The study aim at describing and analysing the practices of and conditions for senior managers in public administration, as well as which similarities and differences are in existence both within and between authorities in this respect. The practices of senior managers are studied in the light of two dimensions, one explicit that comprises the values, ideologies, interests, knowledge and feelings that senior managers express, as well as an executed dimension that encompasses physical activities, what managers do, how the work is executed, where work is done and with whom they work. These dimensions of managerial practices are studied with a special focus on leadership. The aim of this study can also be understood as to describe and analyse pedagogical processes (influence processes as well as learning and development processes) in a senior manager's work. The study has a multiple case study design comprising eight different authorities. Two sub-studies have been performed, one interview study consisting of 31 senior managers and one observation study comprised of six of these managers. The results show that leadership is a well-known concept, that great value is ascribed to it, that there is unanimity on the meaning of leadership as well as this meaning having changed over time. The results in the form of descriptions of managers' work show that there are many similarities between the managers in the study. For example, the work to a great extent is a question of interplay with other individuals and that in this social dimension the prerequisites for learning and developing processes exist. The study shows too that managers have a certain amount of room for action and that in their work managers take into consideration several different dimensions of contexts in the performance of their work. The managerial work is finally described in terms of an explicit and an implicit context with regard to the public character of the work involved. One conclusion is that there are differences between managers' conceptions of leadership that is executed. These differences can be understood by considering the background consisting of the simultaneous existence of normative respective experiential patterns of practice described in the study as the non-uniform work. Furthermore, the results indicate differences among the authorities but that these are small in relation to differences within the authorities. Thus the results can be interpreted as the immediate context in the form of a number of personal/local preconditions to a greater extent being formed for managerial work in relation to a more peripheral context. In this light, leadership is defined as a social, influence, learning and developmental process, which is executed as implicit and explicit work within the framework for a structural, an institutional and a subjective fields.

I avhandlingen beskrivs och analyseras chefers arbete genom att kombinera individuella perspektiv med organisatoriska och samhälleliga perspektiv vilket ger både teoretiska och praktiska implikationer Referensramen är uppbyggd av teorier kring chefers arbete och nyinstitutionell teori av Skandinaviskt slag. Flera metoder kombineras för att fånga komplexiteten i chefers arbete; skuggningar, intervjuer, observationer och dokumentstudier. Forskningsfrågorna besvaras genom att använda en kombination av teorier utvecklade för olika analysnivåer; individ, organisation och samhälle. De empiriska materialen används för att ge ett bidrag till vidare forskning om chefers arbete med en empirisk bas. Vikten av att relatera chefers arbete till den kontext som omger dem betonas. Chefers arbete i äldreomsorgen har specifika karaktäristika men också gemensamma drag med chefers arbete i andra sektorer och på andra organisatoriska nivåer. I det empiriska materialet har flera organisatoriska karaktäristika som påverkar chefers arbete identifierats. Beskrivningarna av chefers arbete bidrar också till en utveckling av en empirinära praxisteori för chefers arbete. Med hjälp av nyinstitutionell teori beskrivs hur chefer möter skilda förväntningar och krav och i organisationer, där dessa inte överensstämmer måste chefer hantera ett organisatoriskt hyckleri. / In the thesis managers’ work is described and analysed by combining individual perspectives with organisational and societal perspectives, which gives both theoretical and practical implications. The frame of reference is constituted of theories on managers’ work and the Scandinavian version of new institutional theory. Several methods are combined to grasp the complexity in mangers’ work; shadowing, interviews, observations and document studies. The research questions are answered through a combination of theories  developed for different levels of analysis; individual, organisational and societal. The empirical materials are used to give a contribution to further research on managers’ work with an empirical base. The importance to relate managers’ work to the context that surrounds them is emphasised. Managers’ work in eldercare has specific characteristics, but also common features with managers’ work in other sectors and at other hierarchical levels in organisations. In the empirical material several organisational characteristics that affect managers’ work have been identified. The descriptions of managers’ work also contribute to a praxis theory of management. New institutional theory is applied in order to describe how managers meet diverse expectations and demands in organisations. When these do not match, the managers need to handle organisational hypocrisy.

