Background and problem: Earlier research within the change management field suggests that implementation of new projects have a high rate of failure. This is problematic considering that successful implementation of projects correlates well with an organization's long term survivability. The lack of consensus among academics regarding which are the crucial factors for successful change management have inspired the authors to study this phenomenon further. Purpose: The aim of the study is to define underlying success factors and improvement potentials within change management projects with a high staff impact. Method: A qualitative case study has been the method of choice to answer the research questions. To gather empirical evidence, nine middle managers at Systembolaget AB were interviewed. The interviews were constructed in a semi-structured way. Conclusion: One of the most prominent findings in this study is the importance of having a dedicated management and senior managers during the whole change management process. Their ability to communicate a clear goal is crucial for, in our case, store managers to steer their businesses in a united direction.

Denna studie syftar till att undersöka vilka kommunikationsstrategier som chefer använder sig av för att kommunicera förändringar samt hur väl dessa kommunikationsstrategier fungerar. Tidigare forskning har visat att effektiv kommunikation är en avgörande faktor för att lyckas med organisatoriska förändringar. Trots detta saknas det ofta en förståelse av hur kommunikationen ska anpassas och användas i olika sammanhang för att skapa en framgångsrik förändring. Därför har denna studie genomförts för att fylla denna kunskapslucka och bidra till en ökad förståelse för hur olika kommunikationsstrategier används vid förändringsledning, samt hur väl dessa kommunikationsstrategier fungerar. Den teoretiska referensramen som har använts är organisatorisk förändringsledning för att vidhålla teoretiska antaganden om förändringar inom organisationer och hur dessa kommuniceras. För att analysera resultatet har Lewins förändringsmodell samt Shannon och Weavers kommunikationsmodell använts för att koppla samman förändringsledning och kommunikation. Studien är kvalitativ och har genomförts på en textilfabrik i Thailand. Urvalet av denna fabrik har gjorts eftersom fabriken precis gått igenom en radikal förändring i form av en flytt. Materialinsamlingen bestod av ostrukturerade och deltagande observationer, ostrukturerade och semistrukturerade intervjuer med chefer, avdelningsansvariga och arbetsledare. Resultatet visar att organisationen använde fyra kommunikationsstrategier under förändringen; anslagstavlor, teammöten, förslagslåda och personliga möten, samt att dessa kommunikationsstrategier har använts under olika förändringsfaser. Vidare visar resultatet att de olika kommunikationsstrategierna fungerar olika väl då personliga möten var den strategi som hade minst brus och föredrogs av arbetsledarna, medan anslagstavlan kan anses vara ineffektiv då den inte används av arbetsledare och avdelningsansvariga. Studien betonar vikten av att använda flera kommunikationskanaler och lyfter fram värdet av personliga möten och kommunikationsstrategin ansikte mot ansikte. Det bidrar till att förbättra förståelsen av hur olika strategier påverkar förändringsprocesser och olika grupper av anställda. Dessutom går studien emot tidigare forskning som menar att det är viktigt att anställda förstår orsakerna bakom en förändring, då resultatet i denna studie visar motsatsen. Därmed bidrar studien till en större förståelse för individuella perspektiv och motivationsfaktorer, samt hur viktigt det är att använda olika kommunikationsstrategier under alla förändringsfaser för att uppnå en framgångsrik förändring. / This study aims to investigate which communication strategies managers use to communicate changes and how well these communication strategies work. Previous research has shown that effective communication is a decisive factor in succeeding with organizational changes. Despite this, there is often a lack of understanding of how communication should be adapted and used in different contexts to create a successful change. Hence, the primary aim of this study is to address this research gap and enhance the comprehension regarding the utilization and effectiveness of various communication strategies in the context of change management. The theoretical framework employed in this study is rooted in organizational change management, which provides a foundation for understanding the dynamics of changes occurring within organizations and their corresponding communication processes. The analysis of the findings has been facilitated by the integration of Lewin's change model and Shannon and Weaver's communication model, allowing for the exploration of the interconnectedness between change management and communication. This qualitative study