Försvarsmakten står inför en spännande utmaning genom att för första gången på mycket länge öka sin förmåga, med tillväxt av såväl numerära förband som förmågebredd och effekt. För att lyckas med detta är personalen en viktig komponent, kanske till och med den allra viktigaste. Det finns en stark politisk vilja att Försvarsmakten skall stärkas för att med bredare kompetens stå bättre rustad i hanteringen av en komplex hotbild. För att lyckas med en omfattande tillväxt kommer det kräva att Försvarsmakten kan behålla erfarenhet som finns inom organisationen samtidigt som det rekryteras ny personal. Denna undersökning är kvalitativ till sin utformning och fokuserar på att försöka förstå varför officerare vid K 3 väljer att söka alternativa karriärvägar. Den bygger i huvudsak på empiri från officerare som har slutat vid förbandet de tre senaste åren. Undersökningen handlar om relationen mellan en organisation och de individer som är en del av den. Resultatet visar att de huvudsakliga faktorerna till att officerare väljer alternativa karriärvägar och slutar vid förbandet handlar om att de inte tydligt kan se sina karriär- och utvecklingsmöjligheter samt bristande kommunikation avseende dessa. Individen upplever vidare en minskad samhörighet inom förbandet och att deras erfarenhet och kompetens inte omhändertas i tillräcklig omfattning.

Studien syftar till att utforska hur erfarenheter skapas under upprättandet av ett nytt regemente och hur de påverkar projektet.Studien är kvalitativ och induktiv där empirin inhämtats genom intervjuer och observationer. Studien fokuserar på tillkomsten av Bergslagens Artilleriregemente, A 9, men studier har även skett av Gotlands Regemente och Skaraborgs Regemente för att skapa en förståelse för det historiska arv som A 9 verkar i. Sprunget ur organisationsteori har meningsskapande, i studien benämnt som sensemaking, utvecklats som ett perspektiv för att förstå och navigera i komplexa system. Sensemaking är en process där individer och grupper söker, använder och tolkar information för att skapa en förståelse av sin omgivning och de situationer de befinner sig i. Sensemaking innebär att individen integrerar sina egna erfarenheter, satt i aktuell kontext och tolkar därigenom informationen. Detta gör det möjligt för organisationer att skapa mening av komplexa situationer och att fatta mer underbyggda beslut. Dessa beslut förankras sedan genom att individer försöker påverka andra att anta en gemensam tolkning av situationens mening, i studien benämnt som sensegiving. Resultatet av insamlade data visar att etableringen av Bergslagens artilleriregemente både innehåller utmaningar och problem men också framåtanda, problemlösande och en stark inneboende vilja att lösa uppgiften på ett förstklassigt sätt. Den innehåller också något djupare, något som är lite mer abstrakt. Under intervjuerna har vi upplevt att när vi ställer frågor om erfarenhetshantering, som i sig är ett relativt byråkratiskt och processinriktat frågeområde, så handlar svaren allt som ofta om det som upplevs svårt eller som inte fått möjlighet att processas i individens reflektioner eller tillsammans i gruppen på ett bra sätt. Många händelser som redan ägt rum har inte är blivit omhändertagna då reflektioner kring dessa händelser inte varit tillräckligt eller uteblivit. När data och upplevelser som vi fått under intervjuerna läggs samman såg vi ett mönster där erfarenhetshanteringen som vi kan se framgå av empirin i första hand inte är formbar i skrift eller ord utan istället som en pågående process i de individer och grupper som vi studerat. Studiens övergripande slutsatser är att för att sensemaking som koncept ska vara applicerbart i en organisation som Försvarsmakten så behövs en gemensam målbild och identitet skapas, utrymme för att reflektera retrospektivt över händelser i verksamheten, mandat som stärks och delegeras till rätt nivå, en flexibel syn på lednings- och arbetsmetoder och en förståelse för att nätverk mellan människor är den motor som driver sensemaking i organisationen. / The purpose of this study is to explore how experiences are formed during the establishment of a new regiment and how they impact the project. The study is a qualitative, inductive study where data was collected through interviews and observations. The study focuses on the creation of the Bergslagen Artillery Regiment, A 9, but studies have also been conducted on the Gotland Regiment and the Skaraborg Regiment to create an understanding of the historical legacy in which A 9 operates. Derived from organizational theory, sensemaking has developed as a perspective for understanding and navigating complex systems. Sensemaking is a process where individuals and groups seek, use and interpret information to create an understanding of their surroundings and the situations they are in. Sensemaking involves the individual integrating their own experiences, placed in the current context and thereby interpreting the information. This enables organizations to make sense of complex situations