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1 – 10 of 112Åsa Tjulin, Bodil Landstad, Stig Vinberg, Andrea Eriksson and Emma Hagqvist
The increasingly demanding psychosocial working conditions in Swedish public sector workplaces call for implementation of workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions. There is…
Abstract
Purpose
The increasingly demanding psychosocial working conditions in Swedish public sector workplaces call for implementation of workplace health promotion (WHP) interventions. There is a need to increase first-line public sector managers’ capacities for health-promoting leadership. The purpose of this paper is to investigate first-line managers’ experiences of participating in an intervention aimed at strengthening health-promoting leadership. More precisely, the aim is to study what obstacles and prerequisites the intervention have for their learning processes to become health-promoting managers.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study in Northern Sweden at workplaces in the county council and municipalities was conducted. The data were gathered through individual interviews with 18 participating first-line managers. Inductive-content analysis was used to analyse the data.
Findings
The results identify time for reflection and collegial discussions about leadership as prerequisites for learning about health-promoting leadership. Managers experienced the intervention as a confirmation of the leadership behaviours already gained. However, the health-promoting leadership intervention was seen as a contradiction, since organisational prerequisites to implement WHP measures were perceived to be lacking. The managers were not involved in the planning of the intervention and questioned why the organisation did not involve them more when the educational activities were created.
Originality/value
When the organisation understands how and when its managers learn, what they need and want to learn about WHP, and what they already know, tailored participatory interventions can be facilitated that consider the unique prerequisites for the particular organisation.
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Marcus Strömgren, Andrea Eriksson, Linda Ahlstrom, David Kristofer Bergman and Lotta Dellve
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between leadership and social capital and what qualities of leadership are important for social capital among employees in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between leadership and social capital and what qualities of leadership are important for social capital among employees in hospital settings over time.
Design/methodology/approach
A cohort of employees in hospitals answered a questionnaire at three occasions. Five small (approx. 100-bed) or mid-sized (approx. 500-bed) hospitals were included. The response rate was 54 percent at baseline (n=865), 59 percent at one-year follow-up (n=908) and 67 percent at two-year follow-up (n=632).
Findings
Repeated measures over time showed differences between groups in levels of social capital with respect to levels of leadership quality. Relation-oriented leadership had the strongest association with social capital. There was evidence that leadership was associated with social capital over time and that different kinds of leadership qualities were associated with social capital.
Research limitations/implications
This study conducted and analyzed quantitative data, and therefore, there is no knowledge of managers’ or employees’ own perceptions in this study. However, it would be interesting to compare managers’ decreased and increased leadership quality and how such differences affect social capital over time.
Practical implications
The findings feature the possibility for healthcare leaders to build high quality leadership as an important resource for social capital, by using different leadership orientations under different circumstances.
Originality/value
The paper showed that leadership was an important factor for building social capital and that different leadership qualities have different importance with respect to certain circumstances.
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Andrea Eriksson, Runo Axelsson and Susanna Bihari Axelsson
The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the experiences of an intervention programme for development of health promoting leadership in Gothenburg in Sweden. The more…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse the experiences of an intervention programme for development of health promoting leadership in Gothenburg in Sweden. The more specific purpose is to identify critical aspects of such a programme as part of the development of a health promoting workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
A programme supporting managers in health promoting leadership was studied. The study was performed as a holistic case study design. In total, 17 semi‐structured interviews were conducted, supplemented with data from a leadership survey. The material was coded according to the principles of content analysis, resulting in the three main categories: comprehensiveness, integration and participation.
Findings
The results show the importance of regarding the development of health promoting leadership as a contribution to the building of organisational capacity for health promoting workplaces. This requires a comprehensive approach, including both individual and structural aspects, as well as an integration of programme ideas into the practice of management. Moreover, a wide participation in the planning and design of the programme is desirable. The concrete outcomes of this programme were action plans for workplace health promotion developed during the programme. For the participating managers a positive part of the programme was also the possibilities for reflecting and sharing experiences.
