Att finna den positiva avvikelsen : En fallstudie av en väl fungerande arbetsplats

Abstract During recent years the climate in recruiting new personnel has hardened as a result of high levels of employment and increasing competition in labour market. In order to resolve this problem, organisations have to adapt new strategies to attract and meet the demands of potential employees who have the required competence to meet job requirements. The aim of this study has been to examine a well functioning work place in order to elucidate explicit examples of what employees consider positive, and what can be ascertained as positive deviations. Narratives emanating from the unit manager and personnel illustrate their views on the positive influences found in their working place. Another ambition is to increase awareness and understanding about the factors that promote satisfaction in the workplace and positive deviation; and to utilise this knowledge. Traditional research on organisations has frequently focused on problems. The theoretical point of departure of this study is based on Positive Organizational Scholarship, abbreviated as POS. This research perspective concentrates on the strengths and harmony found in thriving organisations. The definition of POS is formulated as “scientific explorations on what is positive, successful and life-promoting in organisations”. This is a research form that can be understood as an “umbrella construct” covering a number of studies related to the positive ethos within organisations. The scene for our field study has been at a compound unit of a large hospital. Our choice of venue based on recent questionnaires which revealed positive results of patient and staff satisfaction, and documentation of economic sustainability. The field study included interviews with five members of staff and a questionnaire directed to ward staff. The results of both our interviews and questionnaires showed that being included and seen as an individual was important. And that voices and activities of staff, patients and relatives were taken seriously into account. The ethos of the unit was characterised as having an open climate, as being openhearted and humoristic. This together with a number of possibilities to readjust and rejuvenate to the demands of work, indicate a high level of psychological capital which helps sustain staff to contend with the heavy physical and psychological workload that characterizes the unit. Staff competence is highly developed. The unit treats patients with very complex diseases and staff encouraged to further develop their education. The unit has a very good reputation both inside and outside the hospital; management and leadership is explicit and distinct, and there appears little room for confused or muddled interpretations. One of the findings in this study is that it is important that both management and personnel, together, take the responsibility for ensuring the positive climate at the workplace. We have also found that in the various parts of unit the psychosocial climate has functioned very well, and that these parts together function in a well integrated organisation. We also conclude that by only focusing on the positive is not an aim in itself, and that an understanding of both the positive and negative are essential