The aim of this study is to create an increased understanding of shared leadership and how it takes shape in the relationship between first-line managers in human service organizations. Shared leadership is seen as a complement to the traditional one-man leadership and briefly means that two managers share the role that usually is held by a single leader. The study has a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with managers in human service organizations. The interviews mention the mangers thoughts and experiences about shared leadership and gain approval in the hermeneutic science field. The study is analyzed based on symbolic interactionism where perspectives from the theoreticians Mead and Goffman are used. The relationship between the two managers is also analyzed using Foucault's meaning about the concept of power. The results show that shared leadership, on a voluntary basis, has great potential to create satisfaction, personal development, and provide higher quality of decision-making. Communication is seen in the result as one of the most important factors to a successful shared leadership. To share leadership implicate a requirement of clear power structures. The power structure lays groundwork for the shared leaderships success or failure.

Personal assistance from a welfare perspective, offering a variety of reasons is perceived as a different design assistance than is usually there in the public social assistance depending on the strong foundations of the handicap principle autonomy and influence is in terms of how, what and when the operation is performed. The aim of our study was to highlight the handicap principle influence and autonomy in the operation of personal assistance. It is intended both to illustrate the legislature's intentions and ideologues expectations and also to examine a number of managers and personal assistants experiences of the conditions that exist for realize these principles. In order to answer our purpose and our issues, we have chosen a qualitative approach. We have first conducted a literature review and secondly implemented six interviews with personal assistants and managers. As theoretical analysis concepts are used formulations in the process and legislation as well as previous research on the handicap principle influence and self-determination and also Hasenfelds theory of human service organizations. We chose an integrated performance analysis and reporting of our study materials. The results showed that the proportion of the disability, relationships and the organization is of importance for the realization of the handicap principle influence and autonomy. This indicates an intent which is diverse and complex since there are several aspects to consider in organizations where people are the raw material.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka och analysera kompetensbehov inom olika kommunala human service-organisationer, där bland annat socialpedagoger är verksamma i Västerviks kommun. Min studie vill även undersöka inom vilka verksamheter högskoleutbildade socialpedagoger arbetar idag samt vilka kompetenser de har och vilka kompetenser lämpar sig för att arbeta inom human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun. Denna studie strävar efter att vara ett stöd för att förbereda human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun inför eventuella utmaningar vid framtida rekrytering av befintlig och ny kompetens. Samtidigt vill jag med min studie stärka kunskapen kring socialpedagoger. Studien består av både en kvantitativ och kvalitativ undersökning. Det empiriska materialet har insamlats via en enkätundersökning och en gruppintervju med personer som har medarbetar- och verksamhetsansvar inom olika human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun. Resultatet av min studie påvisar att det finns ett kompetensbehov inom human service-organisationer i Västerviks kommun som främst präglas av intellektuella och sociala kompetenser. De intellektuella kompetenser som personalen behöver för att behärska arbetsmoment och situationer i det dagliga arbetet var formell utbildning och olika specialkompetenser i relation till sitt yrkesområde. Sociala kompetenser om hur personal agerar i relation till andra. Bemötande är andra framträdande kompetenser som nämns. Framtida behov av kompetens följer dagens framställningar dock betonas behoven att påverkas av personal bortfall samt lag- och uppdragsförändringar. I studien framkommer det att högskoleutbildade socialpedagoger är mest förekommande inom verksamheter som främst bedriver förändringsarbete med arbetsuppgifter som handläggning och utbildning. Det visar sig att socialpedagoger och socialpedagogiken har en plats inom human service-organisationer eftersom socialpedagogiken i sig är till för att anpassas efter behovet som efterfrågas i samhället inom socialt arbete. / The study aims to investigate and analyze skills required within the various municipal human service organizations, including social pedagogues working in Västervik. My study would also examine the activities within college-educated social pedagogues working today and what skills they have and what skills are suitable for working in human service organizations in Västervik. This study strives to be a support to prepare human service organizations in Västervik facing any challenges in future recruitment of existing and new skills. At the same time, I want to strengthen the knowledge of social pedagogues. The study consists of both a quantitative and qualitative study. The empirical data were collected through a questionnaire and group interviews with people who have employee and operational responsibilities within various human service organizations in Västervik. The results of my study indicate that there is a skills needs in human service organizations in Västervik mainly characterized by intellectual and social skills. The intellectual skills that staff need to master tasks and situations in the daily work were formal education and various special competences in relation to their professional field. Social skills of how personnel act in relation to others. Responding is the second prominent competencies mentioned. Future skills demand follows today's petition, however, emphasized the need to be affected by staff losses and legal and mission changes. The study shows that college-educated social pedagogues are most abundant in activities primarily engaged in change management with duties in the management and training. It turns out that social pedagogues and social pedagogy has a place in human service organizations as social pedagogy in itself is to be adapted to the needs that society demands of social work.

