Abstract The purpose of this research is to study identity construction in an ICT organization, which is generally seen as a flexible environment to be employed. The demise of a bureaucracy is generally seen as a positive thing. In new organizational forms employee participation is considered a central factor. The lack of boundaries in work brings not only freedom but also challenges. Organizations, tasks and people change constantly and employees find that they have to reconstruct their identities. This study is inductive, meaning that any theoretical frame was not chosen before doing the empirical analysis. The paradigm underlying narrative research is similar to constructivism in that human knowledge is not regarded as a coherent view of reality but as a plurality of small narratives, local and personal in nature, which are always under construction. The constructivist paradigm is based on the idea that social reality is socially constructed. This study contributes to identity narrative discussion and is thus current. Four different identity narratives are produced within this study: nostalgic, future-oriented, instrumental and chameleon narrative. Hence, the analysis resulted in four separate identity narratives. The relationship between the individual and the organization vary in each of the identity narratives. The empirical results also show that older employees produce more coherent identity stories and appear to be more committed to the organization. For younger employees the company is not as important, instead are more committed to their own career, family or something else. This is a significant result both theoretically and empirically. Theoretically it is interesting because it shows that in constructing identity, the organization does not have a central role. Empirically it means that the skilled employees might easily leave the organization if they feel they are not respected or if the organization does not support their personal careers. The present study provides evidence of narrativity supporting the construction of identity in a post-bureaucratic organization. Maintaining open dialogue requires open communication, which is not present in traditional, bureaucratic, top-down management. A post-bureaucratic organization allows for open dialogue in principle, but the time and space needed for narration in this environment is fragmented.

Since 2001, the Army has spent billions of dollars to develop, test, and procure equipment through the Army Rapid Acquisition Process (ARAP), a process at times used in place of the traditional Army Acquisition Process (AAP) when immediacy and customization are a priority. The ARAP was implemented to increase efficiency in delivering adequate equipment to soldiers. The ARAP has been criticized in the literature for its lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the field. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine ARAP deficiencies through the lens of a broad cross-section of Army acquisition functional area professionals. The research questions addressed key problems and factors of the ARAP's performance and its alignment with the ARAP, bureaucracy, and post bureaucracy. The conceptual foundation of this study included the theories of bureaucracy and post bureaucracy. Principles of bureaucracy are hierarchical structure and management by strict rules. Principles of post bureaucracy are flat management structures and increased autonomy. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from a cross-section of Army acquisition functional area professionals (N = 19). Data analysis consisted of coding participant responses, which resulted in the emergence of themes and categories. Findings revealed the need for improvements to sustain, transition, and fund equipment and the need for improvements in developing equipment requirements and increasing direct soldier involvement when using the ARAP. This research provides lessons that may inform current and future ARAP initiatives and contributes to social change through procuring the best equipment for soldiers to defend against threats to national security.

The importance of organizations for understanding differences in the working conditions and health of employees is often emphasized but rarely explored empirically. The general aim of this thesis is to describe organizational characteristics of workplaces, and to assess their impact on the psychosocial working conditions and health of employees. In modern working life, it is assumed that employees' working conditions and health are affected by a general transformation of workplaces from bureaucracy to post-bureaucracy.  The organizational data used are based on structured interviews with managers at workplaces in different types of operations in mid-Sweden, whereas the individual data consist of a questionnaire to all employees working in the participating workplaces, resulting in a dataset of 90 workplaces and 4306 individuals. Descriptive analysis was carried out for comparison of organizational characteristics in different types of operations, while multilevel analysis was applied to investigate the magnitude of the organizational impact on psychosocial working conditions, and to analyze associations between organizational characteristics, psychosocial working conditions and health. The results showed that the workplaces were mainly displayed by a combination of bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic characteristics, and these were unequally distributed between types of operations. A systematic variation in the psychosocial working conditions and health of employees was found between workplaces, and the variation in psychosocial working conditions was attributed to several organizational levels. The variation between workplaces was explained by both organizational characteristics of the workplaces and individual characteristics of the employees. Formalization, centralization, job enrichment, individual responsibility, soft control systems, and performance control were associated with psychosocial working conditions when controlled for occupational class, gender and age of employees, and a high degree of customer adaptation was associated with increased sickness absence of employees.   It is concluded that bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy should not be regarded as dichotomies. Organizational characteristics of workplaces have an impact on the psychosocial working conditions and health of employees beyond occupational class. This has implications for both the theory and the practice of occupational health research. / The Healthy Workplace Study

