Syfte och frågeställningar: Syftet med studien var att undersöka och erhålla kunskap kring hur frilansande specialister upplever deras arbetsform och vilka effekter arbetsformen medför för individen, sett utifrån ett hållbarhetsperspektiv. Studiens frågeställningar var: ”vilka effekter, i form av möjligheter respektive hinder, medför arbetsformen för frilansande specialister?” och ”vilka drivkrafter motiverar individen att frilansa?”   Material och metoder: I studien användes metoden klassisk grundad teori, vilket är en fullständig metod för hela uppsatsen. Datainsamlingen skedde genom fem ostrukturerade intervjuer samt fyra semistrukturerade intervjuer baserat på en kombination av snöbollsurval och ändamålsenligt urval. Intervjuerna kompletterades med fyra vetenskapliga artiklar relaterade till studiens forskningsändamål. Resultatanalysen skedde genom tre faser; öppen kodning, selektiv kodning och teoretisk kodning, vilket resulterade i en modell om hållbarhet för frilansande specialister.   Huvudresultat: Centralt för arbetsformens hållbarhet är omfattande yrkeskompetens, vilket är grundläggande för frilansande specialisters incitament och preferens samt anlitningsbarhet. Incitament och preferens till arbetsformen utgörs av strävan mot självständighet samt personlig och yrkesmässig utveckling kopplat till frilansarens omfattande yrkeskompetens. Anlitningsbarhet baseras på frilansande specialisters förmåga att effektivt kunna nätverka och marknadsföra yrkeskompetenser, samt kompetensen att kunna hantera arbetsformens potentiella ekonomiska osäkerhet. / Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate and obtain knowledge about how expert freelancers perceive their work and what effects the work form entails for the individual, from a sustainability perspective. The research questions were: "what effects, in terms of opportunities and obstacles, does the work form entail for expert freelancers?" And "what motivates the individual to freelance?"   Materials and Methods: The study used the classical grounded theory method, which is a complete method for the entire essay. Data collection was done through five unstructured interviews and four semi-structured interviews based on a combination of chain sampling and purposeful sampling. The interviews were completed with four scientific articles related to the study's research purpose. The analysis was done in three stages; open coding, selective coding and theoretical coding, which resulted in a model of sustainability for expert freelancers.   Findings: Key to obtain sustainability in the work form requires extensive professional competence, which leads to the incentives and preferences of expert freelancers and their employability. Incentives and preferences consist of the pursuit of independence and personal and professional development linked to the freelancer's extensive professional competence. The employability is based on expert freelancers ability to effectively build networks and market their professional skills, as well as the ability to handle the potential economic uncertainty of the work form.

<p>The purpose of this study is to gain understanding of how self employed entrepreneurs (hereafter referred to as “entrepreneurs”) develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. The main question is: How do these entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space? Other questions relevant for the study are: How important is the social environment for these entrepreneurs and how do they interact with their social environment in order to develop their competence. The study has a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews with six entrepreneurs were conducted, during March and April 2008. The main finding of this study is the process by which the entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. This is done through interaction with the entrepreneurs’ social environment. With a specific work task in mind, the entrepreneur evaluates his/her own competence in order to solve the task at hand, and in parallell search for the needed competence in his/her social environment. The social environment is therefore found to be very important to the entrepreneurs in the study. The active and conscious interactions lead to learning and in turn to development of the individual competence. This approach is essential for the entrepreneur to keep up-to-date and to stay attractive on the work market. Another finding in the study is how the entrepreneurs are forced to be more selective in the development of their competence, compared to a traditional employee, i.e. the entrepreneur needs to be more aware of whether he or she will gain anything from engaging in the specific activity. The responsibility for development of the individual competence lies solely on the entrepreneur. The development of the competence is however not separated from the overall responsibility of the business, but can be seen as part of the daily work.</p>

The purpose of this study is to gain understanding of how self employed entrepreneurs (hereafter referred to as “entrepreneurs”) develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. The main question is: How do these entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space? Other questions relevant for the study are: How important is the social environment for these entrepreneurs and how do they interact with their social environment in order to develop their competence. The study has a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews with six entrepreneurs were conducted, during March and April 2008. The main finding of this study is the process by which the entrepreneurs develop their competence based on their perceived learning space. This is done through interaction with the entrepreneurs’ social environment. With a specific work task in mind, the entrepreneur evaluates his/her own competence in order to solve the task at hand, and in parallell search for the needed competence in his/her social environment. The social environment is therefore found to be very important to the entrepreneurs in the study. The active and conscious interactions lead to learning and in turn to development of the individual competence. This approach is essential for the entrepreneur to keep up-to-date and to stay attractive on the work market. Another finding in the study is how the entrepreneurs are forced to be more selective in the development of their competence, compared to a traditional employee, i.e. the entrepreneur needs to be more aware of whether he or she will gain anything from engaging in the specific activity. The responsibility for development of the individual competence lies solely on the entrepreneur. The development of the competence is however not separated from the overall responsibility of the business, but can be seen as part of the daily work.