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1 – 10 of 18Mandus Frykman, Robert Lundmark, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz, Karin Villaume and Henna Hasson
The purpose of this paper is to investigate line managers’ influence on employee usage of a web-based system for occupational health management.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate line managers’ influence on employee usage of a web-based system for occupational health management.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaires were used to measure line managers’ transformational leadership at baseline and their change-supportive managerial activities during weeks 16–52. Employee initial (weeks 16–52) and sustained (weeks 53–144) use of the web-based system was measured by extracting their frequency of logins to the system from electronic records. Data were collected from six white-collar organizations from 2011 through 2013. Mixed Poisson regressions were used to analyze the influence of transformational leadership and change-supportive managerial activities on employee usage.
Findings
As predicted, line managers’ change-supportive activities influenced the employees’ initial and sustained use of the system. Line managers’ transformational leadership had no direct effect on employees’ use of the system, however transformational leadership was indirectly associated with employees’ initial and sustained use of the system through line managers’ change-supportive activities.
Originality/value
The study adds to the understanding of the role line managers’ play during the implementation of occupational health interventions. The findings suggest that the line managers’ change-supportive activities directed toward the intervention are important for employees’ initial and sustained use of the system. The influence of transformational leadership was indirect, suggesting that line managers may need to direct their leadership behaviors toward the intervention to facilitate implementation.
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Susanne Tafvelin, Henna Hasson, Karina Nielsen and Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz
In previous studies, outcomes of leadership training have varied, with some studies suggesting large effects and others small. Although the transfer of training literature…
Abstract
Purpose
In previous studies, outcomes of leadership training have varied, with some studies suggesting large effects and others small. Although the transfer of training literature suggests a number of factors that influence training outcomes, this knowledge has seldom been used when evaluating the outcomes of leadership training. The purpose of the present study is therefore to examine how factors related to transfer of training influence outcomes of leadership training.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present research, follower-rated outcomes of a leadership training program in Denmark (N = 298) was examined from a transfer of training perspective.
Findings
Using Baldwin and Ford's transfer of training model as a framework, analyses revealed that leaders' utility reactions (i.e. perception of usefulness) and learning were linked to transfer of training. In addition, leaders' perceptions of transfer were associated with post-intervention follower-rated transformational leadership and collective self-efficacy.
Practical implications
Making sure that leaders find the training useful for their everyday activities (i.e. positive utility reactions) and that they have time to learn the training content is important to enable transfer and for leaders to use trained skills back at work.
Originality/value
The findings indicate the importance of understanding how leaders' perception of training content influences leadership training outcomes and that these perceptions need to be a part of the evaluation of leadership training. In addition, the findings suggest that factors predicting transfer of leadership training differ from other types of training.
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Mandus Frykman, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz, Åsa Muntlin Athlin, Henna Hasson and Pamela Mazzocato
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the mechanisms influencing the sustainability of behavior changes following the implementation of teamwork.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to uncover the mechanisms influencing the sustainability of behavior changes following the implementation of teamwork.
Design/methodology/approach
Realistic evaluation was combined with a framework (DCOM®) based on applied behavior analysis to study the sustainability of behavior changes two and a half years after the initial implementation of teamwork at an emergency department. The DCOM® framework was used to categorize the mechanisms of behavior change interventions (BCIs) into the four categories of direction, competence, opportunity, and motivation. Non-participant observation and interview data were used.
Findings
The teamwork behaviors were not sustained. A substantial fallback in managerial activities in combination with a complex context contributed to reduced direction, opportunity, and motivation. Reduced direction made staff members unclear about how and why they should work in teams. Deterioration of opportunity was evident from the lack of problem-solving resources resulting in accumulated barriers to teamwork. Motivation in terms of management support and feedback was reduced.
Practical implications
The implementation of complex organizational changes in complex healthcare contexts requires continuous adaption and managerial activities well beyond the initial implementation period.
Originality/value
By integrating the DCOM® framework with realistic evaluation, this study responds to the call for theoretically based research on behavioral mechanisms that can explain how BCIs interact with context and how this interaction influences sustainability.