<p>The thesis concentrates on the psychological consequences ofthe contemporary work. Two focal question of the thesis are,first, why do employees’psychological resources becomeconsumed in the contemporary working life? Second, how tocreate regenerative work enabling employees’developmentin the present situation? The latter question aims todistinguish the conditions for sustainable individual andcollective development at work. The empirical research consistsof two studies; the Empirical Study I with explorative casestudies in two »new economy« companies and theEmpirical Study II with action research case studies in apublic hospital and a tenants’union. In the EmpiricalStudy II, the case organizations defined their problemsrelating to human resources consumption. The subsequent actionresearch projects aimed to work on these problems and togenerate ideas for regenerative work.</p><p>The case studies indicate that many contemporary workinglife problems relate to fundamental changes at work. Confinedbureaucratic work is gradually changing into more complex andboundaryless work. Instead of bureaucratic impersonality, suchwork requires comprehensive personal presence from employees.However, organizational arrangements have not followed thedevelopment. Organizational structures and practices are stillaimed at controlling and guiding compartmentalized, stablework. Consequently, post-bureaucratic work realities exist inbureaucratic work organizations; the clashes between the twooperation logics lead to negative consequences at individualand organizational levels.</p><p>The thesis studies the reasons for the gap betweenbureaucratic organizational logic and post-bureaucratic worklogic. Furthermore, organizational and individual approachesleading to more comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful workare explored. When it comes to organizational approaches, theredoes not seem to exist a certain structure for apost-bureaucratic organization; such an organization is a stateof collective and individual mind rather than a fixed solution.At individual level, bureaucratic thinking has to grow intopost-bureaucratic thinking at all hierarchical levels.Responsibility taking and complex thinking are needed. Mentalmodels enabling versatile functioning within an organizationare required.</p><p><b>KEY WORDS:</b>good work, personal development, professionaldevelopment, stress, human resources, regenerative work,consuming work, bureaucracy, post-bureaucracy, actionresearch.</p>

The thesis concentrates on the psychological consequences ofthe contemporary work. Two focal question of the thesis are,first, why do employees’psychological resources becomeconsumed in the contemporary working life? Second, how tocreate regenerative work enabling employees’developmentin the present situation? The latter question aims todistinguish the conditions for sustainable individual andcollective development at work. The empirical research consistsof two studies; the Empirical Study I with explorative casestudies in two »new economy« companies and theEmpirical Study II with action research case studies in apublic hospital and a tenants’union. In the EmpiricalStudy II, the case organizations defined their problemsrelating to human resources consumption. The subsequent actionresearch projects aimed to work on these problems and togenerate ideas for regenerative work. The case studies indicate that many contemporary workinglife problems relate to fundamental changes at work. Confinedbureaucratic work is gradually changing into more complex andboundaryless work. Instead of bureaucratic impersonality, suchwork requires comprehensive personal presence from employees.However, organizational arrangements have not followed thedevelopment. Organizational structures and practices are stillaimed at controlling and guiding compartmentalized, stablework. Consequently, post-bureaucratic work realities exist inbureaucratic work organizations; the clashes between the twooperation logics lead to negative consequences at individualand organizational levels. The thesis studies the reasons for the gap betweenbureaucratic organizational logic and post-bureaucratic worklogic. Furthermore, organizational and individual approachesleading to more comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful workare explored. When it comes to organizational approaches, theredoes not seem to exist a certain structure for apost-bureaucratic organization; such an organization is a stateof collective and individual mind rather than a fixed solution.At individual level, bureaucratic thinking has to grow intopost-bureaucratic thinking at all hierarchical levels.Responsibility taking and complex thinking are needed. Mentalmodels enabling versatile functioning within an organizationare required. KEY WORDS:good work, personal development, professionaldevelopment, stress, human resources, regenerative work,consuming work, bureaucracy, post-bureaucracy, actionresearch. / <p>NR 20140805</p>

