Background: Trade regulations, the pandemic, and other disruptions have revealed the vulnerability of long and complex supplier networks. At the same time, there is an increasing need for firms to operate sustainably. An emerging topic in supply chain management literature is the phenomenon of near- and reshoring, addressing the process of moving previously offshored activities closer to or back into the country of origin. However, a missing link in research has been to base findings on in-depth primary data from managers, especially in times of crisis. Therefore, this study explores how relocation decisions are affected by disruption events and the increasing need for sustainable businesses. Purpose: This study aims to discover how the relocation of value-adding activities is influenced by today’s unpredictable business environment and the increasing awareness of economies’ social and environmental impact. Method: The study employs a qualitative research method using an inductive approach by semi-structured interviews with five Swedish manufacturing enterprises with global supply chains. The interviews were conducted with two CEOs, two supply chain managers, one sales and production manager, and one project manager. Conclusion: Recent disruption events have made near- and reshoring decisions a serious consideration amongst business leaders. The findings and analysis showed that relocation decisions are implemented more partially in order to diversify the manufacturing facilities geographically, in order to make supply chains more resilient. Additionally, there exists a great tension between the rapidly changing, unpredictable business environment and the long-term nature of relocation decisions. Sustainability, on the other hand, was identified as a positive side effect rather than the main driver for the relocation of production sites within the traditional manufacturing industry.

The external environment, currently considered as VUCA environment, in which orgnaizations and individuals operate can be characterized by numerous uncertainties. As a result of these uncertainties, one significant aspect that is affected is the individual KSAOs as part of the human capital concept. A thorough understanding of how uncertainties affect KSAOs allows individuals and organizations to adapt, be resilient, and respond effectively to the changing environment. One research field that encompasses the external environment and its uncertainties as well as individual KSAOs is strategic human resource management (SHRM). However, the relationship between these key concepts has not yet been addressed. Also, much of SHRM research has been devoted to the company's perspective, largely ignoring the employees' point of view. Thus, this research aims to fill a gap in prior research by exploring the relationship between the external environment with its uncertainties and individual KSAOs from the employee's perspective. To further implement this knowledge in practice, two scenarios are created to demonstrate the factors companies should focus on in order to increase their human capital's resilience. To identify the relationship between external uncertainties and individual KSAOs, a conceptual framework was developed. The framework outlines the foundation for a qualitative case study with a Swedish consultancy company as a single case. A comprehensive data foundation was constructed through data triangulation, which involves combining both primary and secondary sources of data. In this study, organizational documents provided by the case company were used as secondary data, while primary data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with six employees of the case company. The findings indicate differences between prior literature and the collected empirical data. For example, employees' views on prioritizing different KSAOs (Knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) showed that soft skills were seen as far more important than hard skills when coping with uncertainties. This challenges the prior literature on human capital that has mostly focused on hard skills and the importance of their development through education and training. By using COVID-19 as a recent and accurate example of uncertainty, the data revealed changes in ways of working and work-life balance. It also revealed that environmental and technological uncertainties are currently considered the most effective. While they were seen to have unpredictable, and possibly even negative long-term effects, they were also considered as possibilities for the future. With subjective research philosophy, we could find contradictory opinions within the sample which further extended prior research by highlighting the need for considering individuality rather than the company perspective when making decisions that relate to the external environment , its uncertainties, and the individual KSAOs.