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Robert Lundmark, Karina Nielsen, Henna Hasson, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz and Susanne Tafvelin
Line managers can make or break organizational interventions, yet little is known about what makes them turn in either direction. As leadership does not occur in a vacuum, it has…
Abstract
Purpose
Line managers can make or break organizational interventions, yet little is known about what makes them turn in either direction. As leadership does not occur in a vacuum, it has been suggested that the organizational context plays an important role. Building on the intervention and leadership literature, we examine if span of control and employee readiness for change are related to line managers' leadership during an organizational intervention.
Design/methodology/approach
Leadership is studied in terms of intervention-specific constructive, as well as passive and active forms of destructive, leadership behaviors. As a sample, we use employees (N = 172) from 37 groups working at a process industry plant. Multilevel analyses over two time points, with both survey and organizational register data were used to analyze the data.
Findings
The results revealed that span of control was negatively related to constructive leadership and positively related to passive destructive leadership during the intervention. Employee readiness for change was positively related to constructive leadership, and negatively related to both passive and active destructive leadership.
Practical implications
Our findings suggest that contextual factors need to be assessed and considered if we want line managers to engage in constructive rather than destructive leadership during interventions.
Originality/value
The present study is the first to address line managers' making or breaking of organizational interventions by examining the influence of context on both their destructive and constructive leadership.
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Henna Hasson, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz and Susanne Tafvelin
The purpose of this paper is to explore the consequences of self–other agreement (SOA) between leaders and subordinates on constructive and passive leadership behaviors for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the consequences of self–other agreement (SOA) between leaders and subordinates on constructive and passive leadership behaviors for employee well-being, performance and perception of learning climate.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire ratings of 76 leaders and 211 subordinates in a forest industrial company on full-range leadership and subordinate ratings of well-being, work performance and learning climate have been used in this paper. The data were analyzed using polynomial regression with response surface analysis.
Findings
SOA on constructive leadership (transformational leadership and contingent reward) was related to subordinates’ perception of a positive learning climate. SOA on passive leadership (management-by-exception passive) reduced subordinates’ performance, while disagreement reduced their well-being.
Practical implications
It is important to give leaders feedback on their own and their subordinates’ ratings of not only constructive leadership behaviors but also passive behaviors.
Originality/value
The study demonstrates how SOA on leaders’ constructive and passive leadership behaviors impacts employees’ well-being, performance and work climate.
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Charlotte Klinga, Johan Hansson, Henna Hasson, Magna Andreen Sachs and Carolina Wannheden
The aim of this study was to identify key components of integrated mental health and social care services that contribute to value for service users in Sweden.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study was to identify key components of integrated mental health and social care services that contribute to value for service users in Sweden.
Design/methodology/approach
An explorative research study design was used, based on data from four group interviews conducted in June and August 2017 with service user representatives.
Findings
The analysis resulted in eight subcategories reflecting components that were reported to contribute to value for service users. These subcategories were grouped into three main categories: (1) professionals who see and support the whole person, (2) organizational commitment to holistic care and (3) support for equal opportunities and active participation in society.
Research limitations/implications
The findings are primarily transferable to integrated mental health and social care services, as they emphasize key components that contribute to value for service users in these specific settings.
Practical implications
The complexity of integrated mental health and social care services requires coordination across the individual and organizational levels as well as ongoing dialogue and partnerships between service users, service user associations and health and social care organizations. In this integration, it is important that service users and service user associations not only are invited but also keen to participate in the design of care and support efforts.
Originality/value
Service User Associations (SUAs) can act as a bridge between county and municipal services through their participation in the development of local activities; at the regional and national levels, SUAs can help achieve more equitable integrated services. It is important that SUAs are not only invited but encouraged to actively participate in the design of such care and support efforts.
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Rebecca Mosson, Henna Hasson, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz and Anne Richter
A common component in leadership interventions is the provision of feedback on leadership behaviors. The assumption is that, when there is a discrepancy in this feedback between…
Abstract
Purpose
A common component in leadership interventions is the provision of feedback on leadership behaviors. The assumption is that, when there is a discrepancy in this feedback between managers’ and others’ ratings of leadership, this will increase managers’ self-awareness and motivate them to close this gap. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how agreement between managers and their subordinates changes over time as a result of a leadership intervention.