and make more informed decisions. These decisions are then anchored by individuals trying to influence others to adopt a common interpretation of the meaning of the situation, in the study referred to as sensegiving. The results of the collected data show that the establishment of the Bergslagen Artillery Regiment contains both challenges and problems but also forward momentum, problem-solving, and a strong inherent desire to solve the task in a first-class manner. It also contains something deeper, something that is a little more abstract. During the interviews, we have experienced that when we ask questions about lessons learned, which in itself is a relatively bureaucratic and process-oriented area of questioning, the answers often focus on what is perceived as difficult or what has not been given the opportunity to be processed in the individual's reflections or in the group in a good way. Many events that have already taken place have not been taken care of because reflections on these events have not been sufficient or have been lacking. When the data and experiences we have obtained during the interviews are combined, we see a pattern where lessons learned, as we can see from the empirical data, is primarily not formable in writing or words, but instead as an ongoing process in the individuals and groups we have studied. The overall conclusions of the study are that in order for sensemaking as a concept to be applicable in an organization like the Swedish Armed Forces, there is a need to create a shared vision and identity, space for retrospective reflection on operational events, strengthened and delegated mandates at the appropriate level, a flexible approach to leadership and work methods, and an understanding that networks among individuals are the engine that drives sensemaking in the organization.

Studien har genomförts på en svensk organisation som står inför en branschomställning vilket innebär att rekryteringsbehovet ökar och fler medarbetare behöver anställas. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad en attraktiv arbetsplats är, hur attraktiva arbetsplatser skapas, om det går att mäta och hur den studerade organisationen förhåller sig till det.   Datainsamlingen bestod av marknadsundersökningar som behandlar vad som utgör attraktiva arbetsplatser, organisationens egen medarbetarundersökning samt intervjuer med ledning och medarbetare. Data analyserades med teorier och tidigare forskning inom organisatorisk förändring, ledarskap och sensemaking, offensiv kvalitetsutveckling, attraktiv arbetsplats samt arbetsgivarvarumärke.   Organisationens medarbetare trivs väldigt bra, men organisationen har ett arbete framför sig för att bli mer attraktiva bland potentiella arbetstagare. Förbättringspotential ligger i att skapa delaktighet bland medarbetarna, ökad transparens i kommunikation och beslutsfattande, ledarskap och sensemaking samt att arbeta aktivt med ständiga förbättringar och innovation.   Med hänsyn till hur en attraktiv arbetsplats kan mätas presenteras en mognadsmodell med fem dimensioner. Dessa är sociala värderingar, maximera potential, effektivt ledarskap, ömsesidig tillit samt utveckling och innovation. Organisationen utvärderas med hjälp av modellen och nuläge identifieras. Slutligen presenteras förbättringsförslag som organisationen kan använda sig av för att göra en förflyttning mot att bli en mer attraktiv arbetsplats. / The study has been conducted at a Swedish organization facing industry changes and scaling, meaning the organization need to reconsider their strategies for attraction and retention of employees. The study aims to investigate what makes a workplace attractive, how great places to work are created and how this can be measured. Further, the study investigates where the specific organization fits into this and how they can create a workplace to attract more talent.   Data for the study was collected through market research, the organization's employee survey and through interviews with top management as well as employees. The data was analyzed using theories and previous research within organizational change, leadership and sensemaking, total quality management, great place to work and employer branding.   There is an overall high satisfaction amongst employees of the organization, however, there are areas of improvement. The organization needs to work with involving and engaging employees at all levels, increase transparency in communication and decision making, leading through sensemaking, and working actively with continuous improvements to innovate.   In regards of measuring how attractive a workplace is, a maturity grid has been presented. The maturity grid is based on five dimensions for creating a great place to work. These are social values, maximizing potential, efficient leadership, mutual trust in addition to continuous improvement and innovation. The studied organization has been evaluated in the maturity grid and suggestion for improvement to create a better workplace has been presented.