was conducted at a textile factory located in Thailand. The selection of this particular factory was deliberate, as it had recently undergone a significant transformation in the form of relocation. The data collection for this study involved unstructured and participant observations, as well as unstructured and semi-structured interviews conducted with managers, head of departments, and supervisors. The findings indicate that the organization employed four communication strategies throughout the change process: bulletin boards, team meetings, suggestion boxes, and personal meetings. These strategies were utilized in various stages of the change initiative. Additionally, the results demonstrate that these communication approaches yielded varying levels of effectiveness. Personal meetings emerged as the most successful strategy, characterized by minimal interference and being favored by supervisors. In contrast, the bulletin board strategy can be deemed ineffective, given its lack of utilization by supervisors and department heads. The study emphasizes the importance of utilizing multiple communication channels and highlights the value of in-person meetings and the face-to-face communication strategy. This contributes to enhancing the understanding of how various strategies impact change processes and different groups of employees. Furthermore, the study contradicts previous research suggesting the importance of employees understanding the reasons behind a change, as the results in this study show the opposite. Thus, the study contributes to a greater understanding of individual perspectives and motivational factors, as well as the importance of employing different communication strategies throughout all stages of change to achieve successful outcomes.

Förändringstrycket inom den svenska banksektorn har ökat, sedan informationsteknologins intåg på 70-talet. Traditionella arbetssätt utmanas genom nya krav och förväntningar från kunder och omvärlden, vilket indikerar att kontinuerliga förändringar hänförliga till digitalisering är nödvändigt för fortsatt konkurrenskraft och överlevnad. Denna fallstudie undersöker hur anställda på en storbank upplever och förstår förändring och förändringsledning till följd av digitalisering. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med anställda i olika befattningar för att analysera deras upplevelser utifrån teorin om meningsskapande. Resultatet visar att det råder en gemensam förståelse att förändring är nödvändig, men att det sker långsamt. Anställda upplever att förändringsledning till stor del sker genom självledarskap, samt att kommunikation och information är centralt för att förstå varför förändringar sker. Banken uppmuntrar till delaktighet, men det förekommer otydlighet i ansvarsfördelningen. Tidigare forskning har i stor utsträckning betraktat förändring och förändringsledning i projektform. Med utgångspunkt i att verksamheten befinner sig i en kontinuerlig förändringsprocess utan ett bestämt slutdatum kan det konstateras att förändringsbenägenhet hos anställda är nödvändig. Slutsatsen är att medarbetare skapar mening och förståelse utifrån förväntningar från ledarhåll som uttrycks i självledarskap. Förståelse för förändring skapas i interaktion med andra individer, och  tydligare respons på delaktighet i förändringar bidrar till bättre förståelse för förändring. / The pressure for change within the Swedish banking sector has increased since the emergence of information technology in the 1970s. Traditional work methods are being challenged by new customer demands and expectations, indicating the necessity of continuous digitalization-driven changes for sustained competitiveness and survival. This case study investigates how employees in a bank perceive and comprehend change and change management resulting from digitalization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees in various positions to analyze their experiences through theory of sensemaking. The findings reveal a shared understanding that change is necessary, although occurring slowly. Employees perceive that change management occurs through self-leadership, and effective communication and information are crucial for comprehending the rationale behind the changes. The bank encourages employee participation, but there are instances of ambiguity in terms of responsibility. Previous research has predominantly focused on change and change management within the context of projects. Considering the business's continuous change process, it can be concluded that employee change propensity is essential. The study concludes that employees derive meaning and understanding based on leadership expectations, which are expressed through self-leadership. Understanding of change is fostered through interactions with others, and a more explicit response to participation in change initiatives contributes to a better understanding of the changes.

