The Covid-19 pandemic broadly affected the world together with the phenomena of digitalization, which quickly accelerated during the pandemic. This led to people working more from home (also called WFH or telework) or in a hybrid mix, which has workers reporting different opinions on the preferences for working at home or the office (Alexander et al., 2020). This change meant that managers and companies needed to rethink the structure of the organization and the effect of WFH or hybrid work form, to fit the preferences of the personnel and its productivity. Previous research shows that household characteristics have a significant impact on workplace preference. As Hill et al. (2003) reported that there were blurred lines between work and home life when working from home. The main purpose of this study was to find the factors that lead employees to prefer working from home or the office. This was done through the research question ”What are the factors which lead people to prefer working from home or at the office,  and how do these factors differ between Generation X and millennials?”. This study was done with a deductive approach for the qualitative research and consists of a cross-sectional design with a restrictive time frame. Interviews were conducted with ten participants, including five participants from the generation of millennials born between 1981-1996 and the other five from Generation X born between 1965-1980 (Kagan, 2021). These interviews were semi-structured, followed by a thematic analysis method to analyze the collected qualitative primary data The coded data were analyzed relating to the research question. However, this study was conducted with participants from Svealand, Sweden and it can be disputed whether this sample is large enough and whether this region can represent the whole of Sweden.   Further, the results of this study found that the main factors behind workplace preference, common to both generations, were the organizational factor and job characteristics which includes the support from the organizations in form of equipment, training, digital tools together with the nature of the tasks and the possibility to do them at home. This is significant since earlier research predominately discusses household characteristics and accommodating working-home life balance, which was a weak factor in this study.

In the light of a post-pandemic world, the concept of hybrid work environments has become significantly more important since the way of working has changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Not being dependent upon a set office spot to conduct one´s work-related tasks has created both positive and negative consequences for both the individuals and the organizations. In conjunctions with the increased importance of hybrid workplaces, we have seen an improved academic attention towards the area since scholars claim that the hybrid way of working is the future. Even though there has been an abundance of research conducted investigating the post-pandemic hybrid work environments, this thesis contributes to an area that according to us have been sparsely investigated through focusing on the effects on remote and/or hybrid workplaces and its employees due to the abruptness of the Covid-19 pandemic through the following research question:  “How has the abruptness of the Covid-19 pandemic affected remote and/or hybrid workplaces and employees?”  The research purpose of this study is to investigate how the abruptness of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected hybrid and/or remote workplace solutions and its employees. We deem to broaden the existing research whilst concurrently develop new theoretical knowledge and expand the overall understanding of the investigated area. The purpose of this study was fulfilled through conducting a qualitative study with seven semi-structured interviews with people that have worked within the same organization before, during, and after the pandemic to obtain their own personal experience regarding the effects of the implementation of hybrid work environments. Through applying a qualitative thematic analysis, the empirical findings were categorized into three overarching themes with following sub-themes that were identified as adequate and relevant to highlight.  The result of this thesis indicates that the abruptness of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the organizations and the employees in both a positive and negative way since the changes were perceived to be needed and appreciated but at the same time implemented in an abrupt fashion which worked as an epiphanic force for several cultural and psychosocial related issues for the employees. Lastly, our findings indicates that there is a need for further research within the investigated area to hopefully facilitate and aid the future organizations, managers, and employees who are planning of or are currently in the process of implementing hybrid work environments.

