| 1. |
- Ahmadi, Elena, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
A qualitative study of factors that managers in small companies consider important for their wellbeing
- 2023
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1748-2623 .- 1748-2631. ; 18:1
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PurposeGiven the importance of small businesses for society, and the significance of managers’ wellbeing for employee health, leadership, and business performance, more knowledge is needed on the sources of managers’ wellbeing. This study explored factors within the small business context that were perceived by managers to hinder or enable their wellbeing.MethodsData were collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with 20 managers from 12 small companies, and analysed with content analysis.ResultsThe factors that these managers in small businesses experienced as enhancing or hindering their personal wellbeing covered five categories: demands and resources in the daily managerial work, achievement of results, social factors, organizational factors, and individual factors.ConclusionsThe specific context of managerial work in small companies encompasses unique factors. For instance, the small company managers’ wellbeing was affected by vulnerability due to the smallness of the business and the absence of available resources. Simultaneously, a small company context provided a strong social climate and close relationships with employees and customers that strengthened the managers’ wellbeing. The findings suggest that the availability of financial, personnel, and organizational resources varies between small companies of different size, which may have implications for small business managers’ work and wellbeing.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ahmadi, Elena, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
FRAMFÖR (Framgångsrika företag i Gästrikland) : ett longitudinellt projekt om ledarskap, arbetsmiljö och effektivitet – fördel för både forskning, utbildning och ett hållbart arbetsliv?
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Inkluderande och hållbart arbetsliv. - Östersund : Mittuniversitetet. ; , s. 48-48
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Projektbeskrivning: FRAMFÖR har under 15 år bedrivits i Gästrikland i samarbete mellan utbildning och forskning vid Högskolan i Gävle, företagsutvecklare vid kommuner, företag och näringslivsorganisationer. Varje år delas utmärkelsen FRAMFÖR ut till 50 företag. Ambitionen är att uppmuntra framgångsrika företagare och visa upp intressanta exempel på hur framgång kan skapas. Processen startar med att 120 företag (>4 anställda) nomineras utifrån finansiella kriterier (ex. omsättningstillväxt, vinstmarginal). Sedan genomför studenter vid Ekonomprogrammet intervjuer med cheferna för dessa företag. Intervjuerna sker utifrån ett standardiserat frågeformulär kring arbetsmiljö, ledarskap, organisering och effektivitet. Avslutningsvis väljer en jury ut de 50 mest framgångsrika företagen utifrån såväl finansiella kriterier som studenternas intervjuresultat. Projektets trippel helixuppbyggnad (Utbildning, Forskning och, Företag) skapar nyttor för olika intressenter.Utbildningsnyttor: Studenterna får möjlighet till interaktion med företagare i sin direkta närhet. Aktiviteterna underlättar att uppfylla utbildningsmål där flera mål kan uppfyllas med samma aktiviteter. Förståelse för näringslivets förutsättningar samt kunskaper om ett vetenskapligt angreppssätt ökar.Forskningsnyttor: Stärker pågående forskning om hälsofrämjande och effektivt ledarskap inom arbetshälsovetenskap samt företagsutveckling inom företagsekonomi. Det stora urvalet av företag ger en bra bild av företagen i regionen och en möjlighet att följa dem över tid. Ambitionen är att få mer kunskap om hållbara och effektiva företag. Fördjupade studier av utmärkelseföretag möjliggörs och ett doktorandprojekt med inriktning på ledarskapsbeteenden, organisationsfaktorer, tidsanvändning samt chefers/medarbetares arbetsmiljö/hälsa i utmärkelseföretag är uppstartat.Företagsnyttor: Företagare får möta studenter och förstå hur de tänker. Ställda frågor, t.ex. rörande arbetsmiljö och ledarskap, kan starta reflektionsprocesser som bidrar till fortsatt utveckling. FRAMFÖR-utmärkelsen delas ut vid en högtidlig tillställning där företagarna kan bygga nätverk. Flera företagare lyfter fram det positiva symbolvärdet av att få utmärkelsen.Projektets framtid: Målet är att fortsätta ytterligare 15 år och fortsätta utveckla nyttorna för samtliga intressenter. Ett prioriterat område är återkoppling till företag i någon form samt ökad samverkan mellan studenter och företagare.
