, it added a personal element that proved crucial to the program’s success.
The original intent was to have participants stay only in the homes of local government managers or municipal employees, but because there were twice as many people as she had originally planned for, Persson had to call on friends and friends of friends. One couple even stayed with Fulton’s cousin, whom he had only met once on a previous visit to Sweden. “Lilian did a remarkable job finding home stays for everyone,” notes Fulton, “and in the end I think it was good that many of our managers were exposed to people in other occupational areas.”
Minnesota Managers Arrive in Sweden
The Minnesota delegation arrived on May 25, met at the train station in Malmö for a brief welcome, then traveled to our host families’ homes. The next day, we were treated to a reception and an exquisite dinner at Bosjökloster Castle and Gardens, which set the tone for the royal treatment we received throughout our stay.
Each day, we visited a different city and met with the local staff to discuss city management issues. We toured places of interest in each city, including schools, nursing homes, hospitals, housing developments, libraries, and museums, as well as wetlands, farms, and shorelines. We also learned about the various levels of regional government in Sweden and the cooperation that takes place among them.
Our trip ended on May 31 with an elaborate send-off dinner at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. The entire trip was extremely well planned and well organized, an amazing feat considering the size of our group—all 27 of us were included in all activities. There was never a language barrier because all of the Swedes spoke excellent English.
Professional Insights
Throughout our stay, all of us were struck with the startling similarity between the geography of Minnesota and that of Sweden. As Charlie Meyer, city manager of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, puts it, “You could understand how Scandinavian immigrants must have seen Minnesota and said, ‘This feels like home.’”
Meyer also notes that, as in Minnesota, Swedish elected officials have personalities that span the full range—from the quiet and conservative to the colorful, like one mayor we met of whom there are stories of his charging around on the beach of the Baltic Sea, surveying his town while riding his white horse. We observed similarities in their use of technology and in their planning process, and we sensed in them a similar level of professionalism, pride, and integrity in the work we all do as city and county managers. 
We also were struck by some profound differences. As a socialist nation, Sweden has much higher taxes than the United States, but the government provides a much higher level of services, essentially taking care of citizens “from cradle to grave.” Craig Waldron, city administrator of Oakdale, Minnesota, was especially interested in observing a society that accepts a much greater role for government.
“I was amazed at the size of the city councils,” he observes, “with as many as 50 councilmembers where we might have five, and they all run on a party basis, unlike most of our nonpartisan councils.” Waldron recalled speaking with a mayor seen as politically conservative in Sweden who would have been considered extremely progressive by United States standards. Waldron notes, “His biggest priorities were education, protecting the environment, and providing housing and medical care for older citizens.”
The cooperation observed among levels of government in Sweden had an impact on Hastings, Minnesota, City Administrator Dave Osberg. As a result of the trip, he hopes to enhance opportunities for regional cooperation, stating, “We are the county seat here in Hastings, and after seeing the cooperation that takes place between government lines in Sweden, I think we could do a better job of it here.”
Transportation in Sweden presents another significant difference. Unlike Minnesotans’ almost complete reliance on individual vehicles, the Swedes’ preference is to make excellent use of public transportation, as well as bicycles. The regional transportation system for Skåne covers an area geographically much larger than the Twin Cities metropolitan area and less populous, yet it is extremely effective, with a fare-box return of approximately 75 percent. Meyer notes, “That’s the kind of thing that reinforces your belief that a transit system can be a major contributor to transportation solutions for your area. It’s a matter of striving for that kind of model.”
Throughout our stay, all of us were struck with the startling similarity between the geography of Minnesota and that of Sweden.
Heidi Nelson, assistant city administrator of Ramsey, Minnesota, who stayed in the city of Lünd, observes, “Rush hour consisted of buses and bicycles.” She also notes how the development of Swedish communities is transit-oriented: “Their developments and cities tend to be dense, and then there’s rural farmland. You just don’t see sprawling 10-acre lots or even two-acre lots, like you tend to see in our suburbs.”
After visiting several new housing developments in Lünd, Nelson also was impressed with the Swedes’ environmental focus. “We saw smaller houses that are more densely situated, with natural areas preserved for communal use. They’re very environmentally concerned about their use of natural and real resources.” Also of interest to Nelson was the successful use of alternative sewer systems for developments in rural areas. “The Swedes are leaders in this area,” she notes. “I was able to speak at length with a water system engineer in Lünd about implementing collective sewer systems. I walked away with a lot of insight and with [the names of resource people whom] I would feel comfortable in calling tomorrow if I had questions.”
We in the Minnesota delegation also had the opportunity to visit a major redevelopment project in Malmö, where former shipyards are being turned into a mixed-use development intended as an environmental model for the European Union. They use geothermal heating systems in the buildings, have a self-contained water system, and ban the use of gasoline-powered vehicles while keeping a pool of electric cars available for citizens’ use.