Originality/value
This study contributes knowledge and experiences that can be applied in the development of health promoting leadership. There is, however, a need for clearer health promoting goals and sub‐goals in order to assess the health outcomes of such a leadership programme.
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Andrea Eriksson, Susanna Bihari Axelsson and Runo Axelsson
The aim of this article is to describe and analyze a case of interorganizational and intersectoral collaboration on workplace health promotion involving nine municipalities in a…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this article is to describe and analyze a case of interorganizational and intersectoral collaboration on workplace health promotion involving nine municipalities in a Swedish region.
Design/methodology/approach
A holistic case study design was chosen. The work of a project group responsible for developing plans for collaboration in the target area of health promoting leadership was studied. Observations at project meetings, interviews with project members, and written project documents were analyzed by qualitative methods.
Findings
Collaboration on health promoting leadership was seen as a strategy to reduce the sickness rate among the employees in the municipalities. The best way to develop such leadership was considered to be through supporting good leadership in general and improving the general working conditions of managers in the municipalities. Moreover, it was regarded as a critical condition to have structural arrangements and resources to continue this collaboration.
Practical implications
An implication of the study is that collaboration on workplace health promotion should be organized initially on a small scale, giving time and opportunities for the participants to develop mutual trust with one another. It is also important to involve participants with different knowledge and experiences in the field. Thus, it may be possible to develop strategies for health‐promoting leadership contributing to the overall aim of a decreased sickness rate.
Originality/value
There is limited research on barriers and facilitating factors for interorganizational and intersectoral collaboration on workplace health promotion. This study contributes an analysis of important conditions for this kind of collaboration.
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Reviews the latest management development across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management development across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
Workplace health promotion creates real benefits to an organization. But, in order to create and sustain a health promoting workplace, it is worthwhile to invest in the development of health promoting leadership. The study under review shows the importance of regarding the development of health promoting leadership as a contribution of the building of organizational capacity. In particular, it assesses the comprehensiveness of an intervention programme in Sweden, its integration with other health promoting activities, and the participation of managers.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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León Poblete, Erik Eriksson, Andreas Hellström and Russ Glennon
This article aims to examine how users' involvement in value co-creation influences the development and orchestration of well-being ecosystems to help tackle complex societal…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to examine how users' involvement in value co-creation influences the development and orchestration of well-being ecosystems to help tackle complex societal challenges. This research contributes to the public management literature and answers recent calls to investigate novel public service governances by discussing users' involvement and value co-creation for novel well-being solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors empirically explore this phenomenon through a case study of a complex ecosystem addressing increased well-being, focussing on the formative evaluation stage of a longitudinal evaluation of Sweden's first support centre for people affected by cancer. Following an abductive reasoning and action research approach, the authors critically discuss the potential of user involvement for the development of well-being ecosystems and outline preconditions for the success of such approaches.
Findings
The empirical results indicate that resource reconfiguration of multi-actor collaborations provides a platform for value co-creation, innovative health services and availability of resources. Common themes include the need for multi-actor collaborations to reconfigure heterogeneous resources; actors' adaptive change capabilities; the role of governance mechanisms to align the diverse well-being ecosystem components, and the engagement of essential actors.
Research limitations/implications
Although using a longitudinal case study approach has revealed stimulating insights, additional data collection, multiple cases and quantitative studies are prompted. Also, the authors focus on one country but the characteristics of users' involvement for value co-creation in innovative well-being ecosystems might vary between countries.
Practical implications
The findings of this study demonstrate the value of cancer-affected individuals, with “lived experiences”, acting as sources for social innovation, and drivers of well-being ecosystem development. The findings also suggest that participating actors in the ecosystem should utilise wider knowledge and experience to tackle complex societal challenges associated with well-being.
