With the rapidly increasing pace of developments in the IT industry there is now rising pressure on companies to maintain a high standard of competency in their workforce. As a result, a lot of research has been put into how best to assist in this competence development as well as how ICT technologies can play a part in this endeavour. One platform that is widely used as a communication tool within organizations is Microsoft Teams, with over 270 million users. However, there is little research looking into how Microsoft Teams is used and how this usage supports knowledge sharing within organizations. This case study aimed to fill this gap by providing insight into how Microsoft Teams impacts information availability and knowledge sharing within an IT-consulting firm. Furthermore, the purpose was to look how workers inside the organization experience the integration and use of Teams and its positive and negative aspects. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees within the organization with varying tenures. The results show an overall positive inclination among the employees toward the use of Microsoft Teams, with it improving information availability and arenas for communication. However, the results also indicate that the use of Microsoft Teams causes an overload in information and communication which under certain circumstances can become a distraction. The study contributes insights into the causes of these positive and negatives effects and provides a discussion whether Teams should be considered an Enterprise Social Media Platform in the context of the chosen

Integration of immigrants has become a major focus of the EU policy agenda in recent years with Sweden being one of the first EU countries to address the need for immigrant integration. However, in recent times integration outcomes in Sweden have become unfavourable. Malmö Sweden has a unique context of immigrant integration being Sweden’s third largest city and having the highest percentage of immigrants within Sweden. The city transitioned from being an “industrial” city to a “professional” city in the 1970’s with a large percentage of jobs requiring a college degree. This job gap for workers with “limited skills” led to an employment shortage for immigrants, with a disproportionate impact on women.  This study explores how social sector organizations in Malmö are fostering learning and knowledge sharing through communities of practice (CoP) among immigrant women in Malmö with limited skills in order to integrate into the Swedish system and reach economic & social integration. The study covered four social sector organizations’ program facilitators and participants that participate in communities of practice programs. The study’s primary source of data collection was Semi-structured interviews conducted at four social sector organizations that work with integrating immigrant women in Malmö, Sweden and analyzed through thematic analysis. The learning programs were not publicized as communities of programs. When examined, learning programs at the four social organizations followed the classification of CoPs based on the individual learning program’s domain, community, and practice. Through the analysis of the interviews, the learning programs at the four organizations were uncovered to be “hidden” communities of practice. The study also found a unique municipal-non-profit partnership that existed in every learning program studied, allowing more resources and opportunities to the women within the CoP for better integration. Each woman in the CoP had a Shared Goal or Joint Enterprise of socially, culturally, and economically integrating into Sweden. The "safe space" and average age attracted by the program created mutual engagement or collaboration through relationship building. The shared native language and Swedish language between the women became communal tools or their “shared repertoire” that the women developed and used together to improve their Swedish as well as their professional skills These communal tools enhance the immigrant women’s ability to learn and open opportunities needed to integrate into Sweden such as employment or further education.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Business Intelligence refers to the use of Information Systems to enable raw data to be collated into information that can be reported, with the end goal of using this information to enhance the business decision-making process. Business Intelligence is enabled by making use of information that is complete, relevant, accurate, timely and accessible. There are currently a number of documented perspectives that can be used to gauge the value of Business Intelligence systems; however, from an overall business value perspective the most robust method would be to identify and analyse the most commonly identified factors that impact the value assigned to Business Intelligence Systems by a company, and the correlation of each of these factors to calculate the overall value. The importance of deriving a conceptual model, representing the major factors identified from literature and moderated by the quantitative research conducted, lies in its enabling companies and government bodies to assess the true value addition of Business Intelligence systems, and to understand the return on investment of these systems for organisations. In doing so, companies can justify or reject any further expenditure on Business Intelligence. The quantitative research for this thesis was conducted together with a project that was run between the University of the Western Cape and the