Sammanfattning  Titel: Hållbarhet och hållbart ledarskap inom två svenska kommuner Ämne: Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi inriktning ledarskap, 15 hp Författare: Jacob Skyman Nyckelord: Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainable Leadership, Sustainable Leadership styles, CSR accountability, Sustainability, Offentlig sektor, Hållbart ledarskap.  Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att jämföra, beskriva hur två kommuner arbetar med hållbarhet utifrån miljö, socialt, ekonomiskt, därefter konkretisera eventuella skillnader och likheter mellan det hållbara ledarskapet. Metod: Denna studie har genomförts som en kvalitativ forskningsstudie. Författaren skriver studien utifrån en subjektiv världsbild och ett hermeneutiskt synsätt. Studien har en abduktiv forskningsansats. Empirin har insamlats genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer och litteraturstudien grundade sig i att samla in teori från forskningsstudier.  Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att kommunerna arbetar på likartat sätt med frågan om hållbarhet inom de tre perspektiven. Kommunerna gör övergripande handslag inom den styrande politiska sektorn och arbetar långsiktigt. Kommunerna har liknande storlek utifrån befolkningsmängd, näringsliv, möjlighet till högre utbildning och fungerar som mindre regionala nav. Sammantaget kan detta innebära att andra kommuner av samma storlek kan antas ha liknande struktur för arbetet med hållbarhet och hållbart ledarskap. De kommunala bolagen som undersöktes i respektive kommun agerar på olika sätt. Det undersökta kommunala bolaget i Halmstad handlar mycket utifrån egna principer kring hållbarhet. Däremot agerar detundersökta bolaget i Kristianstad utifrån de hållbarhetspolicys som sätts centralt inom kommunen. Det finns även flertal likheter i det hållbara ledarskapet mellan kommunerna.Utifrån hållbarhetsegenskaperna menar samtliga respondenter att positivitet är en av de viktigaste egenskaperna.

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between national culture and organizational innovation, sustainable leadership (SL), and leaders’ consideration of future consequences (CFC), based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. An online survey was developed and sent out to employees of private organizations located in Greece and Sweden. Analysis of the data collected from 133 participants indicated that: (a) national culture is marginally significantly associated to perceived workplace innovation; (b) national culture is not significantly related to SL based on employees’ perceptions; and (c) national culture is not significantly related to perceived leaders’ CFC. Contrary to previous research that examined the culture-innovation relationship on a national level, the results of this study suggest that national culture is not strongly related to organizational level innovation, although it is significantly related to two of its examined dimensions: creativity and lack of organizational impediments. Moreover, the results indicated that SL and leaders’CFC are not significantly related to national culture, although four of the dimensions of SL varied significantly between the two examined countries. Practical implications, limitations of the study and future suggestions are discussed.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjami darnios lyderystės plėtojimas organizacijose. Teorinėje dalyje pateikti mokslinės literatūros analizę lyderystės, vadovavimo ir darnios lyderystės temomis. Analitinėje dalyje atlikti darnios lyderystės plėtojimo analizę ir empiriškai patikrinti veiksnius, lemiančius darnios lyderystės plėtojimą skirtingo tipo organizacijose. Projektinėje dalyje išanalizuoti darnios lyderystės plėtojimą organizacijose vadovų kompetencijų vystymo pagrindu. / In final master thesis there is analysed sustainable leadership characteristics in organizations. The theoretical part introduces the analysis of scientific literature topics related to leadership, management and sustainable leadership. The analytical part presents perfomed analysis of sustainable leadership characteristics and empyrical testing of the factors leading to the development of sustainable leadership in different types of organizations. Part of the project to analyze the sustainable development of leadership skills development managers in organizations based.

