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Att gestalta och omgestalta sitt ledarskap : Verksamhetsnära chefer inom kommunal omsorgsverksamhet reflekterar över chefsroll och arbetets innehåll

Österlind, Marie-Louise LU (2013)
Abstract
The present doctoral thesis aimed to explore what it means to be a first-level manages in a Swedish municipal social care administration, seen from the managers’ perspective. The empirical data derives from a participative, constructivist project which intended to contribute to new practice-based knowledge and to the learning and development of the participating managers. The participating managers reflected over their work and their managerial role by the use of a combination of repertory grid interviews, personal diaries and group discussions. Qualitative descriptive phenomenological analyses of the extensive material painted a vivid and nuanced picture of their work situation and professional role. In Paper I the project and the used... (More)
The present doctoral thesis aimed to explore what it means to be a first-level manages in a Swedish municipal social care administration, seen from the managers’ perspective. The empirical data derives from a participative, constructivist project which intended to contribute to new practice-based knowledge and to the learning and development of the participating managers. The participating managers reflected over their work and their managerial role by the use of a combination of repertory grid interviews, personal diaries and group discussions. Qualitative descriptive phenomenological analyses of the extensive material painted a vivid and nuanced picture of their work situation and professional role. In Paper I the project and the used methods were described in detail. Short extracts of data illustrated the potential of the general approach of combining constructivist techniques in participative and action oriented projects. The first brief results illustrated by “A day in a team manager’s working life” and by three “leadership dilemmas”: The spider in the web; The border patrol; and The open door, presented a picture of the managers’ complex work situation and how they were stimulated to address the problems arising. Paper II showed the many facets of social care management, where six “faces” portrayed the complex managerial role. The results indicated that managers in this and other welfare organizations need to construe and re-construe their managerial role in order to balance the contrasting demands on their role, thereby ac-complishing a personal equilibrium. Paper III further explored the managers' leadership role ideal, grounded in the concept of care. Several aspects of the managers' work situation resulted, on their own or in conjunction, in difficul-ties fulfilling their caring leadership ideal. These difficulties of which the managers spoke were arranged into three distinct patterns: problems, dilemmas and paradoxes. The results gave insight of the nature of these difficulties, the implications which these might have on the managers, their staff and the delivery of service, and the discussed remedies. Taken together the results raises new questions about municipal managers’ abilities and possibilities to handle ideals and requirements which are difficult to consoli-date particularly in times or resource scarcity. Is it possible to be an at the same time caring and efficient manager? How can mangers’ options to handle the complexity of modern welfare organisations be strengthened? (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Avhandlingen utforskar vad det innebär att vara verksamhetsnära chef i en svensk kommunal omsorgsorganisation. Det forskningsprojekt som utgör avhandlings empiriska bas tillkom för att de medverkande cheferna upplevde att de hade en svår arbetssituation. Resultaten från projektet belyser chefskapets innebörd och förutsättningar, sett ur chefernas perspektiv.

Det allra tydligaste budskapet som framstod medan projektet pågick kan sammanfattas med begreppet omsorgsfullhet, vilket innefattar chefernas ansträngningar att uppnå idealet att vara en omsorgsfull chef som sätter människan i centrum. De ville vara chefer som personalen vill arbeta under, och som värnar om sina vårdtagare, sin... (More)
Popular Abstract in Swedish

Avhandlingen utforskar vad det innebär att vara verksamhetsnära chef i en svensk kommunal omsorgsorganisation. Det forskningsprojekt som utgör avhandlings empiriska bas tillkom för att de medverkande cheferna upplevde att de hade en svår arbetssituation. Resultaten från projektet belyser chefskapets innebörd och förutsättningar, sett ur chefernas perspektiv.

Det allra tydligaste budskapet som framstod medan projektet pågick kan sammanfattas med begreppet omsorgsfullhet, vilket innefattar chefernas ansträngningar att uppnå idealet att vara en omsorgsfull chef som sätter människan i centrum. De ville vara chefer som personalen vill arbeta under, och som värnar om sina vårdtagare, sin personal och sina chefskollegor i ledningsgruppen. Det omsorgsfulla chefsidealet utmanades och hotades av oklarheter, komplexitet, motsägelser samt konkurrerande ideal.

De svårigheter som var besvärligast att hantera för såväl nytillträdda som erfarna chefer var relaterade till komplexiteten i deras organisation, uppdrag och roll. Komplexiteten krävde att cheferna sammanvägde olika aspekter, lagar, förordningar, föreskrifter och rådande ideal från skilda nivåer och håll, för att kunna tolka och väga olika överordnade och ibland motstridiga beslut mot varandra för att hitta en optimal eller i varje fall acceptabel sammanvägning i varje enskild konkret situation.

