En ständigt föränderlig omgivning, påverkad av globalisering, konkurrens och nya trender fostrar en komplexitet som flertalet forskare hävdar kräva ett ökat fokus på teamarbete (McDonough, 2000; Sheard & Kakabadse, 2002). Därutöver skriver Cannon-Bowers och Bowers (2011) att intresset för team och hur de fungerar vuxit dramatiskt sedan början av 1900-talet. Inte minst tros pressen från en global ekonomi ligga bakom det ökade intresset, tillsammans med behovet av att optimera användandet av team inom organisationer världen över. Trots att teameffektivitet tycks ligga i de flestas intresse, verkar litteraturen på området inte hänga med i omvärldens förändring. Vi anser att diskrepansen mellan teori och praktik ger upphov till barriärer som hindrar utvecklingen av effektiva team. Syftet med denna studie har således varit att öka förståelsen för de barriärer som hindrar utvecklingen av effektiva team inom en svensk verksamhet. Vår studie har en kvalitativ ansats där nio semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med medarbetare från ett team på IKEA of Sweden AB. Våra resultat visar att det finns tydliga barriärer mellan utvecklingen av effektiva team, teorin och praktiken. Med grund i vår undersökning har vi kunnat identifiera de tre följande barriärerna: ledarskap, kommunikation och tillhörighet (LKT). Barriärerna får sina uttryck i olika konsekvenser där den övergripande konsekvensen är förhindrandet av utvecklingen av effektiva team, andra konsekvenser yttrar sig på såväl team- som på individnivå. Vidare har vi funnit att barriärerna (LKT) även kan agera möjliggörare för utvecklingen av effektiva team. Såväl litteraturen som praktiken bör således lägga ett större fokus på att implementera, utveckla och förstärka de tre identifierade faktorerna (LKT). Slutligen anser vi att det behöver utföras mer empiriskt grundad forskning och teoribildning som tar hänsyn till omvärldens förändringar för att finna fler åtgärder för att hantera de identifierade barriärerna. / A constantly changing environment, influenced by globalization, competition and new trends, fosters a complexity that most researchers claim to require an increased focus on teamwork (McDonough, 2000; Sheard & Kakabadse, 2002). In addition, Cannon-Bowers and Bowers (2011) write that the interest in teams and how they function has grown dramatically since the early 1900s. The pressure from a global economy is believed to be a cause of the increased interest, along with the need to optimize the use of teams within organizations worldwide. Although organizations and people are taking an increased interest in team effectiveness it seems as if the literature within the field is not keeping up. We believe that the discrepancy between theory and practice creates barriers that impede the development of effective teams. The purpose of this study has been to increase the understanding of the barriers that prevent the development of effective teams in a Swedish context. Our study is based on a qualitative research method by which nine semi-structured interviews have been carried out together with members from a team at IKEA of Sweden AB. Our results show that there are distinct barriers between the development of effective teams, theory and practice. Based on our research we have been able to identify the following three barriers: leadership, communication and a sense of belonging (LCB). The overall consequence caused by the barriers is the impediment to the development of effective teams, other consequences include effects on teams and individuals of the teams. Furthermore, we have found that the barriers (LCB) could act as facilitators for the development of effective teams. Both literature and practice should thus place a greater emphasis on implementing, developing and strengthening the three identified factors (LCB). Finally, we argue that more empirically based research, that is taking a constantly changing environment into account, has to be carried out. Hopefully that would result in more measures to deal with the identified barriers.

Fast pace of change in the business of technology is the reality of many organizations today. The software development industry is one example where this nature is prominent. Companies need to adapt in ways that eases the persistence against change from external forces. Companies need to turn into Learning Organizations as these help people and organizations embrace change. Two key components of the Learning Organization are the teams, as they are considered to be the fundamental units of organizations, and managers, as they have the biggest impact on facilitating learning in the organization. Therefore, this study has investigated how managers could act to create conditions for encouraging team learning of a software development company to become a Learning Organization.   This has been done by conducting a case study at the company Ericsson in Kista, Sweden, who is market leaders within the software development industry. The case design consisted of a two phase method that included both a quantitative and qualitative data collection method.   The results indicate that Ericsson could be classified as a Learning Organization and in addition display promising characteristics when it comes to having team learning capabilities. Furthermore, the findings suggest that in order for managers to encourage team learning they should take on a coaching and supporting role to understand the need of the teams; challenge the status quo; empower teams through giving them mandate; allocate time for learning as an integral part of the daily work; and reward learning in teams.   The findings of this study have implications both in a theoretical aspect and a sustainability aspect. From the theoretical aspect, the findings provide with further empirical data in a field that is currently dominated by theoretical literature. Furthermore, the findings display a practical example of how managers of a market leading company with promising characteristics of team learning capabilities have acted to create such conditions. From a sustainability aspect, the results of this study give firms a sustainable competitive advantage through increased business performance, healthy labor conditions that are a result of healthy team dynamics and possible encouragement to future attention towards emphasis on environmental aspects.

