The purpose of this study was to find out from an ethical perspective how researchers describe a good leadership. The study tried to investigate more specifically the leadership styles and attributes of first-line managers which according to an ethical perspective characterized a good leadership in elderly care. The background used was the reforms that occurred in elderly care, the implementation of national values in elderly care and the laws governing leadership in elderly care. The method used was a text analysis of two books which focussed on leadership in elderly care and in social work. An inductive approach was used meaning that the study took the facts from the two books as a starting point and applied the theory to it. The theory used in the study was normative ethics. An analysis was made and it could be seen that there were different views on what constituted a good leadership and different views on the leadership styles and attributes of first-line managers that were considered to characterize a good leadership. Sometimes would a good leadership be described in terms of values such as  achievement, human value and high performance. Sometimes would a good leadership be described in terms of values like dignity, knowledge, self-responsibility and responsibility for others.   The study also found out that there were different leadership styles of first-line managers that created the conditions for a good leadership. These were leadership styles that included empowerment, good attitude, good communication and empathy. Moreover, the attributes that were considered to make first-line managers into good leaders were clarity, accessibility, humor, courage, authority, communicative skills, language skills and especially empathy and an equal attitude. Some researchers even pointed out that there was no particular type of leadership that could be considered the best and that there was no leadership style either that could be considered as a template for all leaders and organizations in elderly care to follow. It was thus found that without ethics as a theory, all of these findings would have been very confusing. Thanks to normative ethics as a tool, it could be understood why there were so many different views on what was considered to be a good leadership. Ethics casted light upon the fact that there were different values, norms, virtues, and motives behind an action that were given priority in different contexts explaining why there were so many different types of leadership styles and attributes that were considered appropriate in different situations. The study found out that a special emphasis was laid on the fact that a leader should know himself or herself and his or her view on mankind as well as his or her ethical values. Then he or she would know what his or her strengths and weaknesses were. It was also observed in the study that the virtues of a good leadership were never-ending. This was why training of first-line managers was considered central and it was found that training was to be organized for them on a more regular basis.

Introduction Change is theorised as being inevitable and constant, yet it can be managed either proactively or reactively. It can occur incrementally as a process, or drastically and radically; this invariably affects the systems and sub-system. Most managers in the Public Service (PS), officials, consultants and practitioners conceptualise change management with minimal strategies of how to deal with it, especially when it occurs in an organisation. Change management needs key role players with respective roles to manage change within an organisation. Change management in this study is in the context of organisational strategic change, where human resource (HR) and line managers are regarded as key stakeholders in dealing with change, particularly strategic change, in the PS. Failed change efforts are due to inadequate change management competence, which ultimately demands effective change management solutions, tailor-made programmes and specific actions, including skills and roles that need to be applied. If change is not managed in an organisation, it creates resistance that is associated with negative emotions where individuals and collectives experience fear, anxiety, insecurity, loss of control, constant routines, traditions, lack of support, confidence and trust. At an organisational level it can result in inadequate performance due to unclear goals and affected employees not being involved in the planning of change, as well as poor management style and political dynamics within the organisation. The PS is in flux and is affected by the rapid pace of social, political and technological change. Change should be managed by HR and line managers in the PS. Research Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the different roles that HR and line managers play during various phases of strategic change in the context of the PS and to further explore if they actually fulfil those