Inom arbetsmarknadens allt mer dynamiska karaktär har karriärsystem och synen på karriär förändrats. Företag behöver i större utsträckning vara flexibla och anpassningsbara till omvärldens förändringstakt. I detta paradigmskifte har många företag funnit nya sätt att organisera sig och övergått till en postbyråkratisk organisationsstruktur. I denna uppsats studeras relationen mellan medarbetarnas upplevelse av karriär- och utvecklingsmöjligheter i relation till postbyråkrati. Vidare undersöks hur medarbetarna påverkas när traditionella hierarkier och karriärsteg inte införlivas och vad medarbetarna anser som viktigt gällande karriär och utveckling. Studiens resultat skildrar hur postbyråkrati i relation till karriär och utveckling både hindrar och möjliggör. Studiens bidrag är att på ett djupare plan skapa förståelse för medarbetarnas upplevelser av karriär- och utvecklingsmöjligheter i en postbyråkratisk organisation. Av de intervjuer som genomförts visade resultatet att postbyråkrati mestadels tillfredsställer individers ambitioner gällande karriär- och utveckling. Detta förutsatt att individens uppfattning av begreppen stämde överens med organisationens struktur och vision. Resultatet antydde också att informanterna inte behöver traditionella karriärtrappor, befordringar eller hierarkier för att uppleva framgång i karriären. Däremot behöver informanterna känna att det finns möjligheter till kontinuerlig utveckling men att det likväl kunde ske ur ett holistiskt perspektiv. För informanterna var autonomi, progression och påverkansmöjligheter extra viktigt sett till karriär och utveckling. Vidare framkom att den gränslöshet som strukturen medförde innebar vissa svårigheter som navigering och visualisering av möjliga karriär- och utvecklingsvägar. Ett fungerande postbyråkratiskt karriärsystem kräver avsaknad av uppdelningar och hierarkier. Slutligen måste strukturen anpassas efter företagets kontext. Då essensen i postbyråkrati är anpassningsförmåga är den förmågan minst lika viktigt sett till den interna strukturen som förmågan att anpassa sig efter samhällets föränderliga och dynamiska natur. / Within the increasingly dynamic nature of the labor market, career systems and the outlook on careers have changed. Companies need to be more flexible and adaptable to the pace of change in the world. In this paradigm shift many companies have found new ways to organize themselves and transitioned to a post-bureaucratic organizational structure. This essay studies the relationship between employees' experiences of career and development concerning post-bureaucracy. Furthermore, we investigate how employees are affected when traditional hierarchies and career steps are not incorporated. The study depicts both obstacles and opportunities regarding the relationship between post bureaucracy and career and development opportunities. The contribution of the study is to create an understanding on a deeper level of the employees' experience of their career and development opportunities in a post-bureaucratic organization. Of the interviews conducted, the results showed that post bureaucracy satisfies individuals' ambitions regarding career and development. This provided that the individual's conception of the concepts was consistent with the organization's structure and vision. The results also indicated that the informants do not need traditional career steps, promotions or hierarchies to experience career success. On the other hand, the informants' need to feel that there are opportunities for continuous development but that it could nevertheless be done from a holistic perspective. For the informants' autonomy, progression and opportunities for influence were extra important in terms of career and development. The boundlessness of the structure posed some difficulties such as navigation and visualization of possible career and development paths. A functioning post-bureaucratic career system also requires the absence of divisions and hierarchies. Finally, the structure must be adapted to the context of the company. Since the essence of post-bureaucracy is the ability to adapt, that ability also needs to apply to the internal structure as well as the ability to adapt to the changing and dynamic nature of society.

Problem - How does management look within a post bureaucracy, when there is room for freedom under responsibility. Where there is flexibility rather than structure, to promote the creativity of the employees. Purpose - The purpose is to investigate and give an increased understanding of how a organization with post-bureaucratic characteristics in the project and construction management industry works from a management and control perspective. Method - Data collection is done through five semi-structured interviews. The interviews include three different work roles within Forsen, which are management, employees and consultants. Data is analyzed with the support of previous research and theories to answer the study's purpose. Conclusion - The study showed that Forsen considers themselves to be a non-hierarchical organization that runs their employees to make their own decisions. Where freedom under responsibility is central to the organizational structure, which reflects a post-bureaucratic organization. The management within the organization takes place through a predetermined project plan and a process description. There were important factors such as time, finances and results, and it served as a governing document that employees needed to relate to.  These forms of governance also provide incentives for them to be classified as a neobureaucracy. This is due to how one chooses to look at the various instruments since these can be perceived as rules which symbolize the traditional bureaucracy. A link between freedom and rules provides the opportunity for the neo-bureaucratic form of organization. / Problem - Hur ser styrningen ut inom en postbyråkrati, när det lämnas utrymme för frihet under ansvar, där det förekommer flexibilitet snarare än struktur, för att främja kreativitet hos medarbetarna. Syfte - Syftet är att undersöka och ge en ökad förståelse hur en organisation inom projekt- och byggledningsbranschen med postbyråkratiska karaktärsdrag fungerar ur ett lednings- samt styrningsperspektiv. Metod - Datainsamlingen sker genom fem semistrukturerade intervjuer. Intervjuerna omfattar tre olika arbetsroller inom Forsen vilket är ledning, anställda och konsulter. Data analyseras med stöd av tidigare forskning och teorier för att besvara studiens syfte. Slutsats - Studien visade att Forsen anser sig som en icke-hierarkisk organisation som uppmanar sina anställda att fatta egna beslut. Där frihet under ansvar är centralt i organisationsstrukturen, vilket speglar en postbyråkratisk organisation. Styrningen inom organisationen sker genom en förutbestämd projektplan och en processbeskrivning. Där viktiga faktorer som tid, ekonomi och resultat fanns med och det fungerade som ett styrande dokument som de anställda behövde förhålla sig till. Dessa former av styrning ger även incitament av att de kan klassas som en neobyråkrati. Detta beror på hur man väljer att se på de olika styrmedel då dessa kan uppfattas som regler vilket symboliserar den traditionella byråkratin. En sammankoppling av frihet och regler ger möjlighet för den neobyråkatiska organisationsformen.