The aim of the study was to investigate group managers’ experiences of managing employees' mental health issues within an industrial company in Sweden, as well as their thoughts on how to approach hidden mental health problems. A qualitative approach was employed, and ten group managers were interviewed at an industrial site using a semi-structured interview guide. An inductive thematic analysis was conducted to analyze the collected data. The data resulted in three main themes and nine subthemes. The findings revealed that managers’ ability to address mental health issues is influenced by their approach, tools, and the support they receive from their employer. Additionally, the results indicated that present and trustworthy group managers can impact their ability to detect signs of mental health issues in employees. The group managers expressed that a trustworthy and present leader enhances employees' trust in them and reduces stigma by fostering an open work environment. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka gruppchefers upplevelser och erfarenheter av att hantera medarbetares psykiska ohälsa inom ett industriföretag i Sverige samt om de har några tankar om hur de kan närma sig den dolda psykiska ohälsan. En kvalitativ metod användes och tio gruppchefer intervjuades på en industri med hjälp av en semistrukturerad intervjuguide. En induktiv tematisk analys användes för att analysera det insamlade materialet. Det insamlade materialet resulterade i tre huvudteman samt nio underteman. Resultatet visade att chefens förutsättningar att arbeta med psykisk ohälsa påverkas av deras arbetssätt, verktyg samt vilken stöttning de får från deras arbetsgivare. I resultatet framkom det även att gruppchefer som är närvarande och pålitliga kan påverka hur väl de upptäcker signalerna hos en medarbetare som lider av psykisk ohälsa. Gruppcheferna uttryckte att en pålitlig och närvarande chef påverkar medarbetarnas förtroende till chefen samt att stigmatiseringen minskas genom att de främjar ett öppet arbetsklimat.

The thesis explores the factors affecting the availability and utilization of work-life balance programs in Canadian workplaces and how employee involvement and participation programs can help employees balance their work and life. The introductory chapter provides background information on the importance of balancing work and life. It outlines chapters two, three, and four and reveals the overarching theme that unites them. Chapter Two explores how business strategy affects the availability of work-life balance programs. This chapter uses the 2003 and 2004 Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey to demonstrate that product leadership business strategy is positively related to the likelihood of adopting work-life balance programs (i.e. employee assistance programs, fitness and recreation centers). Cost leadership strategy is shown to be negatively correlated to the adoption of these programs. This study also finds that high performance work systems mediate the relationship between business strategy and employer responsiveness to work-life balance issues. Chapter Three investigates how a company’s family-friendly culture affects the likelihood of an employee’s use of parental leave. Using a national representative and linked employer and employee survey, this study finds that a long-hour organizational culture, which is revealed through managers’ work hours, discourages new parents from taking parental leave. This study also finds that when managers work long hours, it has a greater negative effect on the probability of male employees taking parental leave than female employees. Chapter Four discusses how participation in decision making (PDM) can help employees balance the demands from work and life. Using Karasek’s (1979) job demand-job control model, this study finds that PDM can reduce work-life conflict, but the reduction only works for employees who work long hours. For those employees who work short hours, PDM increases their work-life conflict. Chapter Five summarizes the empirical results. Implications for employers, labour unions, and policy makers are discussed.

The thesis explores the factors affecting the availability and utilization of work-life balance programs in Canadian workplaces and how employee involvement and participation programs can help employees balance their work and life. The introductory chapter provides background information on the importance of balancing work and life. It outlines chapters two, three, and four and reveals the overarching theme that unites them. Chapter Two explores how business strategy affects the availability of work-life balance programs. This chapter uses the 2003 and 2004 Canadian Workplace and Employee Survey to demonstrate that product leadership business strategy is positively related to the likelihood of adopting work-life balance programs (i.e. employee assistance programs, fitness and recreation centers). Cost leadership strategy is shown to be negatively correlated to the adoption of these programs. This study also finds that high performance work systems mediate the relationship between business strategy and employer responsiveness to work-life balance issues. Chapter Three investigates how a company’s family-friendly culture affects the likelihood of an employee’s use of parental leave. Using a national representative and linked employer and employee survey, this study finds that a long-hour organizational culture, which is revealed through managers’ work hours, discourages new parents from taking parental leave. This study also finds that when managers work long hours, it has a greater negative effect on the probability of male employees taking parental leave than female employees. Chapter Four discusses how participation in decision making (PDM) can help employees balance the demands from work and life. Using Karasek’s (1979) job demand-job control model, this study finds that PDM can reduce work-life conflict, but the reduction only works for employees who work long hours. For those employees who work short hours, PDM increases their work-life conflict. Chapter Five summarizes the empirical results. Implications for employers, labour unions, and policy makers are discussed.