theoretically determined roles. Motivation for the Study The PS has undergone tremendous change, mainly to adapt its service delivery machinery to government’s broadened mandate to serve all of the people of South Africa. Therefore, the motivation of this study is based on the lack of success in the PS in delivering services as required. This necessitates change efforts to improve service delivery. The failure of change efforts due to insufficient change solutions by management in the PS creates a gap in knowledge about change management solutions in the PS. This knowledge gap exists as result of the fact that there has been no research that has explored, in any detail, specifically how HR and line managers go about managing change on a day-to-day basis. This indicates that there is a scarcity of prior empirical studies exploring how change should be managed in organisations, including the PS. Leaders and managers in the PS do not understand the complexities they are facing when dealing with change due to the lack of capacity in terms of roles in leading and managing the change process. Hence the motivation of the study seeks to determine change management solutions through key stakeholders, by exploring the roles of HR and line managers in managing and leading change in the Public Service. / Dissertation (MPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Human Resource Management / MPhil / Unrestricted

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka samt analysera hur linjechefer upplever ett centraliserat HR-stöd. Studien är en kvalitativ fallstudie och har genomförts inom Falu kommun bestående av nio kvalitativa intervjuer med linjechefer. HR-funktionen består av många olika avdelningar och i denna studie har en avgränsning gjorts till HR-center. Efter de genomförda intervjuerna sammanställdes och analyserades resultatet utifrån litteratur och tidigare forskning. Detta för att tolka den insamlade empirin i förhållande till teori. Efter genomförda intervjuer visar sig linjechefernas upplevelser vara varierande. Studien visar att linjecheferna upplever ett professionellt stöd och bemötande från HR-center. I resultatet framgår det att relationen mellan parterna är enormt betydelsefull, men även en förutsättning för samarbete. Ur resultatet framkommer det förväntningar om att HR-center ska vara lättillgängliga och kunna stötta med sin specialistkompetens inom HR-området. Resultatet synliggör att flertalet linjechefer upplever det fördelaktigt att HR-funktionen är centraliserad. Organiseringen skapar möjlighet till specialistkunskap hos HR-specialisterna vilket främjar chefsstödet. Det framkommer att den personliga kontakten är meningsfull för linjecheferna, men flertalet betonar att det försvåras av att HR-funktionen är centraliserad / The aim of this essay is to investigate and analyze how line managers experience the support of a centralized HR function. The study is a qualitative case study and has been conducted within Falu Municipality consisting of nine qualitative interviews with line managers. The HR function consists of many different departments and in this study a demarcation has been made to the HR center. After the interviews, the results were compiled and analyzed based on literature and previous research. Therefore it was possible to interpret the collected empiricism in relation to theory. After the interviews, the line managers experiences turned out to be varied. The study shows that the line managers experience a professional support and response from the HR center. The result also presented that the relationship between the parties is important, but also a prerequisite for cooperation. Furthermore, the result shows expectations that HR center should be easily accessible and have the ability to support with their knowledge. The result states that most line managers find it useful that the HR function is centralized. The organization creates the opportunity for specialist knowledge of the HR specialists, which promotes support to the line managers. It turns out that the personal contact is meaningful to the line managers, but it also confirms that it is made more difficult by the fact that the HR function is centralized.

As market conditions constantly change in today's competitive landscape, businesses must invest in organizational changes to stay relevant. Despite the high frequency of change projects worldwide, multiple sources state that 70% of all change projects fail. Consequently, change management has become a highly researched area to understand and propose strategies to organizations to increase the chance for successful change implementation. The literature reviewed in this study indicated a gap in current research in understanding the feasibility of managerial strategies and employee preferences. Therefore, the research purpose was to address what preferences can be identified amongst the employees and when assessing the appropriate timing for incorporating employee preferences throughout the implementation stage of a change project. To provide practical implications to managers, the research question addressed was formulated as “How do management utilize employee preferences in preparing for a strategic change project?" To address the research question and purpose, the study conducted an employee survey to identify employee preferences in a strategic change project. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with first-line managers to evaluate their current strategies in change projects. The sample consisted of employees and managers from a large 200-year-old multinational organization in finance. The study indicated that employees and managers preferred transparent and frequent communication. However, employees highlighted that the possibility to provide feedback and input was higher than the ability to impact the change project. This discrepancy indicates a misalignment of whether the feedback and input can reach the project leaders or if the preferences are neglected for other reasons. To address the appropriate timing of when management could consider employee preferences, a framework has been developed in relation to the data collected and best practices according to the literature reviewed. The framework proposes a practical implication to management when preferences are to be considered in terms of what type of change project is performed to increase the likelihood of the change project implementation. / Eftersom marknadsvillkoren ständigt förändras i dagens konkurrensutsatta landskap krävs det att företag investerar i organisatoriska förändringar för att fortsätta vara relevanta. Trots den höga frekvensen av förändringsprojekt runt om i världen, hävdar flera källor att 70\% av alla förändringsprojekt slutar i misslyckande. Som en följd har förändringsledning blivit ett mycket forskat område, för att förstå och föreslå strategier till organisationer och ledare om hur man kan öka chansen för en lyckad förändring. Litteratur-genomgången i denna studie indikerade en brist i nuvarande forskning i förståelsen av genomförbarheten av ledningsstrategier och anställdas preferenser. Därför var syftet att undersöka vilka preferenser som kan identifieras bland de anställda och när det är lämpligt att ta hänsyn till de anställdas preferenser under implementeringen av ett förändringsprojekt. För att ge praktiska implikationer till chefer formulerades forskningsfrågan som "Hur använder chefer anställdas preferenser i förberedelsen av ett strategiskt förändringsprojekt?" För att adressera forskningsfrågan genomförde studien en enkätundersökning bland anställda för att identifiera deras preferenser i ett strategiskt förändringsprojekt. Dessutom genomfördes halvstrukturerade intervjuer med första linjens chefer för att utvärdera deras nuvarande strategier i förändringsprojekt. Urvalet bestod av anställda och chefer från en stor 200-årig multinationell organisation, verksamma inom finanssektorn. Resultaten av studien visade att både anställda och chefer föredrog transparent och frekvent kommunikation. Anställda betonade att möjligheten att ge feedback och input var högre än förmågan att påverka förändringsprojektet. Denna diskrepans indikerar en brist på överensstämmelse, där feedback och input inte når projektledarna eller att preferenser försummas av andra skäl. För att adressera den lämpliga tidpunkten för när chefer kan överväga anställdas preferenser har ett ramverk utvecklats utifrån den insamlade datan och den granskade litteraturen. Ramverket föreslår en praktisk tillämpning för chefer när preferenser ska beaktas i relation till vilket typ av förändringsprojekt som utförs, detta för att öka sannolikheten för genomförandet av förändringsprojektet.

This research investigates the impact of attributes of line managers based on the Abilities, Motivation, and Opportunity (AMO) model in relation to effective HRM implementation. Conducted within an organization in the battery industry, the study measures HRM implementation through a performance appraisal system called Leapsome. A self-administered questionnaire, informed by previous literature on AMO and HRM implementation effectiveness factors derived from interviews with three HR department employees involved in developing Leapsome, was utilized. The questionnaire was distributed as per census data collection method, to 258 line managers via Google Forms, yielding 103 complete responses for analysis. Regression and correlation analyses were performed, focusing on three main dependent variables: effort, frequency of use, and alignment with deadlines. The results indicated positive relationships between all independent variables and the dependent variables, except for the relationship between ability and effort, which was not supported. Consequently, the hypotheses were accepted, except for the hypothesis stating that ability positively correlates with effort. The study concludes with managerial and theoretical implications and provides recommendations for future research.