Sammanfattning Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi III, Organisation 15 hp, 2FE74E, Ekonomihögskolan Linnéuniversitetet i Kalmar, VT 2022.  Författare: Elisabeth Nilsson, Ellen Sagerström & Lina Matzewska Handledare: Annika SchillingExaminator: Mikael LundgrenTitel: Ledarskapets anpassning vid hybridarbete - En kvalitativ studie om ledarskap vid kombinerat arbete på plats och distans ur ett chefsperspektiv  Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att beskriva och förklara hur chefer anpassar sitt ledarskap vid ett kombinerat arbete på plats och distans, ett så kallat hybridarbete. Samt vilka förutsättningar som kan göra anpassningen framgångsrik.  Metod: En studie som beskriver ledarskapets anpassning ur ett chefsperspektiv genomförd med en induktiv forskningsansats. Datainsamlingen har skett genom en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi med semistrukturerade intervjuer där nio chefer från sex organisationer har varit delaktiga.  Slutsats: Studien har visat att chefer anpassar sitt ledarskap vid hybridarbete genom: ledarskap under ökad frihet & ett större förtroende, ett mer observerande ledarskap, tydligare mål, visioner & förväntningar, en ökad tillgänglighet, ett öppnare sinne till förändring samt upprätthållning av relationen mellan chef och medarbetare. Följt av förutsättningar som kan göra anpassningen framgångsrik: fungerande teknologi, digitala arbetsverktyg, ett lättillgängligt informationsforum, en allt mer planerad kommunikation och att integrera virtuellt för att upprätthålla relationen mellan chef och medarbetare.  Nyckelord: ledarskap, anpassningar, förutsättningar, hybridarbete, chefsperspektiv. / Abstract Bachelor Thesis Business Administration III, Organization 15 hp, 2FE74E, School of Economics Linnaeus University in Kalmar, Spring 2022.  Authors: Elisabeth Nilsson, Ellen Sagerström & Lina Matzewska Advisor: Annika SchillingExaminator: Mikael LundgrenTitle: Leadership's adaptation at hybrid work - A qualitative study on leadership in combined work at physical workplace and remotely from a managerial perspective  Purpose: The aim of the thesis is to describe and explain how managers adapt their leadership in a combined work at physical workplace and remotely, a hybrid work. As well as which conditions that can make the adaptation successful.  Method: A study describing the adaptation of leadership from a managerial perspective conducted with an inductive research approach. The data collection has been done through a qualitative research strategy with semi-structured interviews in which nine managers from six organizations have participated.  Conclusion: The study has shown that managers adapt their leadership in hybrid work through: leadership under increased freedom & major trust, more observant leadership, clearer goals, visions & expectations, increased availability, open minded for change and maintaining the relationship between manager and employee. Followed by conditions that can make the adaptation successful which are: functional technology, digital work tools, an easily accessible information forum, an increasingly planned communication and to integrate virtually for the purpose of maintaining the relationship between manager and employee.  Keywords: leadership, adaptations, conditions, hybrid work, managerial perspective.

Purpose - This study aims to identify how remote work may negatively influence the innovative climate, and how organizations can overcome the identified challenges. In doing so, we present challenges of remote work and solutions of how organizations, leaders, and employees can manage the challenges.  Method – The analysis was based on 18 interviews with industry experts and employees at the case study company, as well as secondary data regarding best practices. We combined and analyzed all data by thematic analysis. Findings - We identified 12 challenges with remote work that negatively influences the innovative climate within four areas: communication, collaboration, resources, and leadership. We have also mapped out 14 solutions to overcome those identified challenges.  Theoretical contribution - Remote work has been investigated several times but the connection to the innovative climate has not earlier been established. Thus, in this study, we bridge the gap between the challenges of remote work and the innovative climate at organizations. Additionally, independent of the COVID-19 pandemic, we contribute with findings on how remote work may negatively influence the innovative climate in organizations, how organizations can overcome these challenges, and how an innovative climate can be fostered remotely. Practical implications - We show how remote work negatively influences the innovative climate at organizations and what leaders, employees, and organizations could do to overcome these challenges and foster innovation despite working remotely. See appendix 4, 5, 7, and 8 for practical guidelines that describe what four different stakeholders (leaders, employees, organizations, and meeting moderators) can do, and appendix 6 for a suggested etiquette for remote meetings. Limitations of the study - We collected most of the data through one company in the high technology industry focused on gathering qualitative findings. Thus, our findings might be limited in terms of generalizability. Therefore, validation of our findings in other industries would be interesting for future research. / Syfte - Studiens syfte var att identifiera hur distansarbete negativt kan påverka det innovativa klimatet hos organisationer och hur dessa utmaningar kan övervinnas. För att uppnå det presenterade vi utmaningar med distansarbete samt lösningar på hur organisationer, ledare, mötesmoderatorer och anställda kan hantera utmaningarna. Metod – Analysen baserades på 18 intervjuer med branschexperter och anställda vid fallstudieföretaget, samt sekundära data om bästa praxis. All data analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Resultat - Vi identifierade 12 utmaningar med distansarbete som negativt påverkar det innovativa klimatet inom fyra områden: kommunikation, samarbete, resurser och ledarskap. Vidare har vi kartlagt 14 lösningar för att övervinna de identifierade utmaningarna. Teoretiskt bidrag - Distansarbete har undersökts flera gånger men kopplingen till det innovativa klimatet har inte fastställts tidigare. I denna studie överbryggar vi klyftan mellan utmaningarna med distansarbete och det innovativa klimatet i organisationer. Dessutom, oberoende av COVID-19-pandemin, bidrar vi med kunskap om hur distansarbete kan påverka det innovativa klimatet hos organisationer negativt, hur organisationer kan övervinna dessa utmaningar och hur ett innovativt klimat kan främjas på distans. Praktiska implikationer - Vi visar hur distansarbete negativt påverkar det innovativa klimatet i organisationer och vad ledare, anställda och organisationer kan göra för att övervinna dessa utmaningar och främja innovation trots att de arbetar på distans. Se bilaga 4, 5, 7 och 8 för praktiska riktlinjer som beskriver vad fyra olika roller (ledare, anställda, organisationer och mötesmoderatorer) kan göra, och bilaga 6 för ett förslag på en etikett för distansmöten. Studiens begränsningar - Majoriteten av studiens kvalitativa data samlades in från ett företag och därför kan våra resultat vara begränsade avseende generaliserbarhet. Validering av våra resultat i andra branscher skulle därför vara aktuellt för framtida studier.

