Högskolan i Skövde

This paper describes and explains how balancing organizational structures can build traits for organizational resilience. Organizational resilience is a holistic and complex concept. In this paper, we move beyond focusing on sudden and disruptive events in favour of anticipating the unexpected in daily organizing. Organizational resilience is understood here as building traits of risk awareness, preference for cooperation, agility and improvisation and is analysed by means of a longitudinal qualitative case study. The paper contributes to the field by showing how balancing organizational structures can foster organizational resilience traits. We show that power distribution and normative control can create preparedness for unexpected events and foster action orientation at the same time as supporting organizational alignment. 

The retail sector in Sweden has an outstanding productivity ratio in comparison to retailsectors in other countries. In this paper we claim that the main reason to this is the HRMpractice on store level in Sweden. International research presents a grim picture of the retailworkplace. Because of fierce price competition personnel are subjected to high demands forflexibility in working hours and suffer from low salaries, poor working conditions and little orno employer provided education and training resulting in a low level of employee workmotivation, responsibility and productivity. Our research constrasts this picture and showsthat the workplace in Swedish retailing is characterized by mutually trusting and cooperativerelationships between managers and co-workers, leading to employee commitment andacceptance of responsibility. We mainly explain our conclusions that differ from those ofinternational retailing research by the principal fact that standards and values from otherSwedish work sectors are also found in the Swedish retail sector.

Vad innebär det att arbeta med ledaruppdrag inom handeln och hur kan man nå framgång som butikschef? Detta är två centrala frågor i boken Uppdrag butikschef – att leda i butik som tar ett helhetsgrepp om följande centrala aspekter på butikschefsarbete: 

• ledarskap och medarbetarskap 

• motivation och kommunikation 

• personalarbete och arbetsrätt 

• kompetensutveckling och etik

Boken är skriven av forskare inom företagsekonomi och socialpsykologi, verksamma vid Högskolan i Skövde, och den bygger delvis på ett aktuellt forskningsprojekt om ledarskap och medarbetarskap inom svensk handel.

A career in retailing is to a large extent a boundaryless career. A career in retail does not limit the individual to a single organisation, to a single role/position, or to a hierarchical rung on the organisational ladder. Both co-workers and managers move quite easily among organisations within the same retail area, between different retail areas, and in and out of the retail sector.

• In the past, the description of retailing as a transitory employment sector has had a negative connotation. Yet this description can also have quite a positive connotation. For example, experience acquired in the retail sector can be very useful in other work sectors. Moreover, people working in retail are generally motivated by job security, a job that is possible to combine to leisure/family, and a job close to home. They are typically much less motivated by traditional career advancement opportunities, the exercise of power over others, and by the desire to make decisions.

• People working in retail have a rather limited interest in becoming managers in part because their major work motivators are not the motivators one usually associates with management career paths.

• Gender is a relatively weak distinguishing variable in terms of retail careers, but there are some statistically significant – yet small – differences in the work characteristics of men and women in retail. For example, women in retail prioritize work-life balance, the proximity of workplace to home, and outside interests more than men in retail. These priorities have a limiting effect on their opportunities to accept managerial positions and to follow traditional, upward career paths.

• There are more women than men working in the retail sector today, but a larger percentage of men in management positions. However, this cannot be explained by differences between the motivations of men and women to become managers or in their attitudes towards their own managerial capabilities. The explanation lies in other, more indirect factors such as the expectations of today’s managers.

• Women generally earn less than men in the retail sector. This inequality is especially evident when differences in work responsibilities exist (e.g., specialized areas, subbranches, management tasks).

• There is some general scepticism among employees in the retail sector as far as the extent to which their employers are willing to commit to their well-being and development. This finding has important practical implications when employees sense a lack of employer commitment to them.

• People outside retail sector generally have a more negative picture of the retail sector than the people within the sector. People in the retail sector are relatively satisfied and think their work is varied and interesting.

• The number of women at the lower management levels (at the store-level) is increasing. Because of this trend, which is expected to continue, in the relatively near future there may be as many female managers as male managers at this level. However, at the upper management levels in retail, there are more than ten men for every woman and no indications of change.

• Job security is the most important career anchor for retail employees in Sweden. This finding has very important practical implications because job security is typically not associated with employment in the retail sector. It is a factor that can be an important consideration for retailers.