The background of this paper is the dual role that the social worker can have, of beeing both supportive and controlling in the meeting with clients. It is also about the power the social worker can have, how they handle the power in their profession and how they remain to it in the relationship with the client. The study is qualitative and built on interviews with eight social workers that work in different areas in the social services. We have chosen to see this dual role as if the social workers have to, in their daily work, handle the roles as one authority role and one supportive role towards the client. The purpose of this study is to understand how the dual role as the social worker has in the profession, as a helper and a authority, is expressed in the work and relationship with the client. We have turned this purpose into two questions: How do social workers with authority remain to the dual roles of the profession? How do the social workers describe and understand power? We don´t want to generalize in this study, we want to give an example of the social workers own experiences about the dual role. Our theoretical point of view is the pastoral power, street-level bureaucracy and human service organizations. We have also been using earlier research. The analyze and result is presented together, split into five themes. The result shows that the social workers does not see the roles as two different, they see it as one intertwined. The results also show that the social workers see power only when they take decisions that are negative for the clients. We finish of the paper with a discussion about our reflections on the results and some thoughts on how to proceed with research in this subject.

The purpose of this study was to analyze how the key staff concept is used in residential care for children and young people and which role the key staff concept plays in the organization. The study was based on semi-structured qualitative interviews with six key staff and two managers from two different residential care facilities for children and young people. The theoretical perspective used was the neo-institutional theory and Hasenfeld´s term Human service organizations. One of the conclusions of the study was that the key staff describe that they have a central role when it comes to the treatment of the children. Another conclusion showed the variety of tasks that the key staff have, like the administrative work that they do. They also have an educational role, similar to the one that parents normally have which means that they are responsible of parenting the children. They also described themselves as a link between the children and their social network. The people interviewed justified the use of the key staff concept as it gives structure for the work, security to the children and serves as a guide on how to create and maintain relationships. The institutional processes shown in the key staff concept are: the coercive, which can be seen by the obligation to follow the treatment plans. The mimetic, since it exists only a few ways to organize the work and the normative which shows that their education and/or the level of education can affect the approach that they have towards the children.

<p>Personal assistance from a welfare perspective, offering a variety of reasons is perceived as a different design assistance than is usually there in the public social assistance depending on the strong foundations of the handicap principle autonomy and influence is in terms of how, what and when the operation is performed. The aim of our study was to highlight the handicap principle influence and autonomy in the operation of personal assistance. It is intended both to illustrate the legislature's intentions and ideologues expectations and also to examine a number of managers and personal assistants experiences of the conditions that exist for realize these principles. In order to answer our purpose and our issues, we have chosen a qualitative approach. We have first conducted a literature review and secondly implemented six interviews with personal assistants and managers. As theoretical analysis concepts are used formulations in the process and legislation as well as previous research on the handicap principle influence and self-determination and also Hasenfelds theory of human service organizations. We chose an integrated performance analysis and reporting of our study materials. The results showed that the proportion of the disability, relationships and the organization is of importance for the realization of the handicap principle influence and autonomy. This indicates an intent which is diverse and complex since there are several aspects to consider in organizations where people are the raw material.</p>