Sales is one of the oldest professions and is still a vital part of any business. It keeps evolving because of digitalization and from the impact of covid-19. The covid-19 outbreak has had tremendous influence on multiple levels in organizations and for business all over the world. Consequently, there is also an opportunity in a crisis. Furthermore, the firms have rapidly picked themselves up and continue pursuing for survival. Today, management has started restructuring their business models and including hybrid work models for their employees. In this study, the authors will investigate how this old profession is functioning in a modern and evolving business environment. Digitalization has accelerated at an alarming rate during the pandemic. It benefits and challenges many professions on a daily basis, including the B2B sales process.

Datum: 2022-05-30 Nivå: Magisteruppsats Företagsekonomi, 15 hp Akademi: Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, Mälardalens Universitet Författare: Sofie Eriksson (94/04/20)  Frida Tjärnström (96/03/05) Titel: Medarbetares förändrade självständighet och möjlighet till beslutfattande vid hybridarbete - En fallstudie med mixad metod om hur självständigheten och möjligheten till beslutsfattande hos individer inom organisationers försäljningsfunktion förändras vid skiftet till hybridarbete Handledare: Magnus Linderström Nyckelord: Organisationsförändring, hybridarbete, beslutsfattande och självständighet Forskningsfråga: Hur upplever chefer och medarbetare att medarbetares självständighet och möjlighet till beslutsfattande förändrats vid skiftet till hybridarbete? Syfte: Syftet med denna fallstudie genom organisationers försäljningsfunktion var att få en djupare förståelse för den organisationsförändring som skett vid övergång till hybridarbete. Detta med ett fokus ur ett självständighets- och beslutsperspektiv på individnivå. Metod: Studien använder en fallstudiemetodik med mixad metod. Till det empiriska materialet genomfördes fem intervjuer med fem olika försäljningschefer och sedan har en enkät skickats ut till dessas medarbetare. Resultatet analyserades sedan genom en tematisk analys. Slutsats: Det framkom flera faktorer som påverkar medarbetarnas självständighet och möjlighet till beslutfattande, bland annat kommunikation, chefens påverkan och att alla var införstådda i det som hände inom organisationen. Vidare konstaterades det att cheferna ansåg att medarbetarna blivit mer självständiga vilket medarbetarna själva delvis höll med om. Det fanns däremot en gemensam upplevelse att medarbetarnas beslutsfattande ökat. / Date: 2022-05-30  Level: Master thesis in Business Administration, 15 cr. Institution: School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen                      University  Authors: Sofie Eriksson (94/04/20) Frida Tjärnström (96/03/05) Title: Employees' changed independence and opportunity for decision-making in hybrid work - A case study with a mixed method on how the independence and opportunity for decision-making in individuals within organizations' sales function changes when switching to hybrid work Supervisor: Magnus Linderström  Keywords:Organizational change, hybrid work, decision-making and                            independence Research questions:How is the employees' independence and opportunity for decision    making impacted by the shift towards hybrid work, according to managers and their employees? Purpose: The purpose of this case study through organizations' sales function was to gain a deeper understanding of the organizational change that took place during the transition to hybrid work. This with a focus from an independence and decision-making perspective at the individual level. Method: The study uses a case study methodology with a mixed method. In          addition to the empirical material, five interviews were conducted with five different sales managers and then a questionnaire was sent out to their employees. The result was then analyzed through a thematic analysis. Conclusion: Several factors emerged that affect employees' independence and            ability to make decisions, including communication, the manager's influence and that everyone understood what was happening within the organization. Furthermore, it could be stated that the managers considered that the employees had become more independent, which the employees themselves partly agreed with.There was, however, a common experience that employees' decision-making increased.