Resultaten från projektet visar, i likhet med andra undersökningar, att förväntningarna på vad verksamhetsnära chefer i offentliga välfärdsorganisationer skall åstadkomma inom ramen för begränsade resurser ofta är mycket högt ställda. Avhandlingens resultat synliggör i någon mån effekterna av den komplexitet som orsakas av olika värdesystem och ideologier som enligt flera forskare kan samexistera respektive konkurrera i organisationen, även om de inte alltid är synliga för alla på olika nivåer i organisationen. Resultaten väcker också frågor om hur verksamhetsnära chefers möjligheter att hantera denna komplexitet skall kunna stärkas. Hur kan chefer hitta strategier för att kunna förhålla sig till de strukturella faktorer som finns inbyggda i systemet och som är svåra eller omöjliga för dem att omedelbart påverka inom sin yrkesroll? Hur skall de kunna väga samman ibland tillsynes oförenliga krav och förväntningar på ett sätt som är förenligt med deras egna professionella värderingar och ideal? Skulle skapandet av organisationsövergripande forum, där intentioner och effekter av överordnade beslut kan diskuteras och exemplifieras, kunna vara en framkomlig väg?

Chefernas egna utvärderingar under och efter projekttiden visade att projektet bidrog positivt till deras personliga utveckling och till utvecklingen av chefsgruppen, i enlighet med deras ursprungliga önskemål. Projektet hade också positiva effekter på gruppklimatet och på förtroendet cheferna emellan. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
supervisor
opponent
  • professor Härnsten, Gunilla, Linnéuniversitetet
organization
alternative title
Construing and re-construing municipal care management : Swedish social care managers reflect over their work situation and their role
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Social care, leadership, role, worksituation, dilemmas, constructivist, phenomenology
pages
122 pages
publisher
Lunds universitet, Institutionen för psykologi
defense location
Aulan, hus 7 Högskolan Kristianstad, Elmetorpsvägen 15, Kristianstad
defense date
2013-03-01 13:15:00
ISBN
978-91-7473-451-5
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
b5f63ae7-540b-40c8-9ac0-dda31f14be2a (old id 3459269)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 10:39:20
date last changed
2021-04-09 17:41:00
@phdthesis{b5f63ae7-540b-40c8-9ac0-dda31f14be2a,
  abstract     = {{The present doctoral thesis aimed to explore what it means to be a first-level manages in a Swedish municipal social care administration, seen from the managers’ perspective. The empirical data derives from a participative, constructivist project which intended to contribute to new practice-based knowledge and to the learning and development of the participating managers. The participating managers reflected over their work and their managerial role by the use of a combination of repertory grid interviews, personal diaries and group discussions. Qualitative descriptive phenomenological analyses of the extensive material painted a vivid and nuanced picture of their work situation and professional role. In Paper I the project and the used methods were described in detail. Short extracts of data illustrated the potential of the general approach of combining constructivist techniques in participative and action oriented projects. The first brief results illustrated by “A day in a team manager’s working life” and by three “leadership dilemmas”: The spider in the web; The border patrol; and The open door, presented a picture of the managers’ complex work situation and how they were stimulated to address the problems arising. Paper II showed the many facets of social care management, where six “faces” portrayed the complex managerial role. The results indicated that managers in this and other welfare organizations need to construe and re-construe their managerial role in order to balance the contrasting demands on their role, thereby ac-complishing a personal equilibrium. Paper III further explored the managers' leadership role ideal, grounded in the concept of care. Several aspects of the managers' work situation resulted, on their own or in conjunction, in difficul-ties fulfilling their caring leadership ideal. These difficulties of which the managers spoke were arranged into three distinct patterns: problems, dilemmas and paradoxes. The results gave insight of the nature of these difficulties, the implications which these might have on the managers, their staff and the delivery of service, and the discussed remedies. Taken together the results raises new questions about municipal managers’ abilities and possibilities to handle ideals and requirements which are difficult to consoli-date particularly in times or resource scarcity. Is it possible to be an at the same time caring and efficient manager? How can mangers’ options to handle the complexity of modern welfare organisations be strengthened?}},
  author       = {{Österlind, Marie-Louise}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7473-451-5}},
  keywords     = {{Social care; leadership; role; worksituation; dilemmas; constructivist; phenomenology}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  publisher    = {{Lunds universitet, Institutionen för psykologi}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Att gestalta och omgestalta sitt ledarskap : Verksamhetsnära chefer inom kommunal omsorgsverksamhet reflekterar över chefsroll och arbetets innehåll}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5590052/3459337.pdf}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}