Despite the considerable number of studies on workplace identities in the organizational literature, the project management area of research is relatively de-personalized. In seeking to develop this research, this qualitative, longitudinal study of a product development project in the automotive industry focuses on how individuals use the project as a resource for their own identity construction while at the same time the project colonizes their identities. The study reveals that the identity construction processes of the project leaders and of the project are closely intertwined and co-constructed. The project leaders face a paradoxical situation: their identities are colonized, regulated, and controlled by their company (or car, or project), and yet they believe they make their choices voluntarily. However, the core values of projectified society are ‘hidden’ in the identity work that an automobile company consciously uses to develop cars associated with specific emotions and values.

Leader-member exchange (LMX) is the foremost relational approach to leadership. Building upon the LMX theory, this study aimed to examine the associations between three types of relationship appraisals in the workplace: leader-member (leader LMX), member-leader (member LMX), and member-member relationships (collegial climate), and their impact on employee work attitudes (i.e., employee job satisfaction and commitment). Questionnaire data were obtained from a sample of retail managers (n = 113) and retail workers (n = 555) in the Swedish retail sector. Mediation analyses confirmed the novel hypotheses that member LMX and collegial climate fully mediate the association between leader LMX and employee job satisfaction. However, in predicting employee commitment, the only significant mediator was member LMX. This study not only contributes to the existing LMX theory and research but also adds to the expanding body of knowledge in the field of positive organizational scholarship exploring the significance of positive workplace relationships in shaping employee attitudes.

Abstract: The purpose and novelty with this recently started research is the introduction of a modelling concept that aims to include the interdependencies maintenance have with financial figures, customer behavior, and production, using systems thinking. It suggests on a path forward in acknowledging short- and long term effects from maintenance on the production system and its financial results. Using systems thinking modelling enables learning on consequences from strategies and policies on the studied system; enabling evaluation of future scenarios supporting decision makers in defining sustainable strategies of action on the policy-level. This paper provides a brief outline of the thoughts behind the research project and points the direction for future research by first introducing aspects regarding the problem and possibilities to address, then briefly introduce different modelling approaches that in part address the problem, which is summarized into a path forward, and finally includes an example of a model by the author of a machine strategy problem that connects the physical assets and actions with financial costs.

The problem of maintenance consequential costs has to be dealt with in manufacturing and is core of this paper. The need of sustainable partnership between manufacturing and maintenance is addressed. Stuck in a best practice thinking, applying negotiation as a method based on power statements in the service level agreement, the common best possible achievable goal is put on risk. Instead, it may enforce narrow minded sub optimized thinking even though not intended so. Unfortunately, the state of origin is not straightforward business. Present maintenance cost modelling is approached, however limits to its ability to address the dynamic complexity of production flows are acknowledged. The practical problem to deal with is units put together in production flows; in which downtime in any unit may or may not result in decreased throughput depending on its set up. In this environment accounting consequential costs is a conundrum and a way forward is suggested. One major aspect in the matter is the inevitable need of shift in mind, from perspective thinking in maintenance and manufacturing respectively towards shared perspectives, nourishing an advantageous sustainable partnership.

This study investigates various factors that contribute to the success of destination branding efforts where success is defined as the increase in airplane passenger numbers to a destination and its linked air transportation. Drawing on in-depth interviews and snowball sampling, the study examines the roles of many of the key actors involved in the efforts to increase passenger numbers. Using the City of Valencia in Spain as a case study, the role of its airport is examined as a factor of particular interest. The study concludes that Valencia has positioned itself among neighbouring destinations on the Spanish Mediterranean coast by its focus on high profile events and cultural tourism. However, other actors have taken a more active role in the effort to increase the number of tourists than the Valencia Airport that has taken a more passive role. Another finding is that the persistence in seeking resources for the costly branding efforts was another influential factor that explains the increase in Valencia tourism.

This paper describes and explains how and why incentive systems began spreading in Sweden, despite the differences between the dominating business values in the USA (where incentive systems originated) and Sweden. A ghost myth in Sweden’s national business system explains why it happened when it did. Theories on travelling ideas underemphasise the fact that organisations/countries hold varying and competing ideas of suitable practices at the same time. Ghost myths are important alternative concepts which are activated when contextual circumstances arise for a shift in practices. This research is based on a hermeneutic and qualitative approach using texts and interviews and it highlights the role of ghost myths in terms of how ideas travel and how they are translated in different contexts.