Hochschule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The research was conducted simultaneously across organisations in South Africa and Germany on the use of BI Systems and Corporate Performance Management. The respondents for the research were Chief Executive Officers, Chief Information Officers and Business Intelligence Managers in selected organisations. A Direct Oblimin-factor analysis was conducted on the online survey responses. The survey was conducted on a sample of approximately 1500 Business Intelligence specialists across South Africa and Germany; and 113 responses were gathered. The factor analysis reduced the key factors identified in the literature to a few major factors, namely: Information Quality, Management and Accessibility, Information Usage, and Knowledge-sharing Culture. Thereafter, a Structural-Equation-Modelling analysis was completed using the Partial-least-Squares method. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between the factor-Information Quality, Management and Accessibility, and the Value of Business Intelligence. It was found that while there was no strong impact from Information Usage and Culture, there was a strong correlation between Information Usage and Culture and Information Quality, Management and Accessibility The research findings are significant for academic researchers, information technology experts, Business Intelligence specialists and Business Intelligence users. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by bringing together disparate factors that have been identified in academic journals; and assessing the relationship each has on the value of Business Intelligence, as well as the correlations that exist between these factors. From this, the final conceptual model was derived using factors that were identified and tested through the Factor Analysis and the PLS-SEM. The following conclusions can be drawn from the research: (1) The assurance of quality information in the form of complete, accurate, relevant and timeous information that is efficiently managed is the most paramount factor to an organisation deriving value from Business Intelligence systems; (2) information accessibility is key, in order to realise the value of Business Intelligence systems in organisations; and (3) Business Intelligence systems cannot add value to an organisation if a culture of information use and sharing is absent within that organisation. The derived model can be practically implemented as a checklist for organisations to assess Business Intelligence system investments as well as current implementations

Då kunskap ses som företagets viktigaste resurs är förvaltningen av denna avgörande för företagets vinning. Kunskapsdelning blir således vital för att resursen ska spridas inom företaget. Syftet med studien är därmed att studera, your ett medarbetarperspektiv, de organisatoriska faktorerna som anses ha en inverkan på kunskapsdelning. Detta i syfte att öka förståelsen för hur företag kan främja intern kunskapsdelning. Tidigare studier undersöker antingen en stor mängd företag med hjälp av kvantitativa enkäter och bekräftar hypoteser, eller djupintervjuer med ett fåtal företag med sikte att kartlägga någon specifik kunskapsdelningsstrategi. För att studera medarbetares upplevelse av kunskapsdelning och dess påverkansfaktorer, används i denna studie istället en kvalitativ enkät, vilken vänder sig till medarbetare på diverse företag i Sverige. Tematisk analys användes som analysmetod samt social utbytesteori och Swift's modell, som ramverk för att förklara hur medarbetare resonerar när de står inför valet att dela eller hamstra kunskap. Resultatet visar att flera organisatoriska faktorer anses främja kunskapsdelning, såsom företagskultur, kunskapsdelningaktiviteter, omständigheter samt organisatoriska rutiner. Saknas dessa faktorer kan kunskapsdelning komma att hindras. Studien har delvis bekräftat tidigare studier kring organisatoriska faktorer som påverkar kunskapsdelning. Samtidigt har nya fynd gjorts vilket tillför det vetenskapliga forskningsfältet. / Since knowledge is seen as the most important resource a company has, the management of it is vital to the company's profits. Knowledge sharing is therefore crucial so the resource can be spread in the company. The purpose of this study is therefore to study, from an employee perspective, the organizational factors that are considered to have an impact on knowledge sharing. This in order to increase the understanding of how companies can promote internal knowledge sharing. Previous studies either examine a large number of companies with the help of quantitative surveys and confirm hypotheses, or in-depth interviews with a few companies with a view to mapping out a specific knowledge-sharing strategy. In order to study employees’ experience of knowledge sharing and its influencing factors, a qualitative questionnaire is used in this study, which is aimed at employees at various companies in Sweden. Thematic analysis is used as an analysis method as well as social exchange theory,as a framework for explaining how employees reason when faced with the choice to share or hoard knowledge. The results show that several organizational factors are considered to promote knowledge sharing, such as corporate culture, knowledge sharing activities, circumstances and organizational routines. In the absence of these factors, knowledge sharing may be hindered. The study has partially confirmed previous studies on organizational factors that affect knowledge sharing. At the same time, new findings have been made, which adds to the field of scientific research.