Bakgrund: Ur den kritik som sedan 50-talet formulerats mot den byråkratiska “mekaniska” organisationsformen har en utveckling mot mer “organiska” organisationsformer skett. Detta har tillsammans med den tekniska utvecklingen, som under de senaste årtiondena fortskridit, kommit att förändra många verksamheter. Begreppet post-byråkrati har i många sammanhang blivit ett samlingsnamn för dessa nya organisationsformer. Även om organisationer i mångt och mycket framhålls som mer post-byråkratiska, alltså flexibla, nätverkande och decentraliserade, finns det argument för att särskilt mellanchefers arbete och roll inte har förändrats i samma utsträckning och att byråkratin upprätthålls. Det talar för att det förekommer ett glapp mellan föreställning och verklighet. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva hur ett post-byråkratiskt chefsbeteende gestaltas i organisationer som utger sig för att vara post-byråkratiska. Metod: Studien har genomförts med utgångspunkt i en kvalitativ forskningsansats där semistrukturerade intervjuer och observationer har tillämpats. Detta eftersom syftet var att studera fenomenet på djupet snarare än att producera numerisk data och se samband. Respondenterna utgjordes av sex mellanchefer från två olika organisationer, tre chefer från respektive organisation. Urvalet av organisationerna baserades på ett antal uppställda kriterier. Resultat/slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att ett post-byråkratiskt chefsbeteende gestaltas som en hybrid mellan byråkratiska och post-byråkratiska kännetecken. Denna kombination gör sig synlig i alla studerade områden inom chefsbeteendet, såsom kommunikation, kontroll/styrning, beslutsfattande, ledarskapsstil och det interpersonella. Dock visar studien att beteendet hos de studerade mellancheferna tenderar att vara övervägande post-byråkratiskt. / Background: From the criticisms that have been formulated against the bureaucratic "mechanical" organizational form since the 1950s, there has been a development towards more "organic" forms of organization. This has along with the technological development, which has continued in recent decades, changed many enterprises. The concept of post-bureaucracy has in many contexts become a collective name for these new organizational forms. Although organizations are widely regarded as more post-bureaucratic, for example being flexible, networking and decentralized, there are arguments that the work and role of middle managers has not changed in the same extent and that bureaucracy is maintained. A gap between assumption and reality seems to occur. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe how a post-bureaucratic managerial behavior is embodied in organizations claiming to be post-bureaucratic.Method: The study has been carried out on the basis of a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interviews and observations have been applied, since the purpose was to study the phenomenon in depth rather than produce numerical data and compare different results with each other. The respondents consisted of six middle managers from two different organizations, three managers from each organization. The selection of organizations was based on a number of criteria. Results/Conclusion: The results of the study show that a post-bureaucratic managerial behavior is regarded as a hybrid between bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic characteristics. This combination is visible in all of the studied areas in managerial behavior, such as communication, control, decision-making, leadership style and the interpersonal. The study shows that the behavior of the studied middle managers tends to be predominantly post-bureaucratic.

The purpose of this study is to analyze if the workmethods in the European Commission's crisis management had post-bureaucratic characteristics, more specifically less hierarchy, horizontal communication, collective decision-making and own responsibility, during the Greek debt crisis 2010-2015. To carry out an analysis this study identifies four characteristics of a post-bureaucratic organization, in order to use the theory as a tool to clearly identify if there are any post-bureaucratic characteristics in the Commission's workmethods during the Greek crisis 2010-2015. The material used in the study is based on published reports from the European Parliament, European Court of Auditors, International Monetary Fund and the European Commission where facts on the European Commission’s crisis management are presented. This study's analysis shows that post-bureaucratic characteristics can be identified on the workmethods the Commission used in some situations during the Greek debt crisis 2010-2015. The study's conclusion is summarized by the fact that the European Commission’s workmethods in relation to post-bureaucratic characteristics are only found in some instances. Therefore the study can not conclude that the European Commission is a post-bureaucratic organization during the Greek crisis 2010-2015.