VUCA är ett begrepp, som används för att beskriva den komplexa, oförutsägbara och snabbrörliga omvärld vi lever i idag. Det talas ofta om ett paradigmskifte och att det kommer krävas nya managementmodeller för att framgångsrikt leda organisationer. Det ställs ökade krav på organisationer att snabbt kunna ställa om, ständigt arbeta med förbättring och utveckling för att öka sin innovationskraft. Psykologisk trygghet är ett fenomen som fått ökat utrymme i näringslivet och i forskning under senare år, då det starkt korrelerar med individers och teams förmåga att möta förändring och vara högpresterande. Psykologisk trygghet är en gemensam övertygelse hos medlemmarna i ett team om att teamet är tryggt för interpersonellt risktagande. Syftet med denna uppsats var att bidra med kunskap kring hur företag arbetar för att vara i ständig förnyelse och bygga kapacitet i organisationen för att möta kraven i VUCA, samt förstå hur psykologisk trygghet kan vara en motor i det arbetet. En kvalitativ intervjustudie genomfördes med sex intervjuer på två större organisationer. Studiens resultat pekar på sex viktiga fokusområden för att vara och leda i ständig förnyelse och framgångsrikt kunna möta de nya kraven. Dessa sex fokusområden beskrivs på följande sätt: Storytelling -”varför” som möjliggörare för motivation och mening, Förmåga att lära - nyfikenhet som möjliggörare för nytänkande och innovation, Ledarbeteenden - vara förebild som möjliggörare för beteendeförändring, Individen i centrum - självkännedom som möjliggörare för  självledarskap, Ägandeskap - autonomi som möjliggörare för ansvarskänsla och empowerment och Arbetssätt - lita på processen som möjliggörare för struktur och uthållighet. Studien visar vidare att det finns stark koppling mellan psykologisk trygghet och de sex fokusområdena för att vara i ständig förnyelse och kunna möta kraven i omvärlden. Psykologisk trygghet är en möjliggörare för att bygga kapacitet genom dessa fokusområden. Fokusområdena bidrar i sin tur till ökad psykologisk trygghet, samtidigt som de möjliggör att vara i ständig förnyelse. / VUCA is the term used to describe the complex, uncertain and rapid changing world we live in today. Often it is described as a new paradigm with needs for new management models to continue to be successful. In order to be able to meet the new requirements, organizations need to develop ability to smoothly adapt to change, constantly work with improvement and development to increase their power to innovate. Psychological safety is a phenomenon that got more attention in business and research in recent years, due to its high correlation to the ability of individuals and teams to face change and to be high performance units. Psychological safety is a shared belief held by members of a team that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking. The purpose of this thesis was to contribute with knowledge about how companies work to build capacity in organizations to meet the requirements of VUCA, as well as understanding how psychological safety can be an enabler in this work. A qualitative interview study was conducted with six interviews at two larger organizations. The result of the study highlights six important focus areas for being in continuous renewal and successfully meeting the new requirements. These six focus areas are described as follows: Storytelling - “why” as an enabler for motivation and meaning, Ability to learn - curiosity as an enabler for innovation, Leadership behaviours - to be a role model as an enabler for behaviour change, People centric approach - self-awareness as an enabler for self-leadership, Ownership - autonomy as an enabler for responsibility and empowerment and “Way of working” - trust the process as an enabler for structure and endurance. The study further shows that there is a strong link between psychological safety and the six focus areas. Psychological safety is an enabler to build capacity in these areas. The focus areas contribute in return to increase psychological safety and at the same time support the ability to meet the complex, uncertain and rapidly changing world. / <p>2020-11-26</p>

Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht die digitalen Transformationen in der Arbeitswelt und die daraus resultierenden Anforderungen an die Intraorganisatorische Online-Zusammenarbeit (IOC). Vor dem Hintergrund der dynamischen VUCA-Welt wird die Notwendigkeit hervorgehoben, die IOC-Fähigkeiten von Organisationen ganzheitlich zu bewerten und zu verbessern. Als zentrale wissenschaftliche Beiträge werden ein umfassender Anforderungskatalog für IOC-Steuerungsinstrumente dokumentiert und angewendet, die IOC-Literatur durch die systematische Aufarbeitung von 334 wissenschaftlichen Publikationen synthetisiert und deren Erfolgsfaktoren kategorisiert. Zudem wird ein IOC-Reifegradmodell mit domänenrelevanten Fähigkeiten und einer Entwicklungsstrategie vorgestellt. Der DEDAC-Reifegradmodell-Rahmen stellt einen domänenunabhängigen konzeptuellen Ansatz zur Verbesserung der Reifegradmodell-Praktikabilität dar, ergänzt durch Richtlinien für die Gestaltung von Delphi-Studien zur Reifegradmodell-Entwicklung. Aus praktischer Perspektive bietet die Arbeit einen Anforderungskatalog für IOC-Steuerungsinstrumente, eine systematische Übersicht über IOC-Erfolgsfaktoren, eine Kategorisierung und einen Reifepfad für das Management von IOC. Der DEDAC-Reifegradmodell-Rahmen dient zudem als Ansatz zur Steuerung und kontinuierlichen Verbesserung von IOC und anderen Bereichen. Trotz der umfangreichen Beiträge gibt es Limitationen, insbesondere die fehlende weitere Evaluierung des DEDAC-Reifegradmodell-Rahmens und die fehlende praktische Anwendung des IOC-Reifegradmodell-Prototyps in Organisationen. Zukünftige Forschungen könnten sich auf die Anwendung und Evaluation des IOC-Reifegradmodell-Prototyps in realen Organisationen konzentrieren, die Anpassungsfähigkeit an die Organisation untersuchen und den Reifepfad dynamisieren.