This project is a case study conducted at Ericsson where a new type of learning activity has been tested. The reason for conducting this study is that Ericsson together with other companies within the technology field faces a significant challenge to acquire knowledge fast enough to keep up with new trends and technological developments. The main research questions in this study are how the participants experience these learning activities and what the most important factors are for successful learning within this context. Further, it is investigated how these learning activities are affected when they are scaled from one to many locations with interactive video conferencing rooms. Data were collected in a four-month period, and the data consisted of qualitative interviews, observations, questionnaires and impressions perceived during the time spent in Ericsson’s office. Given this collected data, the direction of the study changed during the study’s duration, since new questions arose that needed to be answered. The results indicate that the interaction changes when video conferencing tools are used, the number of interaction decreases; however, there are indications that the quality of content increases. The participants believe that interaction is an essential part of learning, and to create a safe environment for having discussions and for asking questions. Further, motivation and expectations seem to be crucial factors for successful learning activities. The analysis of these results implies that clear information, planning and a high level of structure in the implementation is required for a truly interactive learning environment to exist, in particular, if more than one location is participating. To make it possible for the participants to prior their personal development, it seems to help them to set the right expectations in prior is important. Furthermore, the social aspect regarding relations and the possibility to build personal networks seems to become the ground for motivation and attitude when it comes to participating. In conclusion, the studied activity of interactive learning seems to be a way forward for Ericsson to face technical development and new trends in the market since this is a way of creating awareness and giving a broader perspective. This activity can, with support from the theoretical perspectives, be seen as a starting point for learning, where the process for each continues afterwards. For Ericsson to continue to develop this interactive learning activity, recommendations are given at the end of this report for further improvements. / Detta är en fallstudie genomförd på Ericsson där en ny typ av lärandeaktivitet har undersökts. Anledningen till att dessa tester görs är att Ericsson och andra teknikföretag står inför en stor utmaning att kunna lära sig nya områden i samma takt som nya trender kommer och tekniken utvecklas. Huvudfrågorna i denna studie är hur deltagarna upplever det lärandekoncept som testats, samt vilka framgångsfaktorerna är och vad som händer med interaktionen när konceptet skalas upp med hjälp utav interaktiva videokonferensrum. Datainsamling gjordes löpande under fyra månaders tid och bestod utav kvalitativa intervjuer, observationer, frågeformulär och allmänna observationer och intryck under tidens gång på Ericsson. Utifrån insamlade data ändrades studiens riktning under arbetets gång för att besvara nya frågor som dykt upp. Resultaten visar på att interaktionen förändras när videokonferensverktyg används, och att mängden interaktion minskar men att kvalitén på innehållet i interaktionen kan öka. Deltagarna anser att interaktionen är en viktig del i lärandet, samt att det är ett tryggt klimat för att diskutera och ställa frågor. Motivation och förväntningar anses också vara viktiga faktorer. Analys visar på att det krävs tydlig information, planering och struktur i genomförandet för att ett interaktivt lärandeklimat ska kunna existera, särskilt när flera rum är sammankopplade. För att deltagare ska kunna prioritera sitt lärande tycks förväntningar vara centrala, och det är upp till organisatörerna att hjälpa deltagarna sätta rätt förväntningar. Den sociala aspekten gällande relationer och möjligheten att bygga kontaktnätverk verkar ligga till grund för motivation och attityd vad gäller deltagande. Sammanfattningsvis verkar denna typ av interaktiva lärandeaktiviteter vara ett sätt för Ericsson att möta den tekniska utvecklingen och de nya trender som de har framför sig, då det bidrar till förståelse och ett bredare perspektiv. Dessa aktiviteter kan, med stöd från de teoretiska perspektiven, ses som en startpunkt för lärande där processen hos varje individ fortsätter även efteråt. För att i framtiden fortsätta arbetet med att förbättra dessa lärandeaktiviteter avslutas denna rapport med ett antal rekommendationer för fortsatt utveckling.

Denna studie utforskar återuppträdandet av stickning som en populär aktivitet och den roll som online-plattformar spelar för att stödja och upprätthålla denna trend. Genom intervjuer med stickare och analys av online-gemenskaper för stickning visar studien att stickning har upplevt en återkomst på grund av dess nostalgiska och terapeutiska drag, vilket främjar kreativitet, gemenskap och en känsla av samhörighet. Resultaten visar att livshändelser som graviditet, arbetslöshet och Covid-19-pandemin har fått människor att återuppta sitt engagemang för hobbyn. Onlineplattformar, inklusive YouTube, Instagram och online grupper för stickning, har spelat en avgörande roll genom att erbjuda läromedel, inspiration och möjligheter till interaktion och att dela med sig med andra stickare. Skapare av stickrelaterat innehåll på sociala medier värdesätter sin koppling till stickgemenskapen och bygger ofta sina egna gemenskaper, drivna av kreativitet, prestation och viljan att göra en positiv påverkan. Dessutom visar studien att stickning innehar värden som sträcker sig bortom den digitala världen, såsom att främja en långsammare, analog livsstil samt främjandet av hållbarhet. Även om online-gemenskaper för stickning uppskattas finns det en stark önskan bland stickare att engagera sig i offline-miljöer och söka meningsfulla kopplingar bortom den digitala världen. Denna studie bidrar till vår förståelse för stickning som en social praktik och betonar behovet av ett holistiskt perspektiv som beaktar både online- och offlinegemenskaper för stickning. / This thesis explores the re-emergence of knitting as a popular activity and the role of online platforms in supporting and sustaining this trend. Drawing on interviews with knitters and analysis of online knitting communities, the study reveals that knitting has experienced a resurgence due to its nostalgic and therapeutic appeal, fostering creativity, connection, and a sense of community. The findings demonstrate that life events such as pregnancy, unemployment, and the Covid-19 pandemic have triggered people to re-engage with the hobby. Online platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, and online knitting groups, have played a crucial role in providing learning resources, inspiration, and opportunities for interaction and sharing among knitters. Knitting content creators in social media platforms value their connection with the knitting community and often build their own communities, driven by creativity, accomplishment, and the desire to make a positive impact. Moreover, the study reveals that knitting holds values that extend beyond the online realm, such as promoting a slower, analog way of living and fostering sustainability. While online knitting communities are valued, there is a strong desire among knitters to engage in offline settings and seek meaningful connections beyond the digital realm. This research contributes to our understanding of knitting as a social practice and emphasises the need for a holistic perspective that considers both online and offline knitting communities.

