Sweden's prosperity is one fifth based on successful and innovative industries. To be able to meet the increasingly demanding and complex market the manufacturing companies need to be able to change. This, in turn, puts high pressure on leadership and internal and external communication before a transformation within the organisation, even more so on a global organisation. To meet these requirements, the manufacturing companies need to work hands on with dissemination of information between the organization's boundaries before change. This study aims to investigate how management can work with dissemination of information before a change. A qualitative method approach was used to answer the study's research question and the method of choosing was semistructured individual interviews. Sensemaking was used as a theoretical perspective to analyse the collected data. The study results show that management and bosses need to adapt their way of communication depending on which individual the information is addressed to, and that organizations need to work with organizational culture to encourage change. This study also reversals that it is important for concerned organisational members to feel involved in, and to understand the meaning with, the change. The management within the organization can therefore establish a change group to work with these issues. / Sveriges välstånd är till en femtedel byggt på framgångsrika och innovativa industrier. För att tillverkningsföretagen ska kunna möta den allt mer komplexa och krävande marknaden behöver de kunna förändras. Detta sätter i sin tur hög press på ledarskap och intern och extern kommunikation inför en förändring, och allra främst på globala organisationer. För att kunna möta dessa krav behöver tillverkningssektorn aktivt arbeta med informationsspridning mellan organisationens gränser inför förändringsarbeten. Den här studien kommer att undersöka hur ledning kan arbeta med informationsspridning inför ett förändringsarbete. En kvalitativ metod ansats har använts för att besvara studiens forskningsfråga och den valda metoden utgjordes av semistrukturerade individuella intervjuer. För att analysera studiens insamlade data användes Sensemaking som ett teoretiskt perspektiv. Studiens resultat visar att ledning och chefer behöver anpassa sitt sätt att kommunicera beroende på vilken individ informationen riktar sig till, samt att organisationer behöver arbeta med organisationskultur för att främja förändringsarbeten. Studien visar även att det är viktigt att berörda organisationsmedlemmar känner sig involverade i, och förstår meningen med, förändringen. Ledningen inom organisationen kan bland annat arbeta med detta genom att tillsätta en förändringsgrupp.

Vår omvärld ses som alltmer komplex, hoten är mångfacetterade och spänner över alla domäner och konfliktnivåer. Underrättelsetjänsten är den funktion inom försvaret som särskilt ställs inför uppgiften att förstå och tolka komplexa problem, inte minst när den ska prognostisera händelseutvecklingar. I denna studie utgår vi från att komplexiteten kommer att öka och att det kommer att ställa hårdare krav på den militära underrättelsetjänsten. Syftet har varit att förstå hur medarbetare inom den militära underrättelsetjänsten idag ser på komplexa problem och vilka hinder och möjligheter som finns för att möta dem. Studien har sökt svar på hur underrättelsetjänsten kan utveckla sin förmåga att förstå komplexa problem. Denna studie har genomförts med kvalitativ metod baserat på en workshop och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Insamlade data har först analyserats utifrån de perspektiv som empirin lyft fram och därefter diskuterats med utgångspunkt i referensramen. Referensramen består av teorier och koncept inom komplexa underrättelseproblem, Sensemaking, kognitiva fallgropar och hur dom bemöts samt Militärt Designtänkande. Studiens resultat tyder på att det finns en god kunskap om komplexa problem generellt men att metoder, ledarskap, organisationskultur och den fysiska arbetsmiljön begränsar hanteringen av dem. Förmågan kan utvecklas genom att organisationen på ett tydligare vis definierar komplexa underrättelseproblem och anpassar arbetsmetoder efter dem. Vidare tyder resultatet på att den högre ledningsnivån inom organisationen samt uppdragsgivarna, försvarsmaktsledningen och Regeringskansliet, har en nyckelroll i de förändringar som krävs. Slutligen visar resultatet också på att Sensemaking och Militärt Designtänkande skulle kunna bidra till att öka förståelsen för och hanteringen av komplexa problem. / Our world is seen as increasingly complex, threats are multifaceted and span all domains and levels of conflict. The intelligence service is the function within the defense that is particularly faced with the task of understanding and interpreting complex problems, especially when it comes to forecast developments. In this study, we assume that the complexity will continually increase and that it will place stricter demands on the military intelligence service. The purpose has been to understand how coworkers in the military intelligence service today views complex problems and what obstacles and opportunities exist to meet them. The study has sought answers to how the intelligence service can develop its ability to understand complex problems. This study was conducted using a qualitative method based on a workshop and semi-structured interviews. The collected data has first been analyzed based on the perspectives highlighted by the empiric and then discussed based on the reference framework. The frame of reference consists of theories and concepts in complex intelligence problems, Sensemaking, cognitive pitfalls and military design thinking. The results of the study indicate that there is a good knowledge of complex problems in general, but that methods, leadership, organizational culture and the physical work environment limit their management. The ability can be developed by in a more explicit way define complex intelligence problems within the organization and adapt working methods to them. Furthermore, the results indicate that the higher management level within the organization, as well as the clients, the Swedish Armed Forces and the Government Offices, have a key role in the changes that are required. Finally, the results also show that Sensemaking and Military Design Thinking could contribute to further develop understanding and dealing with complex problems.