Submitted by ILTON MARCHI DE ALMEIDA null (ilton.marchi@embraer.com.br) on 2017-07-19T21:27:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PROPOSTA DE USO INTEGRADO DOS MÉTODOS SCRUM E CCPM NA GESTÃO DE MÚLTIPLOS PROJETOS.pdf: 3336782 bytes, checksum: cc1ec4213afdacfef036c01ce401ea13 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Monique Sasaki (sayumi_sasaki@hotmail.com) on 2017-07-20T17:48:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 almeida_im_me_bauru.pdf: 3336782 bytes, checksum: cc1ec4213afdacfef036c01ce401ea13 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-20T17:48:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 almeida_im_me_bauru.pdf: 3336782 bytes, checksum: cc1ec4213afdacfef036c01ce401ea13 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-30 / A Gestão de Projetos (GP) ganhou papel de destaque na viabilidade dos objetivos estratégicos das organizações. O desenvolvimento de produtos e serviços vem recebendo forte pressão do mercado, demandante de lançamentos frequentes e em prazos cada vez menores. Para atender estas novas exigências, a GP deve prover informações úteis para tomadas de decisões em ambientes de múltiplos e complexos projetos, sujeitos a relevantes incertezas e volatilidade. Considerando as oportunidades de melhoria das práticas da GP para lidar com este ambiente instável e ambíguo, o objetivo deste trabalho é propor, utilizando o método de Teoria Fundamentada em Dados (TFD), um framework que prescreva como aplicar de forma combinada dois métodos de GP: a Gestão de Projetos por Corrente Crítica (Critical Chain Project Management - CCPM) e o Scrum. Os resultados obtidos por este trabalho apontam que a integração destes métodos pode potencializar os benefícios e atenuar as fragilidades de cada uma delas em particular, e cujo uso articulado e coordenado pode permitir decisões mais efetivas em ambientes voláteis, incertos, complexos e ambíguos (VUCA - Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) de múltiplos projetos. / Project Management (PM) has gained a major role in the viability of the strategic objectives of organizations. The development of products and services has been under stronger market pressure, requesting frequent releases and in ever-shorter periods. To meet these new requirements, initiatives for maintaining PM as an information provider to make decisions in multiple and complex projects, exposed to relevant uncertainty and volatility, should be sought. Regarding the opportunities for improvement of PM practices to deal with this unstable and ambiguous environment, the objective of this work is to propose, using the Grounded Theory (GT) method, a framework that prescribes how to apply two GP methods in combination: the Critical Chain Project Management - CCPM and Scrum. The results of this work indicate that the integration of these methodologies can enhance the benefits and mitigate the weaknesses of each of them in particular. This hybrid model could permit a better articulation and coordination of the project tasks, allowing effective decisions in multiple project environments affected by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA).