Background -Today's international business environment has facilitated the internationalisation process for firms all around the world by the reduced barriers to international trade (Efrat and Shoham, 2012). An expansion across borders is desirable since it offers the possibility of future business activities and it can aid a company to reach superior performance (Cotae, 2013). There are numerous strategies to an internationalisation process and the decisions made by the top management demonstrates the relationship between leadership behaviour and internationalisation (Cotae, 2013; Schweizer, Vahlne and Johanson, 2010). Therefore, this study will investigate leaders in multiple firms during the various stages of the internationalisation process in order to discover both how and to what degree they influence the internationalisation within their organisations.   Purpose- The purpose of this study is to explore what types of leadership behaviour influence the internationalisation process in MNCs and to examine specifically influential types of leadership behaviours in order to analyse the relationship between the behavioural and strategic differences in MNCs throughout the internationalisation process.   Method- This study will use an exploratory approach by combining existing theoretical frameworks and empirical data. Empirical data was collected through a qualitative research method consisting of nine semi-structured interviews, then qualitative content analysis was applied. Conclusion– The results show that a medium influence through authentic leadership can be demonstrated and can also be revealed as successful based on the MNCs current international activities.

Background: The clothing industry is a significant contributor to Earth’s pollution, depletion, and exploitation. Businesses need to become sustainable, to find long-lasting solutions where economic, social, and environmental value is created. This has birthed a new form of leadership, sustainable leadership, that puts ethical behavior and the common good above the untrammeled pursuit of profit. Business leaders must transform the way they do business, which requires changes in leadership. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to, from a leadership perspective, describe and create an understanding of how Swedish fashion brands are changing their business to become sustainable and remain competitive, and of sustainable leadership. Specifically, by exploring how business leaders work with sustainability and the challenges they face. Method: This study follows a qualitative research method and an abductive approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with CEOs and sustainability managers. Secondary data was gathered from sustainability reports. Findings: The organizations have made changes to their business models. Business leaders face several challenges, such as issues of maintaining quality, consumer behavior discrepancy, lack of control over suppliers, and insufficient technology. Leaders were found to show practices of sustainable leadership to remain competitive and sustainable. Conclusion: This study concludes that organizations take different strategical approaches to remain sustainable and competitive. Business models Leaders must create long-lasting stakeholder relationships, a supportive company culture, set clear goals, and develop employees to be successful in sustainability work. New developments in recycling technology and increased consumer awareness are called for to further drive an increased sustainable development in the industry.

Utvecklingen av den moderna arbetsplatsen har tagit form i hög konkurrens mellan organisationer, otrygga anställningar, orimliga krav på anställda som leder till ohälsa samt höga stressnivåer. Dagens ledare behöver ett aktivt arbete för att främja och bevara sina medarbetare och utveckla deras kompetens. Organisationer som mister medarbetare till konkurrenter eller sjukskrivningar förlorar resurser och blir lidande i längden. Detta leder till att organisationer behöver se över hållbarheten inom arbetsplatsen och ledarskapet. Att arbeta förebyggande med arbetshälsa och ledarskap kan påverka medarbetarna och gynna företag.Med kvalitativa metoder intervjuades chefer och medarbetare inom offentlig sektor för att fånga deras upplevelser kring hållbart ledarskap och dess påverkan på arbetshälsan. Studien använde en kombination av målinriktaturval och snöbollsurval. Resultatet från denna studie tyder på att ledarskap påverkar arbetshälsan till en viss del, allt ansvar ligger inte på en ledare. Den moderna arbetsplatsen kan arbeta med att minska stress och arbetsbelastning men inte ta bort det helt inom organisationen. Företag behöver se över resursanvändningen och se till att de använder dessa till sin fulla potential. / The development of the modern workplace has taken the form of high competition between organizations, insecure employment, unreasonable demands on employees that lead to an unhealthy environment and high stress levels. The leaders of today need to work actively in order to promote and retain their employees and develop their skills. Organizations that lose employees to competitors or sick leave lose resources and suffer in the long run. This means that organizations need to review sustainability in the workplace and leadership. Working preventively with occupational health and leadership can affect employees and benefit companies. Using qualitative methods, managers and employees in the public sector were interviewed to capture their experiences of sustainable leadership and the impact on occupational health. The study used a combination of targeted selection and snowball sampling. The results from this study indicate that leadership affects occupational health to a certain extent, all responsibility does not lie with a leader. The modern workplace can work to reduce stress and workload but not remove it completely within the organization. Companies need to review resource use and ensure that they utilize it to its full potential.