Every policy problem has inherent value dimensions. It is on the basis of values that a state of affairs is perceived as undesirable, and thus acknowledged as a problem. This makes the process of defining and negotiating the meaning of a problem an essentially political process. Despite this, bureaucracy and expertise have a strong, if not increasing, influence over the formation of policy problems. An objectivist knowledge view predominates within the public managerial realm, which obscures the political dimension of problem formulation, while policy problems tend to be approached as a matter of efficiency. This thesis provides an account of mechanisms that shape and constrain the way a particular policy problem is understood and addressed. It analyses how policy actors make sense of particular problems, by drawing on different discourses (scientific, institutional, popular or media). The empirical case of this thesis is the formation of public safety policy in Sweden. The understanding of the problem of unsafety within Swedish policy is shown to be intrinsically related to the research field of fear of crime. The two are mutually dependent and exert an ideational path dependency. The ideational constraints on the understanding of unsafety are further affected by the institutional setting. It is argued that the appointed institutions and the emphasis on local level have a part in fostering individualist explanations and solutions,while obviating structural interpretations of the problem. The thesis finds that when governing complex policy problems there is a need to pay closer attention to how the problem is defined and how its meaning is constrained. It is crucial to make transparent the values inherent in definitions of problems as well as in research claims. By acknowledging the entwinement of policy and research the policy formation process may become characterized by greater reflexivity, and the possibility of resolving wicked problems may enlarge.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the six decades since organisations rst adopted computer machinery to support their operations this form of technology has undergone rapid evolution. This evolution is characterised by both the advancement of the machines themselves and the expansion of their application in the organisational domain through the development of increasingly advanced software. A particularly in uential development for large enterprises has been the introduction of computerised Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) and the popularisation of proprietary ERP packages. By integrating the feature sets of an increasingly wide range of business software applications ERPs enable organisations to satisfy a large part of their information processing requirements by adopting a single software artefact. This approach o ers numerous bene ts to adopters as it ensures the integration of information processing activities across organisational functions. However, the realisation of these bene ts depends upon the organisation's ability to achieve congruence between its own structures and those embedded in proprietary ERP packages. This includes, on one level, the management of the processes of adaptation through which organisational actors become accustomed to a new technology and, on another level, the con guration and alignment of the artefact with the organisation's operating procedures. Despite the popularity of ERP adoption the achievement of congruence in information systems is an illusive ideal for many organisations. Accordingly, many Information Systems (IS) scholars have researched the organisational, technical and social factors which obstruct congruence and the interventions proposed to counter these. A key nding following from these investigations is that, notwithstanding the implementation of countering interventions, organisations often need to continue operations while experiencing some degree of incongruence or mis t in their information systems. The research performed in this study advances knowledge about this phenomenon by investigating the implications of incongruence for the behaviour of users of proprietary ERPs in organisations. Weickean Sensemaking Theory is adopted as conceptual framework to enable the investigation of instances of incongruence as events experienced by users in the context of their work environments. The theory dictates that users, rather than