Communication, motivation and relationships : A qualitative study of leadership influence on the health of employees from first line managers experiences

The aim of this study is to understand first line managers experiences of the impact leadership have on the health of employees. The study focuses on leadership behaviours and actions, experienced by first line managers working in elderly care, with either positive or negative outcomes on the employees health. To answer the purpose of the study a qualitative method was used and the data was collected through seven individual interviews. The analyse was conducted using theories of transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership. To enable a broader dimension to the study the concept of health-promotion leadership was also used in the analysis. The first line managers experiences showed that communication, motivation and relationships were important parts of a leadership that could affect the employees health both positive and negative. Overall a leaders communication should be clear and meaningful, a leader should motivate the employees by showing interest in their work and a leader should build a relationship with the employees that are based on equality