Mångfald är ett begrepp som diskuteras i många olika sammanhang idag. Olika organisationer arbetar på olika sätt för att öka mångfalden så att organisationen kan återspegla samhällets sammansättning och utnyttja de olika fördelar som mångfalden kan bidra med. Detta gäller inte minst samhälleliga funktioner som räddningstjänst och brandkår. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur brandmännen vid två olika räddningstjänster uppfattar arbetet med mångfald inom sina respektive organisationer och om det finns några likheter och skillnader dem emellan. Vidare belyses möjligheter och utmaningar i arbetet med mångfald. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ metodansats och semistrukturerade intervjuer med tre respondenter vid respektive organisation. Urvalet begränsades till brandmän. Resultatet, som analyseras på makro-, meso- och mikronivå utifrån teorier om intersektionalitet, förändringsarbete i organisationer och strukturell funktionell rollteori, visar att brandmännen har en positiv inställning till mångfaldsarbetet, men att det finns mycket kvar att göra. Det fanns både skillnader och likheter mellan organisationerna, som bland annat kan härledas till faktorer som ort och respondenternas sammansättning. Förhoppningen är att studien ska bidra med underlag för vidare analyser och arbete med mångfald inom räddningstjänsten. / The concept of diversity is widely discussed in many arenas today. Different organizations work in different ways to increase diversity in order to reflect the composition of society and leverage the many benefits that diversity can contribute with. This is also true for social functions like emergency services and fire services. Our study aims to examine how firefighters within two different emergency services experience the work in diversity within their respective organizations and find out if there are any similarities and differences between them. Furthermore, we look at possibilities and challenges regarding diversity work. The study has been performed with a qualitative research approach and semi structured interviews with three respondents from each organization. The selection was limited to firefighters. The results, which are analyzed on a macro-, meso- and micro level with the aid of theories on intersectionality, change management in organizations and structural-functional theory, show that the firefighters have a positive view on diversity work, but that there is still much work to do. There were both differences and similarities between the organizations, partly because of where the organizations are situated and the composition of the respondents. Our hope is that our study will contribute with a base for further analysis and work with diversity within the emergency services.

In the mid-1990s, the European Union started to implement a union-wide,standardised signalling system, called European Rail Traffic Management System(ERTMS). This thesis has been developed alongside and targeted for a developmentproject such as the ERTMS system. The Comité Européen de NormalisationElectrotechnique (CENELEC) standards have been adopted by various transportauthorities to support and guide the safety processes of the signalling systems’development and design. These standards split the development of the products inthree levels: Generic Product (GP), Generic Application (GA) and Specific Application(SA). As a result of this development split, the errors encountered during the laterstages of development often experience an undesired and extended turnaround timebefore they are rectified. The aim of this thesis has been to determine reasons for thishigh turnaround time at Alstom and to propose corrective measures that could increasethe efficiency of the NCR management process adopted by the company. Data, from non-conformity reports (NCRs), has been analysed to obtain keyperformance indicators (KPIs) which have been discussed with employees whowork closely with the system and processes. The results from the data analysisand interviews have revealed issues in the NCR management process, the NCRmanagement system tool and input from the customer’s side. The results from thisresearch indicate that knowledge obtained from the fields of requirements engineering,software development life-cycle models (SDLC) and process-optimisation could beused without extensive additional effort to reduce the turnaround time in rectifyingerrors and optimise the process.