|
|
| 3. |
- Ahmadi, Elena, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Managers’ and employees’ experiences of how managers’ wellbeing impacts their leadership behaviours in Swedish small businesses
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Work. - : IOS Press. - 1051-9815 .- 1875-9270. ; 75:1, s. 97-112
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND:There is a growing interest in managers’ wellbeing due to the observed associations between their wellbeing and leadership behaviours, and between leadership behaviours and employees’ wellbeing. However, it is still unclear how managers’ wellbeing influences their practiced leadership across different workplace contexts, which specific behaviours are affected, and how this varies across time.OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was therefore to explore managers’ and employees’ experiences and perceptions regarding the consequences of managers’ wellbeing for their leadership behaviours in small businesses.METHODS:Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 37 participants (19 managers and 18 employees) working at 12 Swedish small firms, and analysed using content analysis.RESULTS:The findings show that managers were more constructive when they felt well, and more passively destructive when unwell. Variations in managers’ wellbeing influenced their mood, energy level, and performance, as well as the company’s working climate. However, these destructive leadership variations did not have a substantial impact, because several protective factors were present.CONCLUSION:This study shows that the wellbeing of managers in small businesses has perceptible consequences for their leadership behaviours. The study also shows that sustained leadership behaviours may coexist with temporary variations of these behaviours on a constructive-destructive continuum depending on the leader’s wellbeing. Overall, the findings contribute to a more nuanced and dynamic understanding of how the interaction between managers’ wellbeing and their behaviours unfolds in the particular context of small companies.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Ahmadi, Elena, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Managers’ work and behaviour patterns in profitable growth SMEs
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Small Business Economics. - : Springer. - 0921-898X .- 1573-0913. ; 57, s. 849-863
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated managers’ work and behaviour patterns in profitable growth small- and medium-sized Swedish companies, and considered how these patterns might be associated with good health outcomes. Specifically, we looked at hours worked by managers, proportion of time spent on working activities, and leadership behaviour orientation. We used a quantitative cross-sectional design and collected data via a standardized questionnaire that was answered by 133 top managers. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, linear regression, and compositional data analysis. Our results indicate that the managers worked long hours, which is a health risk both for them as individuals and for their organizations, but also that they engaged in work practices and leadership behaviours that were favourable for organizational health and for their employees. The managers spent a high proportion of their time in touring, which could be beneficial to organizational health, and exercised active leadership through behaviours that contribute to both employee health and company effectiveness. Comparing our results to other studies, we can observe that patterns of managers’ time use differ between small and large companies, confirming that the size of the firm is an important determinant of managerial work.
|
|
| 6. |
- Ahmadi, Elena, 1978-
(författare)
-
Managers’ Work, Working Conditions and Wellbeing in Small Companies with Profitable Growth
- 2024
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background Managers’ work, working conditions and wellbeing are important determinants of occupational health in organizations. Nevertheless, little research has investigated these factors in the context of small growing businesses, which are known to contribute to employment, economic growth and social stability. The aim of this thesis was to explore managers’ work, working conditions and wellbeing in the context of small businesses with profitable growth. Methods Study I used a cross-sectional design to assess patterns in managerial work activities and leadership behaviours. Studies II–IV used qualitative interviews with managers (II–IV) and employees (II) to explore the effects of managers’ wellbeing on their leadership (II), their working conditions (III), and changes in their working conditions and wellbeing in the context of growing small businesses (IV).Results Managers worked long hours, posing risks for occupational health, but also adopted work practices that bolster occupational health. Firm size matters for managerial work. Managers’ wellbeing reflected in their mood and energy levels and influenced their leadership behaviours and performance, and the company’s work environment. Managers were more constructive when they felt well, and more passively destructive when they felt unwell. Certain factors mitigated the consequences of their negative behaviours in the organization. Five types of managers’ demands and resources (daily managerial work; achievement of results; and social; organizational; and individual factors) were identified, where the specificity of the small business context revealed unique characteristics. Company growth changed managers’ experiences of working conditions and wellbeing.Conclusions The specific context of small growing businesses shaped managers’ work, working conditions and wellbeing and the interplay between them. Dynamism in the organizational context due to growth had implications for managers’ work, working conditions and wellbeing.
|
|
| 7. |
- Ahmadi, Elena, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Managers’ working hours and time allocation in effective SMEs – an organizational health perspective
- 2018
-
Ingår i: FALF KONFERENS 2018 Arbetet – problem eller potential för en hållbar livsmiljö? 10-12 juni 2018 Gävle. - Gävle : Gävle University Press. - 9789188145284 ; , s. 118-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundThere is an increased global interest in occupational health across small businesses as they represent a large share of employers in many societies. In the model of healthy work organisations, employee health is a prerequisite for higher productivity and profitability and management practices are considered as determinants of organisational health. A better understanding of how managers in effective companies use their time can offer a better understanding of how this can affect employees’ well-being and business effect-iveness. Managers’ long working hours and share of time spent on Management by Walking Around (MBWA) are considered important characteristics of managers’ work that might have consequences for employees’ and managers’ own health outcomes, as well as for organisational effectiveness. MBWA is a management technique common for successful companies in regard to their effectiveness; providing an opportunity for a spontaneous manager-subordinate interaction that might be important for employee health and wellbeing. Studies of managerial work have to some extent not clearly placed managers’ time use in the broad context of leadership, often missing to link it with leadership behaviour theories, health and effectiveness.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore, on the one hand, the total amount of working hours that managers spent, and on the other, their patterns of time allocation to different activities in effective SMEs. Research questions were: 1) What patterns regarding managers’ working hours can be identified across socio-demographic variables, leader-ship experience factors and leadership profiles in effective SMEs? 2) What patterns regarding proportions of total working hours spent on MBWA can be identified across socio-demographic variables, leadership experience factors and leadership profiles in effective SMEs?MethodThe study used data collected within the project, “Successful Companies in Gästrikland”. Annually the project nominates 120 companies for the award based on companies’ financial indicators. The study employed a cross-sectional design and analysed responses to questionnaires collected within the project during years 2014-2018. The inclusion criteria were small and medium sized companies (more than four and less than 250 subordinates), high-level managers having subordinates. Data analysis were carried out using descriptive statistics and regression analysis.ResultsThe results section is being processed and will be reported on the conference.
|
|