[pt] No contexto atual, a desconstrução asilar tem sido um tema que trouxe, tanto no meio acadêmico como para a sociedade, várias discussões que enfatizaram a luta pela desinstitucionalização da loucura e pelo fim dos manicômios, bem como a constituição histórica e da memória da saúde e da doença mental. Nessa trajetória de desinstitucionalização da loucura, o Instituto Municipal Nise da Silveira (IMNS) tem atuado por meio de algumas frentes, que vão desde a reestruturação arquitetônica do Instituto à criação de dispositivos capazes de construir uma nova visão sobre a loucura na sociedade por meio da arte e da cultura. O presente estudo buscou compreender de que forma o Núcleo de Articulação e Intervenções Culturais (NAIC) do Instituto Nise da Silveira, por meio das suas práticas organizativas cotidianas, promove o processo de desconstrução asilar. Nesse contexto, a presente tese se filia ao paradigma interpretativo, visto que compreende que os fenômenos são construídos socialmente, e se constituem a partir das interações dos agentes sociais. Segundo Deetz (2001), as organizações são como um lugar social, onde as pessoas trocam características e seu objetivo é mostrar como a realidade é socialmente construída e mantida pelas conversas, interações, histórias e rituais. Sendo assim, esta pesquisa está alinhada com um paradigma interpretativo. Para a condução do presente estudo, optou-se por utilizar a Pesquisa Ação bem como métodos de inspiração etnográfica – a observação participante e as entrevistas em profundidade – buscando fazer parte da experiência vivida pelos usuários de serviços de saúde mental para compreender as práticas organizativas do Núcleo de Articulação e Intervenções Culturais (NAIC) do Instituto Nise da Silveira como organizing nesse processo de construção e desconstrução asilar. Neste estudo, adotou-se a proposta metodológica da Pesquisa Ação, que se constitui, enquanto objeto formal, em tripla sequência: (1) Investigação-ação; (2) Tematização; e (3) Programação – ação. A Pesquisa Ação é caracterizada por ser uma abordagem fundamentada na participação e com orientação para a ação direcionada pelos sujeitos da pesquisa, cujo principal objetivo é transformar uma determinada realidade social, proporcionando benefícios a todos os atores envolvidos no processo (LODI et al, 2017). Na primeira etapa, Investigação-ação, realizou-se inicialmente a elaboração de um marco teórico comum, a seleção de uma área estratégica, a aproximação da área e a investigação participante. Já na etapa de Tematização, a pesquisadora fez a redução teórica, depois em seguida redução temática e finalizou esta etapa com a elaboração dos programas para os dispositivos escolhidos, que foram: (1) o Loucura Suburbana, o bloco de carnaval do Instituto Municipal Nise da Silveira; e (2) o Programa Espaço da Diferença, que é um programa da rádio Revolução FM, onde os usuários têm espaço para se expressar semanalmente. Para finalizar esta pesquisa, realizou-se a execução e avaliação dos Projetos em Ação elaborados para os dispositivos estudados. Verificou-se aproximações e afastamentos em relação aos dispositivos estudados. Tais resultados sugerem ainda que a pesquisa sobre a desconstrução asilar por meio da cultura deve levar em conta a heterogeneidade destes dispositivos, evitando tratá-los de forma reducionista, como se tratasse de um dispositivo homogêneo. Percebe-se que no processo de desconstrução asilar, o IMNS tem promovido várias ações, como: (1) redução significativa dos leitos no hospital psiquiátrico, (2) novos serviços e experiências que ajudam a exercer o cuidado no território, (3) a garantia da transformação da atenção pública em saúde mental no Estado, (4) desenvolvimento de múltiplos projetos de arte, cultura e geração de renda, promovendo a autonomia dos usuários dos serviços de saúde mental, e (5) principalmente a disposição de lutar contra o que afeta a dignidade humana. Observa-se neste processo, o NAIC e seus dispositivos promovendo a construção de laços de afeto e de solidariedade, legado deixado pela Dra. Nise da Silveira. As principais contribuições desta pesquisa são: compreender as práticas organizativas do NAIC e seus dispositivos por meio da elaboração das etapas, fases e passos da Pesquisa Ação, trazendo contribuições teóricas e práticas para o Instituto. Além disso, as construções conceituais realizadas para atingir os objetivos específicos deste trabalho são importantes para as pesquisas de Sensemaking e Organizing nos Estudos Organizacionais. Por fim, esta pesquisa não se encerra ao término desta tese, pelo contrário é o início de uma jornada na luta por uma sociedade sem manicômios. / [en] In the current context, asylum deconstruction both