From believing to doing

2021. David Bergman, Marie Gustafsson Sendén, Erik Berntson. Frontiers in Psychology 12

Article

The current study examined the association between leadership self-efficacy and the developmental leadership model. The purpose is to better understand how leadership training transfers to facets of developmental leadership. This was tested in a cross-sectional design with military commanders in the Swedish armed forces. The results show that the sub-domain of leader self-control efficacy (the cognitive and emotional ability to remain composure) did predict developmental leadership in only one dimension of being an exemplary model, but that leader assertiveness efficacy (the ability to make rational decisions) predicted the two dimensions of exemplary model and inspiration & motivation in developmental leadership. One possibility is that leader self-control efficacy can be what enables the individual to function within an extreme context, but leader assertiveness efficacy can be what most determine the leadership performance within that context. The possibility for mediatory analyses in further research is discussed.

Att synliggöra och motverka ojämställdhet i arbetslivet

2020. .

Book (ed)

Hur kommer det sig att arbetet medför status, goda arbetsvillkor och hälsa för vissa, medan det innebär vanmakt, underordning och sjukdom för andra? Denna uråldriga och till synes naiva fråga pockar allt ihärdigare på ett svar i en tid där den sociala ojämlikheten ökar. Den som är det minsta intresserad av arbetsliv och hälsa och som läser de kapitel som nu följer kommer att bli inspirerad, kanske provocerad och troligen väldigt imponerad av svensk arbetslivsforskning. Flera av Sveriges mest framträdande arbetslivsforskare medverkar i boken.

Att synliggöra och motverka ojämställdhet i arbetslivet

2020. Lisa Björk (et al.). Att synliggöra och motverka ojämställdhet i arbetslivet, 21-27

Chapter

I kapitlet behandlas Annika Härenstams forskning med avseende på drivkrafter, metoder och perspektiv. Karaktäristiskt är att arbetslivet ses som en arena där betydelsen av klass, genus och etnicitet är under ständig omförhandling. Organisationer utgör arbetets närmaste kontext och den psykosociala arbetsmiljön är sammanlänkad med hur organisationer utformas och styrs. Organisationer är ett slags filter mellan skeenden på makro- och mikronivå. En uppgift för forskningen är att systematiskt fånga, mäta och korrelera fenomen på olika nivåer. Den arbetande människan finns i ett yrke, på en arbetsplats, som är en del av en avdelning på ett företag, som finns i en bransch. På konkreta arbetsplatser är det omöjligt att isolera enskilda variabler från varandra. Många faktorer samverkar och åstadkommer de fenomen som kan observeras i enkäter och register. För att fånga komplexiteten krävs holistiska ansatser. Kluster- och flernivåanalyser är metoder för detta genom att de inte fragmentiserar arbetssituationer, utan håller samman aspekter i den konkreta verklighet som utgör individers arbetsliv. I Annika Härenstams genusperspektiv är den grundläggande hypotesen att de betydelsefulla skillnaderna snarare finns mellan kvinno- och mansdominerade yrken, sektorer och branscher, än mellan kvinnor och män, vilket synsätt har klara implikationer för hur arbetsmiljöarbete kan och bör bedrivas.

Direct and sustained effects on leadership self-efficacy due to the inability to complete a parachute training course

2020. David Bergman, Marie Gustafsson Sendén, Erik Berntson. Nordic Psychology 72 (3), 222-234

Article

The present study examined a parachute training course intended to improve the leadership abilities of future military officers. Two research questions were examined. First, whether there were any differences between completers and non-completers in anxiety, stress, and collective identity at the beginning of the course (time 1), and second, whether there were any differences between completers and non-completers in leadership self-efficacy immediately after the course and at a five-month follow-up (time 2 and time 3). Participants were cadets from the Swedish Military Academy undergoing the course as part of their officer training curriculum. The results showed no significant differences between completers and non-completers in anxiety, stress, and collective identity at the beginning of the course (time 1). Non-completers showed a significant reduction in leader self-control efficacy compared to those who completed the training immediately after the course and at a five-month follow-up (time 2 and 3). Overall, these results indicate that non-completion of this type of demanding training could have negative effects on the individual's leader self-control efficacy.

Sickness absence and sickness presence in relation to office type

2020. Loretta Platts (et al.). PLoS ONE 15 (4)

Article

Objectives: Previous research suggesting that open-plan office environments are associated with higher rates of sickness absence rely on self-reports which can be affected by recall bias. This paper investigates the associations of sickness absence, obtained from employer records as well as self-reports, with office type (cell offices and different sizes of open-plan offices). It additionally studies whether office type is associated with sickness presence.

Methods: Employees from two private and one public sector organization were recruited to the study. Office type was ascertained by direct observation or from employee responses to an online survey. Control variables were gender, age, public/private sector and education level. Number of days and episodes of sickness absence were calculated from employer absence records and regressed on office type using negative binomial regression (n = 988). Self-reports of sickness absence and presence were regressed on office type using ordered logistic regression (n = 1237).