The purpose of this essay is to investigate the factors that influence the middle-managers' way of handling challenging situations at work. The questions include in which way managers handle the demands and expectations of the professional role, but also what factors they consider as important to be able to cope with these challenges. The material that forms the basis for this study is four dissertations which all deal with issues concerning the leadership that is conducted at the operational level. The theoretical basis of the study includes various theoretical concepts such as social action, coping strategies and social support. Also, parts from the dramatic perspective have been retrieved where Erving Goffman's theory about “the mediator” is relevant to current essay. Previous research explains how middle managers get in a difficult position between the different actors' interests within the organization. The research also describes the complexity of middle-level leadership. The results of the present study shows that managers handle difficult situations at work by balancing loyalties, seeking support at work, and relate to the leadership role in a certain way. The factors that affect whether managers can handle challenges are due to personal or organizational factors, such as the orientation of the organization, the amount of social support or the influence of the personal life. / Studien syftar till att undersöka vilka faktorer som har betydelse för hur mellanchefer hanterar de utmaningar som präglar ledarskapet.Forskningsfrågorna besvarar på vilket sätt cheferna hanterar de krav och förväntningar som ställs på yrkesrollen, men också vilka faktorer som de anser skapar förutsättningar för att kunna hantera dessa krav och förväntningar. Det material som analyserats och som utgör grunden för studien är fyra avhandlingar som alla behandlar frågeställningar kring det ledarskap som bedrivs närmast verksamheten inom vård och omsorg. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter innefattar olika teoretiska begrepp såsom socialt handlande, copingstrategier samt socialt stöd. Även delar från det dramaturgiska perspektivet har hämtats där Erving Goffmans teori ommedlaren utgör relevans för föreliggande studie. Tidigare forskning redogör för hur mellanchefer hamnar i en klämd position mellan olika aktörers intressen inom organisationen, forskningen beskriver också den komplexitet som ett ledarskap på mellannivå innebär. Föreliggande studies resultat visar att chefer hanterar svåra situationer i arbetet genom att balansera lojaliteter, söka stöd i arbetet och förhålla sig på ett visst sätt till ledarrollen. De faktorer som påverkar huruvida cheferna anser att de kan hantera utmaningar beror på personliga alternativt organisatoriska faktorer, såsom verksamhetens inriktning, upplevt stöd och privatlivets karaktär.

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The increase of standardized working methods in social work is a well discussed topic due to the fact that the social workers have to practice social discretion in their profession. Previous research into the topic of work methods for social work and work involving human service organizations has been extensive. Many previous works have appraised standardized working methods as this is believed to effectivize and legitimize social work further. However, another school of thought argues that standardized methods may limit the worker and prevent them from making crucial decisions based on their own judgment. This study presents and discusses how standardized working methods may affect the social workers liberty to act of their own accord by using their professional discretion. Furthermore, the study discusses how standardized methods of work may affect the overall profession of social work altogether. The findings suggest that, although standardized working methods may be very effective, they must still allow room for individual judgment as well. This will ensure that rules and regulations are followed and the goals of the organization are being met, without compromising on the important relationship between social workers and their clients. A recurring theme throughout this study is the complexity of social work.

The study aims to describe and analyse the relationship between norm and practice regarding social services casework on honour-related problems. The relationship between norm and practice involves the difference between the way it is intended that social workers shall operate in these cases and how they perceive that this works in practice. We interviewed two focus groups of eight Swedish social workers, four in each group. We also held an individual interview with a social services business developer. Focus group interviews were based on two vignettes; one depicting an honour-related case and the second an "ordinary" case. The purpose of the vignettes was to investigate whether there is a difference in the assessment and handling of ordinary versus honour-related cases. The results of the interviews were analysed using Hasenfeld's theory on Human service organizations. We also used Lipsky's theory on street-level bureaucracy. We displayed similarities to previous research showing that social workers are unsure of how to assess and act on honour-related cases. It was evident that the social workers we interviewed were confident working "ordinary" cases involving child abuse, but felt uncertain dealing with honour-related cases. Because they are less frequent they have developed neither routines nor guidelines for them. The study showed that social workers’ lack of knowledge of honour-related problems and differences in culture limits their effectiveness in these cases. The results suggest that the social workers we interviewed rely on outside expertise when they are insecure, and consequently feel that they have no need for action plans or guidelines in honour-related cases. Lack of guidance and inadequate knowledge presents difficulties for social workers to meet the girls’ needs for help and support.