Omvärlden och marknaden kan idag tillskrivas som kundens, det är kunden som styr marknaden och sitter på makten. Till detta kan troligtvis en viss press föreligga hos organisatoriska ledare att finna en strategi som skapar värde för kunden. Sökandet efter det rätta arbetssättet inleds för att sedan sluta vid det agila arbetssättet som uppenbarar sig likt ett svar på alla problem. Praktiker blir förförda, underkastar sig en funktionell dumhet och implementerar det agila arbetssättet, utan ifrågasättande, dagen är räddad! Kanske måste förförda praktiker vakna från deras utopiska drömvärld, avsäga sig detta falska medvetande för att ställa sig frågan om ett arbetssätt som placerar kunden i centrum kan tillskrivas som hållbart. Syftet med denna uppsats är att öka förståelsen och konceptualisering av situationen för medarbetarens situation i relation till det agila arbetssättet ur ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Fördelar och nackdelar med det agila arbetssättet synliggörs för att härledas till hållbarhetsprinciper och medarbetarens roll samt situation. Studien har genomförts genom ett etnografiskt tillvägagångssätt, där observationer, intervjuer samt enkäter har triangulerat problemområdet. Studien kombinerar kvalitativ metod med kvantitativ metod för att synliggöra problemområdet ur flera kompletterande perspektiv. I studiens analys används medarbetarskapshjulet, gränsdragning samt kritisk teori som teoretiskt utgångsläge. Resultatet av studien visar att det agila arbetssättets hållbarhet kan ifrågasättas, utifrån medarbetares situation inom dess givna ramar. Arbetssättets kundfokusering och snabba anpassning till den föränderliga verkligheten utmanar engagerade medarbetare att göra sitt yttersta för att leverera högkvalitativa produkter. Det innebär utmaningar i gränsdragningen mellan arbete och fritid, varvid medarbetare ställs inför utmaningen att balansera arbete som ianspråktar tid även utanför arbetsplatsen. De engagerade medarbetarna upplevs löpa en högre risk att drabbas negativt om arbetet tillåts ta över stora delar av livet, uppsatsförfattarna ifrågasätter därför huruvida det agila arbetssättets hållbarhet är rimlig i förlängningen. Uppsatsens slutsats innefattar HEM, Hållbart Engagerade Medarbetare, det vill säga att organisationer behöver arbeta för att ge sina medarbetare en situation som är hållbar i längden, även för de mest engagerade. / Today’s business world and the market belongs to the costumer. It is the costumer who is in charge of the market and holds the power. To this a degree of pressure is put on the organisational leaders, who are held to find the best method of creating value for the costumer. While searching for the best method, agile appears as an answer to all the problems and questions. Practitioners are swept away, seduced by the promising concept, gives in to a functional stupidity and implement the agile concept into their organisation, without questions. Agile saves the day! Perhaps these seduced practitioners must wake up from their utopian dream, take a step back from this false awareness and ask themselves whether a concept putting the costumer foremost is sustainable? The purpose of this essay is increasing understanding and conceptualising the situation for employees in relation to agile work methods, from a sustainable perspective. Pros and cons with agile methods will be made visible for derivation to principles of sustainability, the role of the employee and their situation. As a method ethnography has been used for this study, where observations, interviews and a survey has triangulated the issue. This study combines quantitative and qualitative methods to put several completing perspectives into the light. For the analysis the authors used the wheel of employeeship, border theory and critical theory as theoretical starting point. The result of the study shows how sustainability within agile can be questioned, from a employee perspective. Being focused on the costumer and adaptivity to an everchanging reality challenges dedicated employees to give their uttermost to produce high quality products. Challenges in relation to this lies within the borderlines of work, where employees must balance employment which seems to occupy time outside of the workplace. Dedicated employees might be at higher risk of negative consequences due to their employment occupying their life to a large extent. Therefore, the authors question whether agile is sustainable in the long run. In conclusion this essay presents a proposal for organisations to work towards sustainable dedicated employees. To give the most dedicated employees a situation which is sustainable in the long run, is beneficial for the entire organisation.