Individual and Organizational Well-being when Workplace Conflicts are on the Agenda: A Mixed-methods Study

Previous studies have shown that direct involvement in workplace conflicts may have a significant impact on individual well-being. We used survey and interview data from a large nongovernmental organization (NGO) to analyze both the relationships between direct and indirect involvement in workplace conflicts and individual and organizational well-being. Results show that unaddressed conflicts and nonresponsive or conflict-involved managers are problematic because they fuel already existing conflicts, and also pave the way for new ones. If conflicts are not handled at an early enough stage, they seem to “paralyze” the organization and serve as an interlocking mechanism that contributes to hindering the necessary action from management. In our case, one-fifth of the employees were directly involved in the conflicts, and two-thirds felt that their local working environment had been influenced negatively by the conflicts. The prevalence of mental health problems in the NGO was almost twice as high as in the general Norwegian population, and slightly more than one out of 10 reported reduced work ability. We conclude that individuals directly involved in the conflicts experience negative health consequences, and that this fact, in combination with organizational issues and a very high share of employees indirectly involved in the conflicts, affected the well-being of the whole organization

Workplace Inclusion Competence and Employer Engagement

Existing active labor market policy (ALMP) measures have been unsuccessful in establishing long- term employment for vulnerable groups.This paper contributes to further development of the role of the employer engagement perspective in ALMP. We introduce the term workplace inclusion competence and explore its association to two distinct work-organizational categories: participa tion- and control-oriented management. We operationalize workplace inclusion competence as inclusion opportunity and inclusion capability. We argue that such competence is dynamic and processual, and find that organizational management-orientation, as well as work pace, employees’ developmental opportunities, financial situation and OSH, have an impact on workplace inclusion competence. Survey data among a sample of managers is analyzed regarding workplaces’ capabilities and opportunities in work inclusion processes. We present two sets of indexes to measure organizational management-orientation and inclusion skills competence. As such, we contribute to the research field by providing new and more specific concepts with adherent question indexes, and by connecting them to a work-organizational perspective

Workplace Barriers to Return-to-Work Processes

This study identified workplace barriers to return-to-work (RTW) processes through a multiple case study consisting of 38 cases. Sixty-four interviews with employees with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and 45 interviews with their managers were conducted in 2017–2020 at T1 (1–3 months after the employees returned to work) and T2 (12–16 months after T1). Workplace barriers were associated with the organizational and psychosocial work environments, TBI knowledge, and char- acteristics of the employee. The role of management was a key aspect across all barriers. Workplace barriers often co-occurred and became increasingly important at T2. At T2, most employees increased their workload, but some still experienced unsupportive management, workplace conflicts, and a low degree of job control. The psychosocial work environment is a main area for workplace barriers. The managers’ knowledge of RTW processes and TBI-related challenges potentially reduce barriers and thereby contribute to balance the needs of the organization and the individual

Combined cognitive and vocational interventions after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background A considerable proportion of patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience long-lasting somatic, cognitive, and emotional symptoms that may hamper their capacity to return to work (RTW). Although several studies have described medical, psychological, and work-related factors that predict RTW after TBI, well-controlled intervention studies regarding RTW are scarce. Furthermore, there has traditionally been weak collaboration among health-related rehabilitation services, the labor and welfare sector, and workplaces. Methods/design This study protocol describes an innovative randomized controlled trial in which we will explore the effect of combining manualized cognitive rehabilitation (Compensatory Cognitive Training [CCT]) and supported employment (SE) on RTW and related outcomes for patients with mild to moderate TBI in real-life competitive work settings. The study will be carried out in the southeastern region of Norway and thereby be performed within the Norwegian welfare system. Patients aged 18–60 years with mild to moderate TBI who are employed in a minimum 50% position at the time of injury and sick-listed 50% or more for postconcussive symptoms 2 months postinjury will be included in the study. A comprehensive assessment of neurocognitive function, self-reported symptoms, emotional distress, coping style, and quality of life will be performed at baseline, immediately after CCT (3 months after inclusion), following the end of SE (6 months after inclusion), and 12 months following study inclusion. The primary outcome measures are the proportion of participants who have returned to work at 12-month follow-up and length of time until RTW, in addition to work stability as well as work productivity over the first year following the intervention. Secondary outcomes include changes in self-reported symptoms, emotional and cognitive function, and quality of life. Additionally, a qualitative RTW process evaluation focused on organizational challenges at the workplace will be performed. Discussion The proposed study will combine cognitive and vocational rehabilitation and explore the efficacy of increased cross-sectoral collaboration between specialized health care services and the labor and welfare system. If the intervention proves effective, the project will describe the cost-effectiveness and utility of the program and thereby provide important information for policy makers. In addition, knowledge about the RTW process for persons with TBI and their workplaces will be provided. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03092713. Registered on 10 March 2017