Design/methodology/approach
Questionnaire data were collected from line managers (N=18) and their subordinates (N=640) at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at a six-month follow-up. The managers participated in a leadership intervention that aimed to increase their knowledge and skills related to the leadership behaviors described in the Full-Range Leadership Model. Inter-rater agreement and reliability were calculated to justify aggregating the subordinates’ ratings. The managers and their subordinates were grouped according to three agreement categories: in agreement, managers’ over-rating and managers’ under-rating based on the managers’ views of their leader behaviors in relation to their subordinates’.
Findings
Manager-subordinate agreement on the managers’ leadership increased between pre-intervention and post-intervention but then decreased at the six-month follow-up (17, 61 and 44 percent, respectively). Most managers (n=15) changed agreement categories over time, and only three managers remained in the same agreement category throughout. The subordinates’ mean leadership ratings changed more than the managers’ mean ratings.
Originality/value
This is the first study to explore how manager-subordinate agreement changes when managers participate in a leadership intervention in a health care context. It shows that an intervention that includes upward feedback, by which managers self-rating of their leadership is compared with their subordinates’ ratings, can be an effective way to increase agreement.
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Håkan Uvhagen, Mia von Knorring, Henna Hasson, John Øvretveit and Johan Hansson
The purpose of this paper is to explore factors influencing early implementation and intermediate outcomes of a healthcare-academia partnership in a primary healthcare setting.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore factors influencing early implementation and intermediate outcomes of a healthcare-academia partnership in a primary healthcare setting.
Design/methodology/approach
The Academic Primary Healthcare Network (APHN) initiative was launched in 2011 in Stockholm County, Sweden and included 201 primary healthcare centres. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2013-2014 with all coordinating managers (n=8) and coordinators (n=4). A strategic change model framework was used to collect and analyse data.
Findings
Several factors were identified to aid early implementation: assignment and guidelines that allowed flexibility; supportive management; dedicated staff; facilities that enabled APHN actions to be integrated into healthcare practice; and positive experiences from research and educational activities. Implementation was hindered by: discrepancies between objectives and resources; underspecified guidelines that trigger passivity; limited research and educational activities; a conflicting non-supportive reimbursement system; limited planning; and organisational fragmentation. Intermediate outcomes revealed that various actions, informed by the APHN assignment, were launched in all APHNs.
Practical implications
The findings can be rendered applicable by preparing stakeholders in healthcare services to optimise early implementation of healthcare-academia partnerships.
Originality/value
This study increases understanding of interactions between factors that influence early stage partnerships between healthcare services and academia in primary healthcare settings.
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David Ebbevi, Ulrica Von Thiele Schwarz, Henna Hasson, Carl Johan Sundberg and Mandus Frykman
To review the literature and identify research gaps in the role and influence boards of directors of companies have in occupational health and safety (OHS).
Abstract
Purpose
To review the literature and identify research gaps in the role and influence boards of directors of companies have in occupational health and safety (OHS).
Design/methodology/approach
This was done in a scoping review built on a structured search in MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, CCInfoWeb, EconLit, Web of Science, CINAHL and gray literature. Citations and reference lists were tracked. Inclusion criteria were publication in English. Exclusion criteria were studies covering companies using subcontractors to arrange OHS, or with <250 employees.
Findings
Forty-nine studies were included. The majority contained empirical data (n = 28; 57%), some were entirely normative (n = 16; 33%), and a few contained normative claims far beyond empirical data (n = 5; 10%). Empirical studies gave no insight into the scope of impact of board activities on OHS, and no studies assess the causal mechanisms by which board activities influence OHS outcomes. Most studies focused on both health and safety (n = 20; 41%) or only safety (n = 15; 31%). Context might explain the focus on safety rather than health, but is not clearly elucidated by the studies. Several studies are describing leadership behavior, although not framed as such. A narrative summary is presented to facilitate future research.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should include: (1) which board activities influence OHS, (2) how board activities influence OHS, (3) the influence of context and (4) the leadership role of boards of directors.
Originality/value
This study identifies a total lack of research on the basic mechanics of the relationship between boards and OHS.
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