This thesis aims to examine the learning organisation with regard to safety within Stora Enso’s division Packaging Solutions. This aims to identify areas where improvements can be made and provide suggestions on how to achieve this. The study also explores whether an improved learning organisation leads to better safety and productivity. The thesis covers five factories across three countries and involves the conducting of eight interviews with safety managers and production engineers. The data collected is analysed using thematic analysis and triangulated with answers from the operators via an anonymous survey regarding the safety work and with document analysis. The thematic analysis is based on five main components: Personal Mastery, Team Learning, Mental Models, Shared Vision, and System Thinking. Within these, 26 sub-themes that describe Packaging Solutions' learning organisation have been identified and analysed inductively. The analysis reveals the learning organisation of Packaging Solutions' strengths and weaknesses. The main weakness identified is a need for more proactive communication, though there is a strong desire to improve collaboration, a well-established vision, and high competence. To address these issues, recommendations are made to improve knowledge sharing and communication between and inside the mills. The thesis indicates that a strong learning organisation also leads to stronger safety culture, as key aspects of a strong safety culture, such as psychological safety, knowledge sharing, and good leadership, are also important within a learning organisation. Additionally, knowledge sharing and proactivity are essential for productivity, making a strong learning organisation beneficial for both safety and productivity. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur lärande organisationen inom säkerhet ser ut inom divisionen Packaging Solutions på Stora Enso. Detta görs för att hitta utvecklingsområden för att förbättra lärande organisationen och förslag ges på hur detta skulle kunna göras. Därtill görs även kopplingar till om en förbättrad lärande organisation ger bättre säkerhet och om detta påverkar produktiviteten. Arbetet har innefattat fem fabriker i tre länder där åtta intervjuer med säkerhetschefer och produktionsledare har utförts. Data från detta har analyserats med tematisk analys och triangulerats med svar från operatörerna via en anonym enkät gällande säkerhetsarbetet och en dokumentanalys. Den tematiska analysen utgår deduktivt från ett ramverk med fem huvudkomponenter Personligt mästerskap, Teamlärande, Mentala modeller, Gemensam vision och Systemtänkande. Inom dessa har 26 underteman som beskriver Packaging Solutions lärande organisation analyserats fram induktivt vilka visar på styrkor och svagheter där den övergripande svagheten är brist på proaktiv kommunikation medan det finns en stark vilja till förbättrade samarbeten, en väl förankrad vision och hög kompetens. Utifrån dessa ges förslag på förbättringar för att öka kunskapsdelningen och kommunikationen mellan och inom enheterna. Studien visar att en stärkt lärande organisation stärker säkerheten då flera aspekter som definierar en stark säkerhetskultur, psykologisk trygghet, kunskapsdelning och gott ledarskap, alla är viktiga inom en lärande organisation och förbättras när företagsledningen arbetar mot en stärkt sådan. Därtill visar sig kunskapsdelning och proaktivitet vara viktiga byggstenar även inom ramverk som används främst för att stärka produktiviteten och en stärkt lärande organisation förväntas därför inte bara stärka säkerheten men även ha potential att öka produktiviteten.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a rapid and significant change in the work settings of many organizations. Today, many businesses have adopted a hybrid way of working as opposed to returning to the traditional way. Due to this topic being relatively new, there is little research done within the area. Furthermore, knowledge and, by extension, knowledge sharing are two of the most important resources or procedures for an organization to remain long-term competitive. One major factor influencing knowledge sharing is trust, therefore, this study aims to investigate how knowledge sharing and trust within project teams have been impacted by the hybrid context. Further, four aspects of trust, benevolence, competence, openness, and integrity, will also be studied to see how the hybrid context has influenced them. This master’s thesis is based on a case study with an exploratory approach. Qualitative interviews and literature research were conducted, which together form the basis for the analysis and conclusions. It has become evident that the hybrid context has had an impact on all factors considered, in other words, knowledge sharing, trust, and the aspects of trust. One significant finding was that it appears to be difficult and more time-consuming to establish social relationships in the hybrid context, and this has had a negative impact on all variables examined. Despite the negative consequences, the research findings also show that the hybrid context has some positive impacts in regard to benevolence, openness, and integrity. The findings in this master’s thesis contribute to the research by providing further understanding of how the hybrid context has affected knowledge sharing and trust, including its aspects. Practitioners will get valuable insights into trust and knowledge sharing, both of which are critical to the success of teams and organizations. Further, a set of managerial implications are given.

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