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Since the beginning of the 2020’s the world has drastically changed and forced organisations to re-adapt, adjust and reconfigure their business in order to survive. The Covid-19 pandemic rewrote the map of conducting business, as well as the war in Ukraine was a catalyst for inflation, and thereafter rising interest rates. Simultaneously, the climate is suffering greatly from the human footprints, forcing humanity to act swiftly to avoid collapse of ecosystems and an irreversible global warming. Organisations and societies are therefore forced to change their way of production and consumption, to be able to adapt to these changes. However, there is limited research inwhat successful aspects make environmentally sustainable SMEs outlast business environments embedded by turbulence. Therefore, this study aims to shed light on the capabilities required and answer the research question: How do Swedish SMEs maintain their environmentally sustainable business practices when faced with a turbulent business environment? The raison d'être of this thesis is to investigate and deliver insights on how Swedish Small- and Medium sized Enterprises (SME) manoeuvre their environmentally sustainable business practices in an uncertain environment, and what characteristics are proven to be successful to cope with such conditions. In order to answer the research question and fulfil the purpose of this study, semi-structured interviews with 8 top managers within environmentally sustainable SMEs, were conducted under an inductive approach. Henceforth, the primary data offers important insights in how environmentally sustainable SMEs navigate through business environments embedded by turbulence. The findings suggest how the turbulent conditions of today are both of economic, as well as environmental aspect, forcing SMEs to implement environmentally sustainable practices at the core of their operations to be able to succeed. Hence, the SME must constantly manage the balance between profitability and environmental sustainability in order to make a positive impact on society. The findings further indicate that in order tomanage these turbulent conditions, it is evident that it is vital to be close to the market and understand its changing conditions, in combination with having the ability to be proactive and reactive towards the changes. Aside from this, the findings also emphasise the importance of valuable stakeholder relationships, as well as having an active and independent owner, in order to stay competitive during tough times. In conclusion, this study contributes to the theoretical aspects of Dynamic Capabilities and VUCA with emphasis on environmentally sustainable SMEs. Nevertheless, it also contributes with practical knowledge regarding how these types of organisations manage their environmentally sustainable business practices when times are tough.

Abstract The relationship between individual and organizational performance is a key challenge for leaders in modern organizations, especially with the current disruption in technology and innovation. This thesis is a literature review and compilation of the relevant empirical evidence on various processes of industrial groups and organizational characteristics such as the changing nature of work, leadership, and company culture in detail. I investigate the complex challenges that millennials and organizations are facing in the current VUCA work environment as well as their potential responses to these changes. I map out the evolution of the concept of work and compare changes in the workplace environment of the past, present, and future. Additionally, this thesis reviews the literature on organizational culture models, cultural fit and clash. I explore the intertwined differences and commonalities between management and leadership and also consider a gradual shift to a model of managerial-leadership in 21st century organizations. Furthermore, the research closely examines cultural change management through the lens of mergers and acquisitions. It also discusses next steps, like job redesign, team reorganization, and cultural reconciliation, to increase job satisfaction, employee motivation, and performance in future-ready organizations.

Genom en rad globala kriser har de senaste åren tydliggjort hur en ökad global osäkerhet,inramad genom VUCA-teorin (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity), harpåverkat företags riskhanteringsstrategier för lagerhantering och lokaliseringsbeslut. Studienundersöker Just in Time, Just in Case, reshoring- och regionaliseringsstrategier som svar påglobala kriser likt COVID-19, Suezkanalsblockaden samt Ryssland-Ukraina-konflikten.Händelserna har tydliggjort de globala leveranskedjornas sårbarhet, vilket medfört enomvärdering av supply chain management med ett ökat fokus på robusthet mot externaförändringar. Riskminimerande strategier likt omlokalisering av leverantörer och ökadlagerhållning kan dock medföra ökade kostnader. Studien ämnar därmed att undersöka omkriserna i närtid har haft en påverkan på företags strategier gällande risktagande samt vilkatrender som kan urskiljas mellan geografiska beslut och lagerhållningsstrategier. Studien harundersökt forskningsområdet genom kvalitativ forskning där datainsamling genomförtsgenom bland annat intervjuer med personer med insyn och ansvar inom sex globala företagsleveranskedjor. Resultatet visar på ett förhållande mellan stora säkerhetslager, Just in case,samt möjlighet att förlägga leverantörer med lång geografisk distans, offshoring. Motsatvishar även ett förhållande funnits mellan riskhanteringsstrategin med närliggande leverantörer,reshoring/regionalisering och möjlighet att tillämpa små lagernivåer, Just in time. Studien hardärmed bidragit med insikter om hur företags riskhanteringsstrategier förändrats till följd avomvärldsosäkerhet, samt hur de geografiska och lagerhållningsmässiga strategiernaprioriteras av globala företag.

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