Det föränderliga samhället har lett till att organisationer präglas av flexibilitet och oförutsägbarhet. Det har lett till ett förändringstryck, där förändring har blivit det nya normaltillståndet för organisationer. Behovet av en lyckad förändringsledning har aldrig varit större. För att tackla denna föränderlighet krävs det att organisationer framgångsrikt implementerar strategier och metoder för effektiv förändring och skapa organisatoriska förutsättningar för chefer att leda ett förändringsarbete. Eftersom mellanchefer visar sig ha stor betydelse för medarbetares engagemang och syn på förändring, är deras roll viktig i arbetet med förändring. Syftet med studien var att, ur ett chefsperspektiv, undersöka och analysera Norrpilens organisatoriska förutsättningar avseende motivation, delaktighet, kommunikation och information samt trygghet för ett strategiskt förändringsarbete. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer har problemområdet undersökts i syfte att skapa en djupare förståelse om chefernas upplevelser att leda ett förändringsarbete. Av resultatet framkom att kommunikation, information och delaktighet i relation till varandra är grundförutsättningar för att chefer ska känna sig motiverade och trygga i det strategiska förändringsarbetet. Studien bidrog därmed med kunskap om vilka förutsättningar chefer behöver för att leda ett strategiskt förändringsarbete samt vilka förutsättningar Norrpilen behöver utveckla och skapa till framtida förändringsarbeten.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om medarbetarnas delaktighet i en svensk myndighetsutövande verksamhet ökar acceptansen för förändring. Myndigheten Försäkringskassan är mitt i en pågående förändring och har använts som fall i en fallstudie. Sju semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts, där en av dem har beskrivit fallet vid ett förändringsarbete och i övriga sex intervjuer har respondenterna fått svara på frågor kring delaktighet, förändring och ledarskap vid förändringsarbete med hjälp av en intervjuguide. Resultatet visar att framgångsfaktorer för delaktighet är att skapa en Vi-känsla i gruppen, att känna sig lyssnad på och tillsammans komma fram till ett beslut samt möjligheten att välja i vilken omfattning man vill vara delaktig. Vid förändring är framgångsfaktorerna tydlighet och förståelse om varför en förändring behöver göras samt tidsutrymme för medarbetare att bearbeta förändringen. Till sist visar resultatet att framgångsfaktorer inom ledarskapet är att lyssna på sina medarbetare, ge dem befogenheten att fatta viktiga beslut, lita på att de gör sitt bästa och utöva ett ledarskap där allas olika förutsättningar för förändring accepteras. Det hinder som medarbetare upplever för delaktighet vid förändringsarbetet är att handlingsutrymmet i en myndighetsutövande verksamhet är litet. / The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate if participation in a Swedish authority increase the acceptance in change management. The national authority Försäkringskassan is in the middle of an ongoing change and was selected as the case in a case study. Seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted, one of them to present the case Försäkringskassan and in the other six interviews, the respondents have answered questions about participation, change and leadership in change management with help of an interview-guide. The results show that success factors for participation are to create a feeling of unity in the group, make employees feel listened to and make decisions together, as well as the opportunity to choose to what extend the employee wants to participate in the work of change. The success factors to make employees accept change is clarity and understanding of why a change needs to be done and make time for employees to process the change. Finally, the results show that success factors in leadership are listening to you employees, giving them the authority to make important decisions, put your trust in them to do their best and practice a leadership where everyone’s differences are accepted. The obstacle that employees experience for participation in changes is that the room for action in an authority-executive organization is small.

The Covid-19 global pandemic has challenged traditional models of leadership and change management. In a few months, organisations were forced to transform into working virtually, either partially or wholly. In this context, leadership practices have been crucial to the survival of organisations and their capability to manage that change with minimum interruption and constant productivity. Leadership is a complex social and organisational phenomenon, and this study takes on the novel Leadership-as-practice perspective that understands leadership as an emerging and unfolding process through daily experience and offers an alternative to restrictive traditional competency models. In the era of communications technology, traditional leadership models, remote working, and change management have already been intensively studied. However, little research in the IT management area combines those three topics in the context of a crisis, and leaders were left without clear and researchbased references to guide their efforts during this pandemic. Thus, this study seeks to close that research gap and identify which practices leaders used to strategically and effectively leverage virtual teams to sustain productivity and keep business operational during a global crisis. This study was conducted with a case study research strategy, and data were collected from eleven semistructured interviews with leaders from different levels and organisations across Europe and North America. The chosen data analysis method was grounded theory to ensure findings were grounded in data, along with thematic analysis and constant comparative analysis. Results revealed three categories of practices were central to managing the change to virtual collaboration during the Covid-19 pandemic: Intentional and frequent communications, adaptability, and people-centric focus. Previous research indicates these were not common to other crises, and their absence might have led to destructive leadership behaviours during the pandemic context. These results are coherent with the recent rise of the transformational leadership current and its emphasis on human values in business contexts. From a research perspective, this study fills the gap in extant research and contributes to the growing body of literature using the Leadership-as-practice perspective. From a business perspective, these practices offer leaders a simple framework to guide their change efforts and might imply a need to rethink the manager-team member relationship and responsibilities. Similarly, they might point towards a greater responsibility for organisations to address remote working and secure employee well-being during crises.