This research explored the relationship between sustainability leadership practices and employeesatisfaction in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany and Swede. The objective was toinvestigate how sustainability leadership practices influenced employee satisfaction within the context ofSMEs. Ten interviews were conducted with employees and managers in first-line and middle managementpositions from diverse industries across Sweden and Germany. The study aimed to gather employees'perceptions of leadership and management behaviors, practices, and outcomes within their organizationsand determine the impact of these practices on employee satisfaction. The findings of this studydemonstrated a positive relationship between the adoption of sustainability leadership practices andemployee satisfaction. Nevertheless, out of the six interviewees who expressed some level ofdissatisfaction, five acknowledged the presence of leadership practices that were consistent with thetheoretical framework of sustainability leadership. These findings enhanced our understanding of therelationship between sustainability leadership and employee satisfaction and offered insights to improveleadership practices and employee satisfaction. The research provided valuable insights for SMEmanagers, employees, and practitioners, highlighting the significance of sustainable leadership practices inenhancing organizational performance and contributing to sustainable development.

Title: Time to prove: Sustainable leadership versus crisis management - a qualitative study regarding the experience of duality for leaders between two leaderships in a unique and complex environment. Authors: Julia Bülow and Aida Ekberg  Published: 2021–05–24 Supervisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire  Background: The environment is forever changing, and leaders need to adapt according to different factors. Previous research has named this rapidly changing environment as VUCA which is an acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. To face such an environment, previous research has suggested VUCA prime as a way for leaders to approach the situation using vision, understanding, clarity and agility. When covid-19 entered the context, a situation of unique complexity was created which meant even greater challenges for leaders to navigate. These reinforced challenges are argued for using the external factors of PESTEL which imply political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. This environment is named as VUCA max is this study, while indicating that the need of crisis management is reinforced at the same time as the need for sustainable leadership remains and has in fact never been more in question. Based on this background, this study aims to research the approach of leaders when faced with the duality of crisis management and sustainable leadership during VUCA max. This concludes the research gap for this study. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how leaders handle the duality that appears in a situation of crisis, with regards to not compromising the future need of sustainability, while faced with a unique and complex environment.    Research question: How does leaders handle the duality between crisis management and sustainable leadership during VUCA max which is a unique and complex environment?   Methodology: This study has a qualitative approach by the conduction of a case study, consisting of interviews with seven leaders. The main research approach is deductive, with a slight element of inductance. Therefore, the research approach for this study is abductive in its entirety.  Conclusions: The conclusions of this study show that the leaders use crisis management and sustainable leadership in a balanced manner during VUCA max.  Sustainable leadership is therefore not deprioritized due to the increased need of crisis management. Further, the leaders have an enhanced use of clarity in relation to crisis management and understanding in relation to sustainable leadership. Leaders also use approaches such as trust, compassion, the ability to be goal-oriented, brave, take responsibility through self-leadership, and the establishment of a varied network during VUCA max. Finally, the concept development VUCA max-prime is introduced to describe how leaders handle the duality between crisis management and sustainable leadership during VUCA max.

Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att få förståelse för hur chefer leder hållbarhet och motiverar de anställda genom utbildning att jobba med frågor som rör uppförandekoden. Metod: Studien har utförts genom en kvalitativ metod och genom semistrukturerade intervjuer av 10 chefer som arbetar på olika affärsområden i ett stort företag i Mellansverige. Materialet presenteras och analyseras genom tematiskt analys av data för att slutligen redovisa resultat kopplat till forskningsfrågorna. Resultat & slutsats: Resultat av studien visar att ledarens engagemang är en viktig komponent för att medarbetarna ska bli motiverade att utföra en uppgift som utgår från hållbarhet. Utbildning av hållbarhet relaterat till företagets uppförandekod råder det delade meningar om och det önskas andra metoder för lärande. Studien visar också att uppföljning av hållbarhetsutbildning behöver genomföras kontinuerligt för att kunskaperna ska bibehållas hos medarbetaren. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Då denna studie behandlar ledarnas perspektiv föreslår vi att fortsatta studier kan fokusera på medarbetarnas åsikter och identifiera de anställdas uppfattning om motivationsfaktorer angående hållbarhet. På grund av tidsbegränsning är vårt förslag att det behövs ytterligare studier som omfattar fler respondenter för att kunna bekräfta våra slutsatser. Förslagsvis kan en mer omfattande kvantitativ studie inom området genomföras. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien visar att ledarens engagemang har stor inverkan på de anställdas motivation att utföra en uppgift som omfattar hållbarhet. Vi kan se att utbildningen av medarbetarna på företaget inom hållbarhet har resulterat i en långsiktighet i affärsbeslut. Studien visar även att utbildningen behöver förbättras för att kunskaperna ska kunna integreras i den dagliga verksamheten ytterligare. / Aim: The purpose of this paper is to obtain an understanding of how managers are leading sustainability and motivates employees through education to work on issues related to the code of conduct. Method: The study has been carried out by a qualitative method and through semistructured interviews with 10 managers working in different business areas in a large company in central Sweden. The material is presented and analyzed through thematic analysis to finally present results related to the research questions. Result & Conclusions: Results of the study show that the leaders’ commitment is an important component for employees to be motivated to perform a task based on sustainability. There is a disagreement and desire of other methods to educate in sustainability related to the company's code of conduct. The study also shows that monitoring of sustainability education needs to be carried out continuously for knowledge to be retained in the employee. Suggestions for future research: Since this study deals with the leaders’ perspective, we suggest that future studies focus on employee engagement and identify the employees' perception of motivational factors regarding sustainability. Because of the time constraints our suggestion is that further studies involve more respondents to confirm our conclusions. Furthermore, we believe that a comprehensive quantitative study could be contributing for future research. Contribution of the thesis: This study shows that the leaders’ involvement has great impact on employee motivation to perform a task involving sustainability. We can discern that the training of company employees in sustainability has resulted in a longterm business decision. The study also shows that training needs to be improved for knowledge about the code of conduct should be integrated into the daily operations further.

Trots att det finns indikationer att egenskaper som är vanligt förekommande bland svenska chefer kan relateras till aspekter som återfinns i studier om hållbart ledarskap finns det ingen forskning som undersöker denna typ av ledarskap i Sverige och bland svenska ledare. Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva det svenska hållbara ledarskapet. Genom en kvalitativ ansats har vi samlat in data i form av artiklar och texter för att ge svar på hur det svenska hållbara ledarskapet beskrivs och vad de mest förekommande aspekterna är när svenska chefer talar om sig själva som hållbara. Resultatet visar att det svenska hållbara ledarskapet syftar till att vara ekonomiskt, socialt och ekologiskt hållbar, samt innovativ och att ledare ser och involverar sina anställda. Överlag beskrivs inte svenska chefer som hållbara. Vissa vd:ar arbetar aktivt med social och ekologisk hållbarhet och många besitter egenskaper som är typiska för hållbart ledarskap men inte i tillräcklig utsträckning för att definieras som hållbara ledare. / Although there are indications that typical characteristics of Swedish managers can be related to aspects found in sustainable leadership studies, there is no research that examines this kind of leadership in Sweden and among Swedish leaders. The purpose of this study is to describe the Swedish sustainable leadership. Through a qualitative approach, we have collected and analysed data in form of articles and texts to provide answers to how the Swedish sustainable leadership is described and what the most common aspects are when Swedish managers talk about themselves as sustainable. The results show that the Swedish sustainable leadership aims at being economically, socially and ecologically sustainable, innovative and that employees are being valued and seen. Overall, Swedish managers are not described as sustainable. Some CEOs work actively with social and ecological sustainability, and many possess characteristics that are typical of sustainable leadership, but not to a sufficient extent to be defined as sustainable leaders. Henceforth, the language of the essay is Swedish.