Tidigare forskning har visat att det finns mellanchefer som anser att deras arbetsrelaterade stress är relaterad till krav från både över- och underordnade (Skagert, Dellve, Eklöf, Ljung, Pousette & Ahlborg, 2004). Syftet med den föreliggande studien var att i en offentlig organisation undersöka om mellanchefers upplevda arbetskrav från över- och underordnade har samband med deras upplevda arbetsrelaterade stressnivå. Följande frågeställning formulerades: I vilken grad kan upplevda arbetskrav från överordnade, underordnade, ålder och antal år som mellanchef predicera grad av upplevd arbetsrelaterad stress. Deltagarna i studien var 63 mellanchefer, varav 52 kvinnor och 11 män. Resultatet visade att upplevda arbetskrav från underordnade var den enda oberoende variabeln som statistiskt signifikant predicerade uplevd arbetsrelaterad stress. Antal år som mellanchef hade en negativ statistiskt signifikant korrelation med upplevd arbetsrelaterad stress. Dessa resultat var delvis i linje med presenterad teori och tidigare forskning. / Previous research has shown that middle managers believe that their work-related stress is connected to the demands from both superiors and subordinates (Skagert, Dellve, Eklöf, Heather, Pousette & Ahlborg, 2004). The aim of the present study was to in a public organization investigate whether the middle managers perceived job demands from superiors and subordinates are related to their perceived work-related stress level. The following research question was formulated: To what extent can the perceived job demands from superiors, subordinates, age and number of years as middle manager predict levels of perceived work-related stress. Participants in the study consisted of 63 middle managers (52 women and 11 men). The results showed that perceived job demands from subordinates were the only independent variable that statistically significantly predicted perceived work-related stress. Number of years as middle manager had a negative statistically significant correlation with perceived work-related stress. These results were partially in line with the presented theory and previous research.

Before the publication of the short story collection Skolbagateller medan jag försökte skriva till min överordnade in 1972, Torgny Lindgren's authorship was characterized mainly by political criticism and satire. In both reception and later studies, Skolbagateller has also been seen mainly as a political and satirical work, depicting the bureaucracy and loneliness in the Swedish school system of the 1970s, while Lindgren's later works tend to discuss existentialistic and theological questions. While reading the earlier published theses about Lindgren's works, especially Ingela Pehrson's Livsmodet i skrönans värld from 1993, I realized how big of an influence Kierkegaard had been to the author. With this in mind, it seemed as if Skolbagateller depicts existential questions that go deeper than the political satire. The main issue of this essay is the lack of interpersonal contact that Skolbagateller depicts, and why this seems to be so closely connected to the school system. The short story collection is studied from an existential point of view, based on Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety. The concept of sin is examined by a comparison between the secular system on which Lindgren's school is based, and the Christian system in which Kierkegaard founded his existentialism. The prose of the short stories is examined with the help of literary theory, such as James Joyce's concept of epiphany, and Roman Jakobson's view on the metonymically constructed language of the realistic prose, and the metaphorically structured language of lyrical works. The analysis shows that the school in Skolbagateller is metonymically connected to the secular society, and by extension to the mere concept of society. The secular ideas the school teaches prohibit the individual and spiritual development of the persons that are part of the school system and the socially evaluated concept of sin causes anxiety. The secular ideals of stability and uniformity leads to a worldview where humans are seen as mere physical and rational beings, leading to a socially constructed determinism where change is impossible. The theme is depicted by metonymically written repetitions and "reader epiphanies", that are accomplished by allegorical stories. In these, the characters are confronted with a problem that makes them doubt the school system, but in the end, they still choose to accept the rules without further reflection.

Background: The traditional view of leadership focuses on the role and responsibilities of the superior. This becomes problematic as sustainable leadership should focus on a shared process. Furthermore, the focus is often on economic sustainability before ecological and social sustainability. Over time, however, the focus has shifted more to the leadership process where both superiors and subordinates are in focus and where a holistic perspective of all three dimensions of sustainability has become important. However, the knowledge of bottom- up influence needs to be developed to gain a further understanding of the subject in its whole. This study is a further step towards this changed focus and contributes to a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of influence. Research question: How do subordinates influence superiors in a sustainability context from a superior and subordinate perspective? Aim: The aim is to describe the bottom-up impact that exists within a sustainability context from a superior and subordinate perspective. Method: To answer the research question, an inductive research approach and qualitative method have been used. A comparative case study of a collective case of three superiors and a collective case of six subordinates has been conducted. The empirical data has been collected through qualitative interviews. Conclusions: The conclusions that this study arrives at are shown in model 4.3 where we get a description of how “leadership with a focus on sustainability” can be achieved. Furthermore, model 4.3 creates an understanding of how superiors can open up for a bottom-up influence and how subordinates can make it possible to be able to influence. Above all, through the relationship between superiors and subordinates, but also based on subordinates' knowledge, the possibility of a bottom-up influence is created. The study shows the importance of the interaction between superiors and subordinates and serves as a complement to previous research on leadership, influence and sustainability. / Bakgrund: Den traditionella synen på ledarskap fokuserar på den överordnades roll och ansvar. Detta blir problematiskt då hållbart ledarskap bör fokusera på en delad process. Vidare ligger fokusen ofta kring en ekonomisk hållbarhet före en ekologisk och social hållbarhet. Med tiden har fokusen dock gått över mer till ledarskapsprocessen där både överordnade och underordnade är i fokus och där ett helhetsperspektiv av alla tre dimensioner av hållbarhet har blivit viktigt. Emellertid behöver kunskapen om nedifrån-upp påverkan utvecklas för att få en förståelse för helheten. Denna studie är ett ytterligare steg mot denna ändrade fokus och bidrar till en djupare förståelse av fenomenet påverkan. Forskningsfråga: Hur påverkar underordnade överordnade inom en hållbarhetskontext utifrån ett överordnad och underordnad perspektiv? Syfte: Syftet är att beskriva den nedifrån-upp påverkan som finns inom en hållbarhetskontext utifrån ett överordnad och underordnad perspektiv. Metod: För att besvara forskningsfrågan har en induktiv forskningsansats och kvalitativ metod använts. En komparativ fallstudie av ett kollektivt fall av tre överordnade och ett kollektivt fall av sex underordnade har genomförts. Empirin kopplat till fallen har insamlats genom kvalitativa intervjuer. Slutsatser: Slutsatserna som denna studie kommer fram till visas i modell 4.3 där vi får en beskrivning av hur “ledarskap med fokus på hållbarhet” kan uppnås. Vidare skapar modell 4.3 en förståelse för hur överordnade kan öppna upp för en nedifrån-upp påverkan och hur underordnade kan möjliggöra för att kunna påverka. Genom framför allt relationen mellan överordnade och underordnade men även utifrån underordnades kunskap så skapas möjligheten för en nedifrån-upp påverkan. Studien visar vikten av samspelet mellan överordnade och underordnade och fungerar som ett komplement till tidigare forskning av ledarskap, påverkan och hållbarhet.