Krav och kontroll utgör delar av den så kallade krav, kontroll, och stödteorin som ofta används för att förklara hälsoutfall i arbetslivet. En organisations ledarskap tillskrivs ofta den stödjande funktionen i krav, kontroll, och stödteorin. Genom teorin tilldelas ledaren ett ansvar för såväl anställdas hälsa som välbefinnande i arbetslivet. Att inneha en chefsroll i en organisation kan utifrån detta betraktas som utmanande. Ledarskapsforskningen innehåller en teori om hur ledaren kan anpassa nivån av stöd i relation till motstridiga krav i arbetslivet. Andra studier menar att ledarskap är ett resultat av den kontext ledarskapet utövas i. Första linjens chefer beskrivs genom forskning som en chefsposition utsatt för höga krav i kombination med begränsade kontrollutrymmen. Särskilt utsatta anses första linjens chefer inom hälso-, och sjukvården vara. Studier inom ämnet fokuserar främst på första linjens chefer med en vårdrelaterad yrkesroll där patientkontakt ingår, som verkar inom den offentliga hälso-, och sjukvården. Då den privata vårdsektorn växer sig allt större kan forskning med inriktning mot privat hälso-, och sjukvård ses som intressant att studera. Studiens syfte är att undersöka och beskriva första linjens chefers upplevelser av krav och kontroll inom den privata psykiatri-, och missbruksvården. Studiens datamaterial har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och sammanställts genom en fenomenografisk analysansats. Resultatet av studien visar att första linjens chefers upplevelser av krav och kontroll är ett relaterade till chefsrollens ansvarområden, kontext och möjlighet att utöva ledarskap. Första linjen chefernas möjlighet att utöva ledarskap är i sin tur ett resultat av omgivande kontext. Att addera kontext som en faktor i den befintliga krav, kontroll stödteorin kan utökas förståelsen för chefers arbetsmiljö, möjlighet att utöva ledarskap och möjlighet att ge underordnade anställda stöd. / Aim: Examine and describe first line managers’ perceptions of demand and control within the private psychiatric, and treatment care. Background: First line managers’ (FLM) work in health care contains high demands and limited control space. It is claimed through leadership research that leaders can adapt the amount of support and control to a given work situation. Other leadership studies claims that a certain work situation, context, can affect the leadership performance. Due to the demand, control, support model, work situations containing high demands and limited control space effects the individuals’ experience of work in a negative way that can affect health and wellbeing. Method: Ten first line managers’ from the private psychiatric and treatment care were interviewed. The interview material was analyzed and presented through a phenomenographic analysis. Result: FMLs’ experiences of demand and control were a result of manager role’s responsibilities, context and opportunity to exercise leadership. FMLs’ opportunity to exercise leadership was in turn a result of surrounding context. Conclusion: Adding context to the existing demand, control and support model can develop an understanding of managers' work environment, opportunity to exercise leadership and ability to support subordinate employees.

Bakgrund: Ekonomistyrning inkluderar alla verktyg, system, regler, praxis, värderingar och övriga aktiviteter som chefer använder för att försäkra sig om att de anställdas beteenden och beslut är förenliga med organisationens mål och strategier. En typ av styrsystem som har använts länge är målstyrning, där mål används som ett medel för att förbättra prestationen. Målstyrning kan användas på alla nivåer i en organisation, en viktig nivå är första linjens chefer eftersom de är en kritisk länk mellan högre chefer och de anställda. Trots detta är det relativt okänt hur första linjens chefer uppfattar målstyrning som styrmedel. Syfte: Syftet med vår studie är att beskriva och förklara relationen mellan första linjens chefers uppfattning av målstyrning och deras prestation. Avsikten är även att skapa en modell som visar parametrar som påverkar första linjens chefers uppfattning av målstyrningen. Tillvägagångssätt: Denna studie har genomförts genom en fallstudie av ett enda fall. Som empiriinsamlingsmetod har halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med femton första linjens chefer inom inköp på Saab AB. Resultat: Denna studie har visat att det är viktigt för första linjens chefers uppfattning av målstyrningen att följande fyra faser finns med i målstyrningsprocessen: målformulering, handlingsplaner, regelbunden översyn samt prestationsbedömning. Inom dessa faser har även tio viktiga parametrar som påverkar linjechefernas uppfattning av målstyrningen identifierats: delaktig i stor utsträckning i målformuleringen, SMART:a mål, lagom många mål, högt målengagemang, att planer finns, tillräckligt med löpande feedback, lärandefeedback i någon utsträckning, att en årlig utvärdering finns, att hänsyn tas till feedbacken vid den årliga utvärderingen till nästa år samt att det finns konsekvenser av att nå målen respektive inte nå målen. I studien har även konstaterats att det finns ett positivt samband mellan första linjens chefers uppfattning av målstyrningen och deras måluppfyllelse. / Background: Management control includes