Multi-level policy implementation: Exploring organisational coordination — the case of the German Swimming Federation’s National Training Framework implementation

Fahrner, Marcel; Klenk, Christoffer (2018). Multi-level policy implementation: Exploring organisational coordination — the case of the German Swimming Federation’s National Training Framework implementation (Submitted). International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group 10.1080/19406940.2018.1447499

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National governing bodies (NGBs) of sport depend on the collaboration of their
member organisations. However, regional entities and local sports clubs possess
high degrees of autonomy, and their goals may differ from the national
objectives. This paper examines the nature of multi-level policy implementation,
aiming to foster an understanding of the underlying coordination mechanisms
across organisational levels. For this purpose, a conceptual framework based on
Willke’s distinction of regulative media (i.e., power, money, knowledge) is
introduced. The paper investigates multi-level policy implementation by using a
single case study, comprising data from organisational documents and semistructured
interviews. Findings indicate that not only local sports clubs, but also
regional governing bodies, play a crucial role as intermediaries in the
implementation context. The paper shows that pressure (i.e., authority without
power), although a common code of practice, does not foster policy
implementation. Lack of congruence between the numerous decentralised
funding authorities’ objectives handicap the multi-level synchronisation of
implementation efforts. Moreover, the absence of binding communication
channels across organisational levels is identified as prejudicial for a knowledgebased regulation of multi-level policy implementation. Furthermore, the Analysis uncovers the complexity of policy implementation, identifying manifold interrelations of the regulative media.

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