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Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur kuratorer inom hälso- och sjukvårdens upplevda arbetssituation ser ut. Studien tar upp olika faktorer som påverkar kuratorn i dennes arbete, bland annat faktorer som stress, arbetsmiljö, delaktighet samt yrkesrollens status för att nämna några. Kuratorn beskrivs som en ensamprofession i ett medicinskt kontext och med den här studien försöker vi få en bild av hur detta kan påverka kuratorerna i deras arbetssituation. Genom en kvalitativ ansats med sex semistrukturerade intervjuer tillsammans med kuratorer från hälso- och sjukvården har vi fått fram vårt resultat. Resultatet har sedan analyserats med hjälp av Grundad teori. Resultatet visar bland annat att flera kuratorer inom hälso- och sjukvården upplever en hierarki mellan de olika professionerna på sin arbetsplats. Respondenterna i studien anser att en yrkeslegitimation skulle kunna göra skillnad för statusen på socionomyrket. Resultaten visar också att både den fysiska och psykiska arbetsmiljön påverkar kuratorerna i deras dagliga arbete. Respondenterna lyfter även fram hur viktigt det är med delaktighet och påverkan, både kring deras egen arbetssituation men också verksamheten i stort.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

I psykiatrisk vård är handledning i olika former etablerat med syfte att vårdare därmed ska kunna ge patienten en god vård. Reflekterande team i den form som beskrivs i denna studie är ännu en relativt ny företeelse i psykiatrisk vård. Gemensamma nämnare för båda dessa är reflektion och utveckling. Syftet med denna studie har varit att undersöka vårdares uppfattningar av skillnad mellan handledning och reflekterande team i psykiatrisk vård. Detta har gjorts genom en empirisk studie där vårdare med erfarenhet av både reflekterande team och handledning intervjuats. Intervjuerna analyserades enligt fenomenografisk metod. Skillnaderna kunde indelas i tre kategorier: Olika fokus, olika kompetenser, samt olika relation mellan bekräftelse och krav. Diskussionen berör betydelsen av bekräftelse som en faktor för vårdares upplevelse samt behovet av implementering av forskning i den kliniska psykiatriska vården. Slutsatserna är att handledning och reflekterande team kan komplettera varandra och öka vårdares förutsättningar att ge bättre vård med olika fokus och därmed olika utvecklingsområden.

Aim: Gain insight into how a relationship occur between trust in a virtual team’s e-leader and the satisfaction of the individual virtual team members. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten virtual team members and one e- leader. By the means of grounded theory data from the interviews were analysed. Findings and results are further presented and discussed as distinct themes found in the empirical data. Result & Conclusions: We searched for a relationship between trust in the e-leader and the individual virtual team members’ satisfaction. Our findings show that the individual team members’ trust in the e-leader is influencing the feeling of satisfaction in their working environment. The three cues identified to build trust which in turn yields satisfaction in an organisational setting, first relationship and communication, second team spirit, third individual focus. Suggestions for future research: We suggest a longitudinal approach for further research to understand the long term effects and benefits for the organisation from the relationship between trust and satisfaction. We also believe the result can benefit from studies conducted in other businesses where the competitive landscape and, or setup may differ. Contribution of the thesis: The thesis contributes to an understanding of what trust in the e-leader contributes to in a virtual team in regards to its individual team members and their satisfaction.

This is a study of the organisational change to self-managed team working in UK-based manufacturing organisations. There are few models to guide research into the organisational change to team working and this study focuses on the under-researched area of the implementation process. Descriptions of team development models imply a smooth, linear change process. Yet this strategic change involves major restructuring at an operational level and in reality is a complex and political transition process that unfolds in unpredictable directions. This research proposes a processual framework to explore team development and to increase understanding of the ways in which this transition is shaped at critical junctures. This research was based on case study data collected over periods of up to five years in four brownfield, manufacturing organisations. This data provided detailed illustrations of the major challenges facing organisations in the transition to self-management. Specifically, the research findings indicated that the change to self-managed team working was an unfolding, non-linear process and that its success was shaped not only by the congruence between team design and production setting, but also by the congruence between new work structures and supporting organisational arrangements. Senior management commitment was pivotal to the success of the change process, as were clear definitions of operational roles and required actions and behaviours. Finally, the research indicated the importance of key players adopting appropriate change-driver roles and of paying attention to political tensions and perceived threats associated with changes to traditional role demarcations. This research increases understanding of the implementation and development of self managed work teams at an operational level and the results may be of considerable practical use for organisations in determining their strategies for organisational change and development.

This study was conducted to compare two different approaches to leadership training workshops—a team/group dynamics training model with a team/traditional training model—with regard to the changes in tolerance, open-mindedness, flexibility, adaptability, and cooperativeness of the participants in the group dynamics model.

Using a manufacturing setting that is organized into self-managed teams, the current study identified and measured key leadership behaviors within the teams. Questions that were asked include: are some team leadership behaviors more critical to a team's level of functioning than other behaviors? and do successful self-managed teams rely on formal leadership to a lesser extent than members of less successful teams? These questions were asked in the context of leadership as a process, not an individual.