all the tools, systems, rules, practices, values, and other activities that managers use to ensure that the employees' behavior and decisions are consistent with organizational goals and strategies. A type of control system that has been used during a long time is performance management, where goals are used as a means to improve performance. Performance management can be used at all levels of an organization; an important organizational level is that of the first-line managers as they are a critical link between senior managers and employees. Nevertheless, it is relatively unknown how first-line managers perceive performance management as a management tool. Aim: The aim of our study is to describe and explain the relationship between first-line managers' perception of performance management and their goal achievement. The aim is also to create a model that shows the parameters that influence the first line managers' perceptions of performance management. Completion: This study has been carried out through a single case study. Data has been collected through semi-structured interviews that were conducted with fifteen first-line managers in the purchasing department at Saab AB. Conclusions and results: This study has shown that it is important for first-line managers' perceptions of performance management to have the following four phases included in the performance management process: goal setting, action plans, regular reviews and performance appraisal. Within these phases ten key parameters that influence line managers' perceptions of performance management were also identified: involved extensively in formulating goals, SMART goals, a suitable number of goals, high goal commitment, existence of plans, sufficient regular feedback, inclusion of learning feedback to some extent, existence of a yearly performance evaluation, taking feedback from the yearly performance evaluation into account to next year’s performance management process and existence of consequences of achieving or not achieving the goals. The study also found that there is a positive correlation between first-line managers' perception of performance management and their goal achievement.

Första linjens ledares roll har under de senaste åren blivit mer ansvarskrävande. Vad är då viktigt för ledare i denna position då det kommer till att åstadkomma förändring? Finns det några utmaningar första linjens ledare stöter på? Denna studie syftar till att belysa första linjens ledares upplevelse av att leda en förändringsprocess. Två frågeställningar skapades; ”Vad anser första linjens ledare som viktigt i sitt ledarskap för att kunna åstadkomma förändring?” samt ”Vilka utmaningar möter första linjens ledare i en förändringsprocess?”. Detta undersöks genom att ta del av vad tidigare forskning lyfter fram som betydelsefullt dels då det kommer till den maktfördelning som skiftat inom organisationerna genom åren, men även den roll första linjens ledare tar på sig som facilitator av lärande i organisationer. Sex stycken halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes på ett statligt företag med ledare vars position fanns närmast den operativa personalen. Det empiriska materialet analyserades utifrån det ramverk uppsatsen skapat. Human Relations, double loop-lärande och teori O utgjorde det mjuka perspektivet i analysen och Scientific Management, single loop-lärande och teori E utgjorde det hårda perspektivet i analysen. Resultatet visar att vad som kommuniceras från strategisk nivå ofta behandlas av första linjens ledare utifrån det mjuka perspektivet och då det kommer till att kommunicera och implementera detta på operativ nivå utgår första linjens ledare oftast från det hårda perspektivet. / The responsibility of the first line managers has increased in amount over the past years. What does a manager, having this kind of position, feel is necessary when it comes to accomplish change? Are there any challenges presented to the first line manager during a change process? The purpose of this essay is to visualize first line managers experience of leading a change process. Two questions were posed; ”What do first line managers feel is important when it comes to their own leadership, to be able to achieve change?” and ”What challenges do first line managers face in a change process?”. The questions were examined by taking part of previous research, with emphasis on the evolution of authority within organizations, as well as the role first line managers take on when it comes to facilitating learning within organizations. Six semi-structured interviews were held in a government owned company with leaders having a position closest to the operational staff. The material gathered through these interviews was analyzed with the theoretical framework created for this essay as a basis. Human Relations, double loop learning and theory O formed the soft perspective in the analysis and Scientific Management, single loop learning and theory E formed the hard perspective in the analysis. The results show that the line managers often treat communications from the strategic level to the first line managers according to the soft perspective, and when it comes to communicating and implementing what has been decided on the strategic level, it often is treated according to the hard perspective.