in the academic environment and to society has been a theme that has brought several discussions that have emphasized the struggle for the deinstitutionalization of madness and for the end of asylums, as well as the historical constitution and memory of health and mental illness. In this trajectory of deinstitutionalization of madness, Instituto Municipal Nise da Silveira (IMNS) has acted on some fronts, ranging from the architectural restructuring of the Institute to the creation of devices capable of building a new vision of madness in society through art and culture. The present study has aimed at understanding how Núcleo de Articulação e Intervenções Culturais - NAIC (Articulation and Cultural Interventions Center) of Instituto Nise da Silveira, promotes the asylum deconstruction process through its daily organizational practices. Given what has been said, the present thesis joins the interpretative paradigm, since it understands that the phenomena are socially constructed, and are constituted from interactions of social agents. According to Deetz (2001), organizations are like a social place, where people exchange characteristics and their objective is to show how reality is socially constructed and maintained through conversations, interactions, stories and rituals. Therefore this research is in line with an interpretative paradigm. To conduct this study, the choice was the use of the Action Research as well as methods of ethnographic inspiration - participant observation and in-depth interviews - seeking to be part of the experience lived by users of mental health services to understand the organizational practices of Núcleo de Articulação e Intervenções Culturais – NAIC (Articulation and Cultural Interventions Center) of Instituto Nise da Silveira as organizing in this process of asylum construction and deconstruction. In the present study, the Action Research methodological proposal was adopted, which constitutes, as a formal object, in a triple sequence: (1) Action-research; (2) Thematization; and (3) Programming - action. Action Research is an approach based on participation and oriented towards action directed by the research subjects, whose main objective is to transform a given social reality, providing benefits to all actors involved in the process (LODI et al, 2017 ). In the first part, Action-Research, the development of a common theoretical framework was initially carried out, the selection of a strategic area, the approximation of the area and participant investigation. When it came to the Thematization stage, the researcher made the theoretical reduction, then thematic reduction and ended this stage with the elaboration of the programs for the chosen devices, which were: (1) Loucura Suburbana (Suburban Madness), the carnival group of Instituto Municipal Nise da Silveira; and (2) Espaço da Diferença Program (Difference Space Program), which is a Rádio Revolução FM program (Revolution Radio FM), where users find space to express themselves on a weekly basis. To end this research, Projects in Action developed for the studied devices were executed and evaluated. Approaching and distancing were verified in relation to the studied devices. Such results also suggest that research on asylum deconstruction through culture should take into account the heterogeneity of these devices, and avoid treating them in a reductionist way, as if it were a homogeneous device. It is noticed that in the asylum deconstruction process, IMNS has promoted several actions, such as: (1) significant reduction of beds in the psychiatric hospital, (2) new services and experiences that help to exercise care in the territory, (3) guarantee of transformation of public attention in mental health in the State, (4) development of multiple art, culture and income making projects, which has promoted the autonomy of users of mental health services, and (5) mainly, the willingness to fight against whatever affects human dignity. In this process it is observed that NAIC and its devices promote construction of affection and solidarity bonds, a legacy left by Dr. Nise da Silveira. The main contributions of this research are: to understand the organizational practices of NAIC and its devices through the elaboration of the stages, phases and steps of the Research Action, and to bring theoretical and practical contributions to the Institute. Moreover, the conceptual constructions carried out to achieve specific objectives of this work are important for the Sensemaking and Organizing research in Organizational Studies. Finally, this research does not end at the conclusion of this thesis, on the contrary, it is the beginning of a journey in the struggle for a society with no asylums.