passively adopting the impositions of software artefacts, en- act information systems in unpredictable ways based on subjective and shared processes of sensemaking. An empirical investigation is performed and takes the form of a single, cross-sectional case study in which a variety of data collection techniques are utilised. The data sources are analysed and triangulated to trace the relationship between experiences of incongruence and patterns of information systems enactment among the user community. The ndings of the study reveal that experiences of incongruence cultivate knowledge sharing among a user community, a process which aligns their beliefs about the nature, role and use of a technology in an organisation. Furthermore, experiences of incongruence encourage users to augment designed technologies through the development informal information processing activities and alternative work ows. These forms of behaviour, while resolving users' experiences incongruence, lead to variance between the designed technology and the enacted technology creating various risks for the integrity of the organisation's business processes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die ses dekades sedert organisasies rekenaar masjinerie begin toepas het om hul bedrywighede te ondersteun, het hierdie vorm van tegnologie dramatiese ontwikkeling ondergaan. Hierdie ontwikkeling word gekenmerk deur beide die bevordering van die masjiene self, asook die uitbreiding van hul toepassings in die organisatoriese domein deur die ontwikkeling van meer gevorderde sagteware. 'n Besonder invloedryke ontwikkeling vir groot ondernemings was die bekendstelling van gerekenariseerde Enterprise Resource Plan- ning Systems (ERPs) en die popularisering van kommersiële ERP pakkette. Deur die integrasie van 'n toenemend wye verskeidenheid funksionaliteit stel ERPs organisasies in staat om 'n groot deel van hul inligting verwerking vereistes deur die aanneming van 'n enkele sagteware produk te dek - 'n benadering wat talle voordele bied aangesien dit die integrasie van inligting verwerking tussen organisatoriese funksies verseker. Die verwesenliking van hierdie voordele is egter afhanklik van die organisasie se vermoë om kongruensie tussen sy eie strukture en die van ERP pakkette te bewerkstelling. Dit sluit die bestuur van prosesse waartydens organisatoriese akteurs aanpas by 'n nuwe tegnologie in, asook die kon gurasie van die pakket om belyning met die organisasie se operasionele prosedures te verseker. Ten spyte van die gewildheid van ERPs is die bereiking van kongruensie in inligtingstelsels 'n ontwykende ideaal vir baie organisasies. Gevolglik word die organisatoriese, tegniese en sosiale faktore wat kongruensie belemmer gereeld deur Information Systems (IS) akademici ondersoek. 'n Prominenete bevinding wat uit hierdie navorsing voortspruit is dat organisasies dikwels hul werk moet voortsit ten spyte van inkongruensie in hul inligtingstelsels. In hierdie studie word die bovermelde fenomeen verder ondersoek deur die implikasies van inkongruensie vir die gedrag van gebruikers van kommersiële ERP pakkette te ondersoek. Weick se Sensemaking teorie word toegepas as konseptuele raamwerk om gevalle van inkongruensie as gebeure wat deur gebruikers ervaar word te ondersoek. Die teorie bepaal dat die gebruikers nie bloot rekenaarstelsels aanvaar nie, maar dit op onvoorspelbare maniere enact op grond van subjektiewe en gedeelde prosesse van singewing. 'n Gevallestudie word uitgevoer waarin 'n verskeidenheid data-insamelingstegnieke gebruik word. Die databronne word ontleed en kruisvalidasie word gedoen om die verhouding tussen ervarings van inkongruensie en patrone van gedrag binne inligtingstelsels te beskryf. Die bevindinge van die studie dui daarop dat ervarings van inkongruensie die deel van kennis binne 'n gebruikersgemeenskap tot gevolg het. Hierdie proses belyn gebruikers se verwysingsraamwerke oor die aard, rol en gebruik van 'n tegnologie in 'n organisasie. Verder word bevind dat gebruikers, agv ervarings van inkongruensie, 'n tegnologie uitbrei dmv die ontwikkeling van informele inligting verwerkingstegnieke en alternatiewe werksprosesse. Hierdie gedrag stel gebruikers in staat om inkongruensie te oorkom, maar lei tot variansie tussen die ontwerpte tegnologie en die toepassing daarvan binne die organisasie. Dit hou verskeie risiko's vir die integriteit van die organisasie se besigheidsprosesse in.