Statistik visar att ungefär en fjärdedel av chefer inom offentlig sektor lämnar sin befattning inom två år samt 40 procent inom fyra år. Det föreligger ett ekonomiskt problem då personalomsättning är kostsamt på flertalet sätt. Stressnivån som första linjens chefer upplever påverkar det psykiska välbefinnandet och påvisar därmed att det föreligger ett psykosocialt problem. Det är av allmän kännedom att första linjens chefer upplever svårigheter med att balansera krav från chefer och ledning med krav från medarbetare. Tidigare forskning påvisar att kontroll och stöd är viktiga faktorer för att upprätthålla en psykosocial arbetsmiljö. Karasek och Theorell utvecklade krav-kontroll-stödmodellen under 1970-talet och modellen har främst tillämpats i stressforskning. Uppsatsens syfte är att öka förståelsen till vilken inverkan krav, kontroll och stöd har på första linjens chefers beslut att lämna sin befattning inom offentlig sjukvård. Studien baseras på sex stycken kvalitativa, semi-strukturerade intervjuer med första linjens chefer. Intervjufrågorna utgår från krav-kontroll-stödmodellen och det insamlade intervjumaterialet har analyserats samt tolkats utifrån en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Uppsatsens resultat visar att endast två av sex första linjens chefer haft funderingar på att lämna sin chefsposition. Respondenterna har påvisat betydelsen av andra faktorer utöver krav, kontroll och stöd såsom utvecklingsmöjligheter och att finna en balans mellan arbetsliv och privatliv. Samtliga respondenter hävdar dock att krav, kontroll och stöd är viktiga för deras roll som första linjens chef. Flertalet upplever höga krav i arbetslivet, hög kontroll över arbetssituationen samt stöd i arbetsliv såväl som privatliv. Utifrån intervjumaterialet kan vi konstatera att upplevt stöd i privatlivet är av större betydelse än stöd i arbetslivet. / Statistics has shown that a quarter of managers within the public sector resign within two years and 40 percent within four years. This has caused an economic social problem, since employee turnover is expensive in multiple ways. In addition, a psycho social problem has risen due to the stress first line managers experience, which has affected their health. In general, first line managers struggle to find a balance between demands from management department and demands from employees. Furthermore, previous research has shown the importance of having control and feeling support when maintaining a healthy work environment. Karasek and Theorell created the demand-control-support-model in the 1970’s which has mainly been used in studies of stress and stress related diseases. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact demand, control and support have for first line managers’ decision to leave their manager position within public health care. The study is based on six qualitative semi-structured interviews with first line managers. The interview questions are based on the demand-control-support model whereupon the material was analyzed by using a qualitative content analysis. The result shows only two of six participants have considered leaving their manager position within public health care. The participants highlight the importance of experiencing demand, having control and feeling support in their roles as first line managers. They also emphasize other essential variables such as having the opportunity to develop both personally and in work life, and to balance work life and private life. The investigated variables are thus important and the majority of first line managers perceive a high level of demands, high control and support in work life as well as in private life. Based on the interviews, we can confirm perceiving support in private life is of greater value than feeling support in work life.

Good conditions in the workplace, fairness in the workplace and the social differences contribute to a general improvement in public health. A health-promoting leader is working to create a workplace that promotes health, supports its employees and contributes to their wellbeing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the first-line managers in the city of Västerås experience and deal with their conditions and obstacles in the health-promoting leadership. A qualitative approach was chosen and the selection was six first-line managers working in three different areas of the City of Västerås. Managers were interviewed by an interviewguide and the material was analyzed with a manifest content analysis, with an inductive approach. The results showed that managers had knowledge of health-promoting leadership and that they were working with health promotion strategies, both deliberately and unconsciously. Conditions that affect the health promoting leadership proved knowledge, manager’s personality, requirements, collaboration and support. Obstacles in health leadership were considered for some time, ignorance and to many employees to be responsible for. There was a need for more knowledge and support in health leadership. The conclusions were that the conditions for health promotion leadership should be improved and there is a need for training in the subject and the support of the head of health promotion within the City of Västerås.