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 generated challenges for both employers andemployees over a broad spectrum of industries. People were recommended to observe socialdistancing and lockdowns and/or curfews for non-essential businesses were implemented. Thisglobal situation catalyzed process innovation and a transition from traditional work settings,specifically on-site work, to a remote work setting where employees use online communicationrequiring homes with computers and high-speed internet. Purpose: This thesis explores how work settings changed due to the pandemic, how differentwork settings affect work-related collaborations which is a cornerstone in the innovationprocess, but also to investigate differences amongst personality traits in various work settings. Methodology: The research presented herein is based on a quantitative survey of 156respondents from a multitude of industries including several countries. The survey wasdesigned using the Likert scale to capture how respondents perceived various aspects ofcollaboration before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to respondent’sperceptions, relevant demographic information was collected. The survey results were analyzedusing descriptive statistics, CFA, SEM analysis, and statistical tests. Results and Analysis: Differences between work settings were found regarding certain aspectsof collaboration. The most notable was that informal collaboration was limited when workingfrom home. The most important aspects of collaboration are to be able to trust collaborativepartners and feel mutual respect. Conclusions: Employers need to develop digital communication tools and collaborationpractices when adopting a hybrid workplace. Informal interactions are an important aspect ofcollaboration, and these interactions are limited when working from home. Management needsto nurture an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect for successful collaboration. Recommendations for future research: Studies are recommended to focus on a specificindustry or any other demographic aspect. A more diversified sample would enable explorationof how work settings affect individuals possessing different personality traits.

Till följd av den pandemi som covid-19 orsakade ställde många arbetsplatser om till distansarbete på grund av de råd och rekommendationer om hemarbete. Nu, i en tid efter pandemin, alternerar många mellan arbete hemifrån och på arbetsplatsen, så kallat hybridarbete. Detta ställer nya krav på arbetstagare, men framför allt på chefer. Syftet med denna studie är således att få en fördjupad förståelse för chefers upplevelser av att leda arbetstagare på den hybrida arbetsplatsen. För att uppfylla syftet bearbetades följande forskningsfrågor fram; ”hur ser cheferna på hybridledarskap jämfört med ledarskap enbart på distans och enbart på plats?” och ”hur upplever cheferna ledarskapsprocessen kopplat till den sociala arbetsmiljön?”. Studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats och sju semistrukturerade intervjuer har tillämpats som insamlingsmetod. Det insamlade materialet har analyserats utifrån det teoretiska ramverket som består av situationsanpassat ledarskap, tillitsbaserad styrning och ledning samt social arbetsmiljö.  Resultatet visar att cheferna inom de två studerade organisationerna upplever att det är enkelt att leda arbetstagarna på den hybrida arbetsplatsen. Det framkommer att detta tycks bero på att de är vana vid att leda enbart på distans och att det har lett till en ökad tillit som är till fördel under det rådande hybridarbetet. Vidare tycks även hybridarbetet möjliggöra bättre individanpassning, där cheferna kan erbjuda en högre grad av flexibilitet än någonsin tidigare. Resultatet påvisar också att den fysiska arbetsplatsen är av stor betydelse för den sociala arbetsmiljön samt att det finns några utmaningar med hybridledarskapet som bör uppmärksammas.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att kartlägga de effekter som medarbetare upplever vid hybridarbete. Metod: En kvalitativ studie som behandlar fenomenet hybridarbete. Fenomenet behandlas med en induktiv ansats i en fallstudie, där datainsamlingen skett genom ostrukturerade intervjuer.  Slutsats: Hybridarbete, kan vara en effektiv lösning för att spara tid och öka flexibiliteten för medarbetare. Arbetsformen har dock inte varit effektlös bland medarbetarna utan har inneburit flera utmaningar men även möjligheter. Vi har kartlagt olika effekter som hybridarbete har på medarbetare. Effekterna är; work life balance, ledarskap, gemenskap, digitala kunskaper och tidssparande. Resultatet som presenteras baseras på tidigare forskning, empiriska studier och teoretiska ramverk som appliceras på den insamlade datan.

This is a qualitative study, and the purpose is to investigate whether hybrid work is a successful way of working in matters of conflict, leadership, and control. The two questions that form the basis of the analysis are I: What does hybrid work mean and how does this affect employees in practice? And II: What impact does hybrid work have on leadership? The essay was written on behalf of and in collaboration with a Swedish government authority. The purpose of the essay has been developed in collaboration with the authority. Semi-structured interviews have been the main approach to data collection. The interviews took place at the relevant authority with both employees and managers. Thematic analysis based on Braune and Clark’s six steps (2006) has been carried out to analyze the data and to produce the results on which the study is based. The main results that emerged are that hybrid work based on several factors entails both advantages and disadvantages. Some of the results that emerged were that change in leadership is central to hybrid work and that it requires more from managers to adapt to this. There have also been results about loss of control for both managers and employees, as well as both a positive and negative impact on mood due to hybrid work.