<p>This doctoral thesis focuses on translating Total Quality Management (TQM). The reason for this focus is that ideas such as TQM rarely or never contain a complete description of how the idea is to be “installed” in an organisation if it is to achieve the intended result. This often has the consequence that the result the idea is expected to produce in the organisation is only achieved in part, if at all. In Sweden there has been a great interest in working with the SIQ Model for Performance Excellence. In the thesis the model is viewed as an operationalisation of the TQM concept.</p><p>The theoretical perspective of sensemaking is applied to understand what happens when organisations begin to use the model. This work is in the thesis seen as a translation process and contrasts the rational view of implementation. The sensemaking perspective rests on a social constructionist viewpoint, which distinguishes it from the view that TQM has on organisations. The study is placed in the interpretative paradigm and two service organisations in public sector have been studied with a longitudinal design.</p><p>The main contribution of the study is a new way of looking at the work with the model. Thus, the interpretations could be seen as aspects, which together present a detailed description of the translation process. These aspects are, in summary, a way of looking upon and understanding:</p><p>• the translation process as a number of parallel and reciprocal processes</p><p>• the role of the translators</p><p>• the relationship between translators and top management</p><p>• the contextual prerequisites of the translation process.</p><p>In addition to this, the thesis can work as a driving force towards a more constructive and critical attitude among practitioner of TQM. The somewhat seductive rhetoric and the risk to work with the model without an apparent intention are highlighted in the study. It seems that the model in itself can lead to collective sensemaking that gets the work done without discussing the intention. In light of the interpretations it becomes clear that working with the model is a relatively complicated process. Many of the failed attempts to reach excellence could be explained by unrealistic expectations of the character and requirement of the work. In the thesis, the translator has been introduced as a counterbalance that possibly could help dealing with the complexity of TQM.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: Företag X” the hidden power” a study of internal communication, culture and internal branding. Företaget X has in real life a different name.</p><p>Number of pages: 42 (49 with enclosures)</p><p>Author: Charlotta Babington Thorszelius</p><p>Course: Media and Communication Studies C</p><p>Period: Autumn 2007</p><p>University: Uppsala University, Sweden</p><p>Purpose/Aim: To analyze the internal communication, culture and internal branding of an insurance company and how they can improve these company tools can be improved.</p><p>Material/Method: qualitative method using interviews, analysis of internal communication policies and observations.</p><p>Main results: The policy documents do not match how the internal communication works in every day life. There is a structure that is working and the information flows through the different levels. The vision and goals are difficult to understand as they are written in a complicated way. The words that carry the values of the company are well known and everyone stands behind them. The staff is happy, content and pleased to be working for Företaget X. There is a strong culture with a lot of the basic underlying assumptions shown as artefacts. This also shows in the strong brand which has been built on the strength of the federation of 24 local companies, at the same time acting on a local market.</p><p>Key words: internal communication, culture, internal branding, ambassadors, communication flow, sensemaking in organizations</p>

<p>The necessity of managing the tacit knowledge sharing is becoming more significant because of the upcoming demographic changes facing companies all over the industrialized part of the world. The so called baby boomers born in the middle part of the 20th century will soon reach the retirement age and this is anticipated to create an extensive loss of knowledge. In light of that, companies face a dilemma when over bridging the knowledge gap between their more experienced senior employees who have accumulated plenty of knowledge and the novel ones. It opens the discussion concerning how to “capture” that knowledge since it is the competitive advantage in the contemporary world. This is particularly sensible for knowledge-based firms which are the main focus of this study.</p><p>Scholars have developed different approaches of the knowledge sharing phenomenon, but still there is a lack of understanding regarding how this abstract process should be supported in a daily basis. This work investigates the factors that aid or hinder the knowledge process within consulting firms as a prerequisite to reach a greater awareness of the particular setting that will foster the sharing. Supported by a theoretical background, this was accomplished by following a systems approach, favoring qualitative methods. The empirical data was collected using semistructured qualitative interviews within the headquarter offices of Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Stockholm, Sweden.</p><p>The exploratory results suggest that by converging specific aspects, consulting firms can overcome the most common barriers when sharing knowledge transfer. Furthermore, it is pointed out the positive conditions a firm has to develop as well as Theoretical and Managerial implications.</p>

This thesis outlines a personal attempt to explore leadership in a holistic manner that recognises the contribution of both individuals and the collective whilst remaining sensitive to contextual factors. It endeavours to do this through presentation, analysis and discussion of two empirical studies of leadership, informed by distributed and practice perspectives, which regard leadership as a shared and contextually situated social process. The thesis begins with an overview of leadership theory and research, proposing that the time is right for a reframing of the field of leadership studies in order to redress the balance accorded to individual and collective accounts of leadership; review how we recognise, reward and develop leadership; and revisit our methodologies and approaches to leadership enquiry. The first empirical study investigates perceptions and experiences of leadership in the UK higher education sector, proposing that whilst leadership may be considered as widely dispersed, the notion of ‘distributed leadership’ also carries a powerful rhetorical function that may mask an uneven distribution of power, resources and rewards. The second empirical study explores the notion of ‘leadership-as-practice’ in three large, complex organisations outside the HE sector, and reveals the significant impact of discourse and sensemaking in shaping perceptions, experiences and the accomplishment of leadership for middle-senior level operational managers. The discussion chapter draws together the various themes explored in the thesis, in particular demonstrating the significance of issues of discourse, identity and purpose in making sense of the elusive nature of leadership practice. It is argued that a holistic representation of leadership remains difficult to achieve because of the manner in which grand Discourses and micro-level discourses of leadership interact to attribute the social process of leadership to the actions of individual leaders. The thesis concludes with a series of recommendations that highlight the value of a somewhat eclectic approach to leadership theory, research, practice and development that facilitates the emergence and recognition of contextually-appropriate ‘hybrid configurations’ of leadership.