In recent years, institutional theorists have been increasingly interested in institutional change, seeking to understand the contextual factors and agents responsible for alterations to existing institutional arrangements. Institutional theory’s historical focus on isomorphism has made it challenging to account for actors’ motivations to pursue change projects. It is generally believed, though, that agents are mobilized through exposure to multiple institutional logics. Recently, scholars have begun to recognize that competition among multiple logics may not quickly produce a ‘winning logic’; rather, such logics may co-exist for prolonged periods in a context of ‘institutional complexity’. The turn toward institutional complexity reveals that preoccupation with the ‘paradox of embedded agency’ has left the development of change projects themselves under-theorized: What happens when organizational actors must interpret puzzling institutional contexts and generate alternatives? In seeking to understand organizational actors’ efforts to cope with conflicting logics in a context of scientific uncertainty, this study aligns with this growing interest in institutional complexity. Drawing on concepts from sensemaking theory, this research illuminates how actors with divergent interests, enacting their organizational roles, cope with competing logics and interact around a change project that emerges as a result of their efforts at coping. It thus contributes to institutionalist understandings of institutional complexity and change and adds to an emerging body of research linking institutional theory and sensemaking. The empirical setting for this single-case study is the ‘sustainable seafood’ discourse that began in the early 1990s when the cod collapsed off North America’s eastern seaboard. Prolonged scientific uncertainty regarding the collapse made generation of preferred alternatives problematic; this resulted in lengthy sensemaking efforts by multiple stakeholder groups, drawing on different institutional logics to produce divergent and competing interpretations and action scripts. Tracing the evolution of this discourse through documents, observations, and interviews empirically reveals processes of interrelated sensemaking, and further, exposes sensegivers as bricoleurs who use institutional elements creatively to affect the sensemaking of others.

Problem:  Triggered by the present emission scandal of Volkswagen, we came across the fact that corporate crises constitute a revenant topic in the business world. They often entail significant consequences for the affected companies such as reputation damages, financial losses and loss of trust from stakeholders. Also the people working at these companies experience exceptional situations, managers as well as employees on all levels. Corporate crises can be influenced by many factors, for instance through internal triggers like power distance, transparency and communication. These factors can influence the development of a corporate crisis in a positive as well as in a negative manner.  Purpose:  With the underlying study our goal was to find fostering and hindering factors for corporate crises that are connected to internal processes within multinational companies. Initially we sought to understand which impact organizational structures have on the crisis management in a company. Later in our study, the impact of corporate culture as well as cultural origin emerged and caught our interest. That resulted in a shift of our focus towards the impact of a company’s cultural origin on corporate crisis management.  Method:  For the underlying master thesis, we conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with 13 companies and investigated the real-life case of Volkswagen through secondary data. Based on that we created 14 case studies. Through a highly explorative iterative process, we further analyzed our collected data going back and forth between our empirical data and emerging theory.  Main Findings:  Our empirical data suggested that corporate crises can be triggered internally, initiated for example by strict governance, hierarchy and insufficient transparency. Moreover, organizational structures are strongly influenced by the corporate culture of a company. Corporate culture, furthermore, seems to be strongly influenced by the cultural origin of a company, regarding decision-making procedures, responsibilities and communication. Finally, in the perception of our respondents within our empirical study there is a link between the cultural origin of a company and its crisis management.  Contribution:  Although crisis management constitutes an exhaustive researched topic, we were able to contribute to the area of crisis management with an empirical indicator of the cultural origin of a company constituting an impacting factor for corporate crisis management. This coherence has not been acknowledged by crisis management literature to a meaningful extent so far.