Learning in times of permanent change – a theoretical input on work environment and organizational learning

Denne artikkelen argumenterer for at arven fra sosio-teknisk teori, både den direkte og den indirekte koblingen mellom individ, arbeidsorganisering og produktivitet, er i overensstemmelse med og delvis har påvirket de to ulike, men relaterte, teoretiske fagfelt knyttet til organisering av arbeid-det handlingsorienterte perspektivet innen organisasjonslæring og krav-kontroll-støtte-modellen. I et arbeidsliv preget av økt omstillingstakt er behovet stort for en sammenkobling av innsikter om hvordan belastningsfaktorer i ulike typer arbeid, mestringsmuligheter og læring virker sammen og hvordan man kan legge til rette for læring på organisasjonsnivå. Dette gir nye perspektiver på organisasjonsutvikling og åpner for en utvidet forståelse av hvilke mekanismer som hemmer og fremmer produktiv organisasjonslæring og et godt/helsefremmende psykososialt arbeidsmiljø.This article shows that the original socio-technical theory, through its focus on participation and workplace democracy and its link between work organization and social systems, has similarities with the action-oriented model of organizational learning. Socio-technical theory has also had a direct impact on what has later become a dominant perspective within the work environment and health research, the demand-control-support model. Both of these perspectives make use of a learning term which is cognitively oriented and “made organizational” by emphasizing dialogue oriented processes involving both employees and managers through inquiry in their own organization and through changes in work organization. The models differ in that the demands – control – support model looks at stress as an obstacle to learning while the action-oriented organizational learning model advocates the impossibility of fundamental change without provoking discomfort. The article argues that in a labor market characterized by an increased rate of restructuring, there is a need for combined insights about how stressors in different types of work, coping capabilities and learning interact, and how elements of the organizational and psychosocial work environment may affect the organization’s ability to learn

Ten successful years:A longitudinal case study of autonomy, control and learning

The article examines three concepts closely related to the Nordic sociotechnical tradition: responsible autonomy, learning, and control. The longitudinal case study analyses the implementation of a 6-hour workday and the development of responsible autonomy, employee control, and productive organizational learning in a Norwegian factory from 2001 to 2012. The development process was successful, with productivity increasing by 20% within 1 year. We found that productivity improvements and positive work environment changes were made possible by developing responsible autonomy through an employee-driven innovation process that led to a focus on quality and productivity throughout the organization. We also found that the development of responsible autonomy prevents defensive routines from disrupting the learning and development processes in the organization. We conclude that successful organizational development depends upon building responsibility through organizational learnin

Rekruttering til ledelse

Studien viser at det generelle bildet ser relativt positivt ut med hensyn til fremtidig rekruttering til ledelse. Drøyt halvparten av de spurte er positivt innstilt til å ha innvandrere som ledere, mens 20 prosent er skeptiske idet de mener etniske nordmenn ikke vil ønske dette. Ledere med innvandrerbakgrunn føler ikke alltid at de mestrer den norske arbeidskulturen. ISS har en relativt stor andel av ansatte med høyere utdanning. Innføring av tiltak som aktiviserer og effektiviserer kartlegging og tilbakemeldinger fra nåværende ledere oppover i systemet kan bidra til at flere engasjerte og ressurssterke ansatte kunne bli værende og utvikle seg internt i ISS. Gode ferdigheter i det norske språket, både muntlig og skriftlig, vil være en presserende faktor for at ISS skal lykkes i både drifting og utvikling av sin egen organisasjon