Den motiverande ledaren? : En kvalitativ studie om hur enhetschefer inom äldreomsorgen arbetar för att motivera sina medarbetare

In Sweden the healthcare sector is the profession with the highest amount of sick leave. There is also an ongoing trend of work-related health issues and high staff turnover in this sector, which includes the elderly care. Hence, it is important to develop working conditions that supports job satisfaction among coworkers. One way to work towards a higher level of job satisfaction within coworkers is to increase their motivation at work. For this to be realized, leaders play a crucial part. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine how leaders within the elderly care work with motivation to foster job satisfaction among their coworkers. The question of interest was which work methods leaders use to foster motivation among coworkers. The study was conducted using a qualitative method where the data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The sample consisted of eight unit managers from two different municipalities. The results showed that there were several work methods that the unit managers frequently used in their work to foster motivation among their coworkers. These were; systematic efforts, feedback, self-determination, participation, operational leadership, building relationships and trust. Of these, feedback, participation and building relationships were identified as the most important work methods. Furthermore, the result showed a distinction within the perception on operational leadership