There is a dual accountability accepted by top executives of large multi-business firms (MBFs) to both consistently deliver performance in the short term and cultivate scalable opportunities for future growth, which requires that they be able to implement both evolutionary and revolutionary change. Researchers have defined this capability as organizational ambidexterity (OA) and deemed it a crucial requirement for every organization. Literature in the field of organizational ambidexterity (OA) describes the need to simultaneously orchestrate attention and activities along two dimensions of ambidexterity: exploitation and exploration. This dissertation peels back the layers in MBFs to generate a deeper understanding of OA in the MBF, by answering three research questions, using a mixed method approach-qualitative study followed by quantitative study: (1) What is an appropriate specification of OA in an MBF? (2) Are there differences in exploration and exploitation across the three levels within the MBF? and (3) Is there a relationship between exploration and exploitation and MBF performance at each of the three levels within the MBF? Qualitative Study 1 was conducted in December 2017, to investigate and confirm the appropriateness of the three-level operationalization of OA in MBFs. The data comprised eleven semi-structured interviews with senior executives that serve or have served as independent board directors (IBDs), chief executive officers (CEOs) or business unit general managers (BUGMs). The executives were able to articulate the existence of and differences in exploitation and exploration roles and activities at each of the three levels. Study 2 was conducted during June 2018, designed to test five sets of hypotheses. The study used a qualified panel of senior executives to generate a representative sample of respondents in each of three roles: IBDs, CEOs, and BUGMs. Data was collected through an online survey instrument, distributed to the panelists by Qualtrics and Centiment. Completed surveys resulted in a sample of 256 MBFs. Two separate one-way ANOVAs and Tukey post hoc means comparison tests were conducted; the results find significant differences in exploration at the board, corporate and business unit levels. Likewise, findings support statistically significant differences in exploitation at the board, corporate and business unit levels. For the third research question, exploration and exploitation were individually regressed against two measures of MBF performance, using IBM SPSS 25 software. At each of the three levels (board, corporate and business unit), statistically significant relationships were found between at least one of the ambidexterity dimensions and MBF performance, providing partial support of the hypotheses.

Agile has been a methodology practiced with a significant scope, around the globe. The subject has been dealt with globally for some time now, producing a large databank of literature explaining its different tools and techniques, along with its usage. Ironically, the success rates of projects that have implemented Agile have been low, as they tend to face several challenges during the implementation process. The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards change activities and Agile practices. To reach this objective, I will explore and analyse the understanding of the Agile mindset and investigate the potential contribution of positive psychology (AI) to address Agile adoption challenges within organizations and teams. The data collection process includes interviews with eight domain experts from India, Sweden and the Netherlands to essentially get an insight into their understanding and approach towards Agile, Appreciate Inquiry (AI) and Change management practices. The thematic analysis approach has been used to connect the findings with theory and detect themes. By ‘themes’ we mean: why we need Agile; the challenges and solutions for Agile; appreciative inquiry contribution towards Agile; and change as business-as-usual. The interviews and analysis yielded interesting insights; for instance, it showed that the informants often suffered from challenges due to various reasons, like understanding of this ‘unique’ methodology, one’s mindset and lack of leadership support.