Inledning: Kontinuerlig organisationsförändring förekommer allt oftare i dagens organisationer, och kännetecknas av att förändringsprocessen inte har någon början ellerslut. I samband med att kontinuerlig organisationsförändring genomförs i organisationer kan det bidra till att anställda upplever en förvirrande och mångtydig känsla, eftersom förändring sker hela tiden. I dessa situationer är meningsskapande en avgörande faktor, vilken är en central aspekt inom symboliskt ledarskap. Studien undersöker därför symboliskt ledarskap i detta sammanhang, och fokuserar främst på hur chefer använder symboler och meningsskapande för att dämpa den tvetydighet som uppkommer. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att utveckla en förståelse för på vilket sätt chefer använder symboler och meningsskapande vid kontinuerlig organisationsförändring. Metod: Genom att använda oss av en kvalitativ forskningsmetod har vi genomfört enfallstudie med en abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och från inspiration av en etnografisk studie. För att skapa en utvecklad förståelse för hur cheferna arbetar i den dagliga verksamheten är studien hermeneutisk. Slutsats: Studien har kommit fram till att symboler används av cheferna för att skapa mening men även för att förmedla samhörighet, trygghet och en gemensam syn. Symbolerna används genom kommunikation, synlighet och genom att arrangera diverse tillställningar. Meningsskapande blir viktigt eftersom det får anställda att känna mening inför de arbetsuppgifter som ska utföras. / Introduction: Continuous organizational change is increasing in today's organizations, and is characterized by change having no beginning nor end. In liaison with the ongoing organizational change being implemented in organizations it can cause employees feeling confused and ambiguous, since change occurs all the time. In these situations, sensemaking constitute an essential factor, which is a key aspect of symbolic leadership. The study therefore examines symbolic leadership in this context, and focuses on how managers use symbols and sensemaking to reduce the ambiguity that arises. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to develop an understanding of in what way leaders practice symbols and sensemaking during continuous organizational change Method: By using a qualitative research method, we conducted a case study with an abductive approach. The empirical material was collected through semi-structured interviews and from the inspiration of an ethnographic study. In order to create a developed understanding of how managers are working in the daily activities, the study use a hermeneutic approach. Conclusion: The findings of the study has concluded that symbols are utilized by managers in order to create meaning, but also to transmit togetherness, security and a mutual vision. The symbols are utilized through communication, visibility and by organizing various events. Sensemaking is thus important since it mediates how employees can feel meaningfulness for the tasks to be executed.

Des recherches antérieures sur les émotions en contexte organisationnel, notamment autour des notions de travail émotionnel, de contrat psychologique et d'équité, ont souvent soulevé la question de la rationalité et du caractère approprié ou non des manifestations émotionnelles, ainsi que sur les mécanismes utilisés pour contrôler et modérer celles-ci. Cependant, peu de recherche empirique a été effectuée sur la façon dont les employés eux-mêmes font sens de leurs émotions au travail et le processus par lequel ils parviennent à rendre celle-ci compréhensibles et légitimes, à la fois pour eux-mêmes et pour autrui. Au cours des dernières années, un courant de recherche émergent tend toutefois à mettre de côté la perspective normative / rationaliste pour soulever ce type de questions. Ainsi, au lieu d'être considérées comme des expériences strictement subjectives, privées, voire inaccessibles, les émotions y sont envisagées à travers les discours et les mises en récits dont elles font l’objet. Les émotions apparaissent ainsi non seulement exprimées dans le langage et la communication, mais construites et négociées à travers eux. La recherche présente développe empiriquement cette perspective émergente, notamment en faisant appel aux théories du sensemaking et de la narration, à travers l’analyse détaillée des récits de quatre employés chargés du soutien à la vente pour un revendeur de produits informatiques. En demandant à mes sujets de parler de leurs expériences émotionnelles et en analysant leurs réponses selon une méthodologie d’analyse narrative, cette recherche explore ainsi la façon dont les employés parviennent à construire le sens et la légitimité de leurs expériences émotionnelles. Les résultats suggèrent entre autres que ces processus de construction de sens sont très étroitement liés aux enjeux d’identité et de rôle. / Past research into emotions in organizational contexts, notably the research into the theories of emotional labour, the psychological contract, and equity theory, has tended to focus on questions of the rationality and appropriateness of emotional manifestations, as well as mechanisms used to control and moderate emotions. However, little empirical research has been done into how employees themselves make sense of their emotions and the processes by which they legitimize and render these emotions understandable, both to themselves and to others. In recent years, an emerging research perspective has shifted away from the normative/rationalistic perspective to address these questions. Rather than being considered strictly subjective, private, and inaccessible experiences, emotions are now seen as accessible via discourse and narrative. And more that simply being expressed in language and communication, they are understood to be constructed and negotiated by them. This research develops this perspective by drawing on the theories of sensemaking and narrative theory; looking at the detailed narratives gathered from four non-sales employees at an IT reseller. By asking research participants to talk about emotional experiences and analyzing their narratives using a narrative theory methodology, this research hopes to shed some light on how employees make sense of and legitimize their emotional experiences. Among other things, the results suggest that the process of sensemaking is very closely linked with issues of identity.