Social implications
Policymakers should encourage the formation of well-being ecosystems with diverse actors and resources that can help patients navigate health challenges. The findings especially show the potential of starting from the user's needs and life situation when the ambition is to integrate and innovate in fragmented systems.
Originality/value
The proposed model proposes that having a user-led focus on innovating new solutions can play an important role in the development of well-being ecosystems.
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Christian Gadolin, Thomas Andersson, Erik Eriksson and Andreas Hellström
The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore and demonstrate the ability of healthcare professionals to attain professional fulfilment when providing healthcare inspired by…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically explore and demonstrate the ability of healthcare professionals to attain professional fulfilment when providing healthcare inspired by “value shops”.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study incorporating interviews and observations was conducted.
Findings
The empirical data suggest that the professional fulfilment of both physicians and nurses is facilitated when care is organized through “value shops”. Both groups of professionals state that they are able to return to their “professional core”.
Originality/value
The beneficial outcomes of organizing healthcare inspired by the “value shop” have previously been explored in terms of efficiency and quality. However, the professional fulfilment of healthcare professionals when providing such care has not been explicitly addressed. Professional fulfilment is vital in order to safeguard high-quality care, as well as healthcare professionals' involvement and engagement in implementing quality improvements. This paper highlights the fact that care provision inspired by the “value shop” may facilitate professional fulfilment, which further strengthens the potential positive outcomes of the “value shop” when utilized in a healthcare setting.
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Ebba Eriksson, Andreas Norrman and Joakim Kembro
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how grocery retailers configure their online fulfilment centres (OFC) as they move towards an omni-channel structure and what…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate how grocery retailers configure their online fulfilment centres (OFC) as they move towards an omni-channel structure and what contextual factors influence their decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory case study with three grocery retailers in the Nordic countries was conducted. The study investigates the current OFC configurations and identifies nine important contextual factors.
Findings
This study shows the importance of understanding the changes that omni-channel retailing entails for an OFC configuration. Nine contextual factors were identified. Several of the factors are found in previous theory, but this paper extends the knowledge of how they affect the configuration of an OFC in grocery retail. The changes in, for example, order characteristics create different requirements for picking, packing, sorting and shipping when compared with traditional distribution centres (DC). Although representing a separate flow for online fulfilment, OFC configuration depends on how the other logistics flows from the DC to stores are designed.
Research limitations/implications
To support further theory development, nine contextual factors and their relationship to OFC configurations are proposed.
Practical implications
This study provides managerial value in two ways. First, grocery retailers with one or more OFCs can benchmark existing solutions using the empirical case descriptions. Second, the findings provide grocery retailers with knowledge of how to configure an OFC.
Originality/value
The literature lacks a holistic approach towards how grocery retailers configure their OFCs and what factors affect these decisions. This study provides the first in-depth analysis of how the omni-channel context affects the configuration of all the aspects of an OFC.
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Ebba Eriksson, Andreas Norrman and Joakim Kembro
Omnichannel (OC) logistics is undergoing a significant transformation in grocery retail. To shed light on this important but underresearched phenomenon, this study aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
Omnichannel (OC) logistics is undergoing a significant transformation in grocery retail. To shed light on this important but underresearched phenomenon, this study aims to investigate how grocery retailers transform and why some are more successful in transforming OC logistics.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying dynamic capabilities as a theoretical lens, a multiple case study was conducted with three grocery retailers at different stages of their transformation.
Findings
Six microfoundations of dynamic capabilities were identified as critical for enabling OC transformation. The study highlights important differences in dynamic capabilities, which can be attributed to investment decision-making, governance and creating co-specialization. Finally, the authors propose seven propositions for contextualization of dynamic capabilities for OC transformation in grocery retail.
Originality/value
This study is original by contextualizing microfoundations in grocery OC retailing. The study contributes to theory and practice by showing the value of dynamic capabilities, stressing the important interrelation among a retailer's governance structure, leadership and capability to make investment decisions, increase logistics coordination and co-specialize.
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