Charlie Meyer, who had recently worked on a similar type of project in St. Louis Park, observes, “It was a tremendous leap in my thinking in terms of the possibilities for this kind of redevelopment project. It’s a good example of how we need to visit other places and experience what they’re doing in order to understand the possibilities that exist.”
On a Personal Level
Our host families were wonderful. All of the participants felt that staying with a host family was one of the best aspects of the program, and many of us have developed lifelong friendships. As Heidi Nelson observes, “It’s an incredible way to get to know a culture and to see how people live.”
Dave Osberg, who stayed with Miomir Serbinson and his family, was surprised at the similarities in family dynamics and lifestyle. He explains, “At dinner one night, I could have closed my eyes and thought, ‘I’m back at the dinner table at my home in Hastings.’” Charlie Meyer has this to say of his hosts: “We learned to appreciate their humor and their perspective on life. We got to talk about history and how that affected the way they are now. You can’t get that perspective by reading Time Magazine.” 
Members of my host family were especially helpful to me in tracing my Swedish heritage. I brought a family tree with me and, on the first night of my stay, showed it to them. When we gathered around a table, they immediately got out their maps and books. Together, we discovered that my ancestors were farmers and tradesmen from Sundsuall, in north central Sweden.
The Swedes Come to Minnesota
After our memorable experience in Sweden, we were all looking forward to welcoming our Swedish counterparts to Minnesota. Ten managers and two spouses participated in the second half of the exchange program, in September 2002. A committee made up of several Minnesota managers who had gone to Sweden made the arrangements for their return visit. Those of us who had received MCMA scholarships to go to Sweden acted as host families. In our guests’ itinerary, we tried to include both professional and social activities. 
After a hockey game on the night of the Swedes’ arrival, we spent the first full day together as a group. We visited the League of Minnesota Cities’ building, where presentations were made on city, regional, and county government in Minnesota. This stop was followed by lunch, a tour of the state capitol in St. Paul, and a visit to the Swedish American Institute in Minneapolis. Following dinner, our visitors were treated to a Minnesota Twins baseball game—which required considerable explanation since they were not familiar with the game.
On the second day of the group’s stay, each Swedish manager spent the morning and early afternoon with his or her host manager. Most of these visits included a tour of city hall and an opportunity to meet and talk with city staff. We all then met at the Mall of America for the rest of the afternoon and ate dinner there. The following morning, we traveled to the ICMA Conference in Philadelphia.
Göran Norberg, managing director of the Association of Local Authorities in the county of Sörmland, Sweden, especially enjoyed his day visiting the city of Ramsey, Minnesota, with Heidi Nelson and City Administrator Jim Norman. “I am very impressed with the way Ramsey dealt with development and expansion of the city,” he states. “They had effective ways to cooperate with builders to speed up building of new homes. We could learn from that in Sweden, where our building process is far too long.”He also comments on Americans’ love for their cars, saying, “I think Ramsey could learn from us about integrating walking, cycling, and public transportation in the housing and shopping areas.”
A Most Memorable Experience
The Minnesota/Sweden exchange was an extremely rewarding experience, both professionally and personally. When asked about the program, everyone said they felt it was highly successful and would recommend it to other managers. As Dave Osberg observes, “I came back with a renewed spirit and enthusiasm for my job, both personally and professionally.” In Craig Waldron’s words, “It’s one of those classic situations where you need to get out of the office, experience other things, and broaden your horizons.”
Göran Norberg states,” I believe that learning how other civil servants organize and solve their tasks really helps us to find new and better solutions at home.” And Charlie Meyer adds, “We tend to get stuck in our own ‘mental models’ and always look at things in a certain way. Exposing ourselves to new ways of looking at things can give us the incentive to keep working at issues that seem unsolvable.” 
MCMA hopes to continue to offer this program. Matt Fulton summarizes his take on the exchange: “One of the most invaluable things that I think people took out of this [initiative] was the lifelong relationships that have now been established. Our intent is to continue to try to build on those relationships.” He adds, “We’re also in the process of developing what we’re calling an affiliate agreement with the Swedish city managers’ association, which will help to formalize the program and keep up an exchange of information.” 
In looking back, I think that our night at Tivoli Gardens really represented what this program was all about. As Meyer says, “When you can sit with people—laughing, telling jokes, and singing each other’s songs—you feel part of their national pride, and it goes a little bit of the way toward addressing the conflict that exists in the world.” He adds, “No, we didn’t change the world, but the only way we can ever accomplish anything meaningful in terms of world peace is when people get to know each other and realize that we’re not so different. And that was accomplished.” 

Mike Ericson is city administrator, Hugo, Minnesota (mericson@ci.hugo.mn.us). He served as president of the Minnesota City/County Management Association in 2001–2002.