The purpose of this enquiry is to challenge and add a further dimension to cultural management, through an empirical exploration of what cultural managers do in a particular domain (theatre) and scale of organisation (micro-) within the (subsidised) cultural sector, in South West England. Working from a sensemaking perspective (Weick, 1979, 1995a, 2009), it focuses attention on what these practitioners do, rather than what they could, should or do not do. It draws on literature from cultural management, theatre and performance studies and organisation and management studies to help address the following questions: • What do cultural managers do in micro-scale theatre organisations (in South West England)? • Why do they do what they do? • How do they do what they do? • In what ways might an analysis of what they do inform talk in and about cultural management? • To what other theoretical conversations might such an analysis contribute? The subjects are three cultural managers running micro-scale contemporary theatre organisations in Bristol, Plymouth and Redruth. The study adopts a qualitative, ethnographic, multi-case study approach, with data collected through non-participant observation, informal interviews and documentary sources. Analysis is inductive, deductive and abductive. The thesis concludes with a conceptual and epistemological re-framing of cultural management as cultural managing, suggesting that what the cultural managers studied do is not only vocationally dedicated to the purpose, values and work of their organisation, but is also isomorphically inflected by them in the doing. Furthermore, it offers (a) an adjusted perspective on “high reliability organising” (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2007) orientated more towards making the best than mitigating the worst; (b) a focus on organising in theatre to colleagues pursuing the relationship between management and the arts; and (c) a challenge to traditional notions of divide between theatre managing and theatre making, particularly at the micro-scale. This is an interdisciplinary study with cross-disciplinary implications.

Studien har undersökt hur ett förändringsarbete i en organisation förmedlats och tagits emot genom de hierarkiska nivåerna. Frågeställningarna har därför undersökt hur ledning förmedlat och motiverat ett förändringsinitiativ, hur mellanchefer tolkat detta och förmedlat det vidare till medarbetare och slutligen vilken form av meningsskapande och lärande som skett hos medarbetare. Tidigare forskning har bland annat visat att kommunikationen mellan över- och underordnad haft en stark koppling till hur en förändring tagits emot. Medarbetares meningsskapande har även haft en tydlig koppling till deras relation till organisationen och sina chefer där medarbetare bör känna en trygghet för att kunna ställa sig positiva till en förändring. Det forskningen inte visat är hur dessa meningsskapande processer praktiskt sker i de hierarkiska nivåerna samt hur dessa kan ses i relation till andra typer av organisationer i olika branscher. Metoden som har använts för att belysa dessa luckor är kvalitativa intervjuer då detta gett en bredare och djupare bild av medlemmarnas upplevelser kring förändring. Studiens resultat har visat att ledning måste skapa sig en tydlig bild av organisationens tillstånd samt ge utrymme för bland annat mellanchefer att anta en meningsgivande roll och därmed främja ett lärande med utgångspunkt i reflektion för att förändringen ska få ett lyckat utfall. Studien har även synliggjort hur en tydlig kommunikation är avgörande för att kunna skapa en samsyn och främja ett lärande kring förändring genom organisationers olika nivåer. Studiens främsta bidrag till forskningsfältet har varit att framhäva samtliga nivåers roll i det meningsgivande arbete som krävs för att nå en lyckad förändring. / The study has examined how change management is carried out and received through various hierarchical levels in an organization. The questions of this study has therefore examined how topmanagement communicated and motivated a change initiative, how the middle managers interpreted this and communicated it to the employees and finally what form of sensegiving and learning has taken place among the employees. Previous research has partially focused on how communication between the superior and subordinate has had a strong connection to how a change is received. The employees’ sensemaking has also had a clear connection to their relationship with the organization and its managers, where employees should feel a safe connection to the organization in order to experience the change in a positive way. What is less clear in earlier research is how these processes practically take place across hierarchical levels and how these can be seen in relation to other types of organizations in different industries. To contribute to this research field, the method used in this study is qualitative interviews as this method gives a broader and deeper picture of the organizational members’ experiences about change. The study's results have shown that the management must create a clear picture of the organization's conditions and that they give room for the middle managers to adopt a meaningful role, thus promoting learning based on reflection. The study has also highlighted how clear communication is crucial in order to create a consensus through the levels and to be able to promote learning within the change. The main contribution of this study to the field of research has been to highlight the importance of the role of different levels within an organization in sensegiving work, which is required to achieve successful change.