Summary:

This paper examines changes in the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJ) after the terrorist attacks in Norway 22 July 2011 until 2016. The focus is on the MJ’s internal and external formal organization, internal and external procedures, and demographic profile. A main finding is that the MJ has been subject to several small incremental changes, which collectively have resulted in a considerable development of the Ministry’s governance capacity in the field of societal security. The most radical changes have been introduced in the Ministry’s internal and central management structure. The paper shows that implementing cross‐sectoral measures to enhance coordination between central operators is difficult. Traditional organizational principles in the Norwegian public administration, such as the principle of ministerial responsibility, can explain why this is the case. The paper further demonstrates that although change is largely planned through rational instrumental thinking, the implementation of such change involves altering organizational culture and traditions, and these are difficult to change based on political signals alone, even after a major transboundary crisis.