Bakgrund: I Sverige har managementfilosofin Lean Production (Lean) fått ett stort genomslag inom offentliga verksamheter. Lean, som har sitt ursprung i den japanska biltillverkningsindustrin, handlar om att öka värde för kund, effektivisera verksamheten genom atteliminera resursslöseri och arbeta med ständiga förbättringar. Migrationsverkets beslutade 2010 att införa arbetssättet Lean i hela verksamheten. På grund av eskalerande konflikter runt om i världen, speciellt i Syrien, briserade flyktingströmmarna under 2015 och människor flydde mot Europa och Sverige för att söka skydd undan krig och förödelse. Efterfrågan på Migrationsverkets tjänster ökade således enormt och myndigheten försattes i en krissituation vars storlek aldrig tidigare upplevts. Arbetet enligt Lean sattes på prov och så även myndighetens krishantering.  Syfte: Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen av hur tillämpningen av Lean inom offentlig verksamhet påverkas i en krissituation, samt att identifiera centrala leanattribut att utveckla för krishantering. Metod: Detta är en kvalitativ fallstudie av Migrationsverket. Den bygger på fem semistrukturerade intervjuer samt dokumentstudier. Studien har en övergripande induktiv forskningsansats och utgår således från empirin.  Slutsats: Studien visar att Lean fungerade som en stödstruktur för Migrationsverket vid hanteringen av flyktingkrisen 2015. Teamarbete och mötesstruktur fick en viktig betydelse för meningsskapande för medarbetarna. Samtidigt anpassades förbättringsarbetet och processflödet till krissituationen och blev mer kortsiktigt. / Background: In Sweden, the management philosophy of Lean Production (Lean) has had amajor impact on the public sector. Lean originated from the Japanese automotive industry and involves aspects such as increasing value for customers, optimize operations by eliminating waste and continuous improvements. In 2010 the Swedish Migration Agency decided to apply Lean on the whole organisation. Because of escalating conflicts around the world, especially in Syria, the refugee stream in 2015 increased and people fled to Europe and Sweden to seek protection from war and devastation. The demand for the Migrations Agency’s services thus increased enormously and the authority found itself in a crisis which magnitude had not been experienced before. Thus, the Lean strategy as well as the crisis management of the Migrations Agency was tested. Aim: The aim of the thesis is to increase the understanding of how the application of Lean in the public sector is affected during a crisis, and to identify key aspects of Lean to develop within crisis management. Methodology: This is a qualitative case study within the Swedish Migration Agency which is built upon semi structured interviews and document studies. The thesis has an inductive approach. Conclusion: The thesis shows that Lean functioned as a supportive structure for the Swedish Migration Agency during the immigration crisis in 2015. Teamwork and meeting structure had a great importance for sensemaking among the workers. The continuous improvement and process flow was affected by the crisis situation and adjusted to the crisis situation and became short-term.

Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för ledarens roll vid implementering av en policy i en organisation. Vi vill visa på hur ledaren kan påverka policyimplementeringen för att bidra till att policyn blir ett levande dokument som genomsyrar hela organisationen.Metod: En kvalitativ forskningsstrategi, med en tvärsnittsstudie som berör fenomenet policyimplementering. Studien har genomförts med en induktiv ansats och insamling av data har skett med kvalitativa intervjuer.Slutsats: Studien visar på att ledaren besitter en viktig roll när det kommer till meningsskapande i en policyimplementering. Ledarens uppgift är att skapa mening i policyprocessen för hela organisationen och dess anställda och tydligt poängtera varför policyn finns. Ledaren ska även interagera policyfrågan i organisationens dagliga arbete och hela tiden uppdatera policyn för att skapa ett levande dokument som genomsyrar hela organisationen.