Results: Office type was generally not associated with employer records of number of episodes or days of sickness absence, except that the total number of days of leave was higher in flex offices compared to cell offices (IRR = 2.46, p = 0.007). In general, office type was not associated with self-reported days of sickness absence, apart from participants working in medium-sized open-plan offices who had 0.42 higher log-odds of absence than those working in cell offices (p = 0.004). Office type was not associated with self-reported sickness presence.

Conclusions: Office type was not associated with sickness presence nor, in general, with sickness absence, whether obtained from self-reports or company records. It is not possible to conclude from this study that open-plan offices are associated with greater sickness absence or sickness presence compared to cell offices.

Improving organizational and working conditions for managers in the Swedish public sector

2019. Annika Härenstam, Anders Pousette, Erik Berntson. Economic and Industrial Democracy

Article

The demands on managers seem to have increased as a consequence of management reforms. This study evaluates interventions aimed at improving working conditions and performance of managers in the Swedish public sector by changing organizational conditions. Six intervention organizations were compared to 34 reference organizations. Organizational conditions relevant for managerial work were surveyed and the results presented to the management teams who decided on the action plans and implemented changes. Fidelity to the intentions and contextual circumstances were documented. A psychometrically tested questionnaire was used for pre- and post-measurements of effects among a sample of 303 managers. The results showed that the interventions were associated with changes in managers' quality of work and performance. The evaluation design made it possible to show that organizational conditions can be changed in order to improve the operations managers' situation if there is fidelity to the intentions and support from the strategic level management.

Preparing to lead in combat

2019. David Bergman, Marie Gustafsson Sendén, Erik Berntson. Military Psychology 31 (6), 481-489

Article

The current study examined whether a static-line parachute program could help prepare future military officers to lead in extreme situations by increasing leadership self-efficacy. Parachute training is commonly used for preparing to lead in combat since it presents a perceived threat to life which requires active mastery. Achieving such mastery facilitates the development of leader self-control efficacy and leader assertiveness efficacy. This assumption was tested in a real training situation within the Swedish Military Academy where two groups of cadets were included in the study. The group of cadets undertaking parachute training conducted repeated measures of assessment of their self-efficacy before and after the course as well as at a five-month follow-up. The results show that parachute training increased leader self-control efficacy when compared to a group of cadets who undertook different training. In addition, the training given contributed to increased leader assertiveness efficacy for both groups.

Who Gets Stuck in Their Workplaces? The Role of Matching Factors, between Individual and Job, and Demographics in Predicting Being Locked In

2019. Johanna Stengård (et al.). Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology 4 (1), 1-18

Article

When a workplace/organization does not fulfill one’s needs and wishes anymore, many individuals change to other workplaces/organizations. However, for some individuals this is not feasible as they perceive a lack of alternatives; they feel stuck in a non-preferred workplace (being locked in), or they may be in the risk zone of becoming locked in. Few studies have investigated the reasons for becoming locked in, and it is the aim of this study to investigate whether matching factors between work and individual and/or demographic factors can predict locked-in positions. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed—cross-sectionally and longitudinally (N = 3633–6449)—and showed that mismatch in terms of over-qualification and lack of physical and mental work abilities increased the odds ratios for being in locked-in positions. In contrast, working in relatively higher socioeconomic categories of both manual and non-manual work, commonly demanding higher education (vocational or academic), protected against being locked in. This study contributes to the career research field by studying determinants of disadvantageous career positions, which have been neglected in past research.

The roles of shared perceptions of individual job insecurity and job insecurity climate for work- and health-related outcomes

2018. Lena Låstad (et al.). Economic and Industrial Democracy 39 (3), 422-438

Article

The aim of this study is to examine job insecurity from a multilevel perspective and to investigate the roles of two types of job insecurity - job insecurity climate and individual job insecurity - for work-related attitudes and health outcomes. It further explores the role of the workgroup - as a social context - in shaping job insecurity perceptions. Data were collected from white-collar employees in a Swedish organization, with 126 participants nested in 18 groups. The results show that 19% of the variance in job insecurity climate perceptions, and none of the variance in individual job insecurity perceptions, could be attributed to group membership. Further, compared to other members of their group, those perceiving a stronger job insecurity climate reported lower levels of negative self-rated health and higher burnout scores. These results imply that the workgroup is an important social context for job insecurity climate perceptions.

En introduktion till ledarskap och organisatorisk komplexitet

2018. Anna Cregård (et al.). Att leda i en komplex organisation, 9-21

Chapter

Stuck in the job

2017. Johanna Stengård (et al.). Journal of Vocational Behavior 102, 15-27

Article

In today's rapidly changing and increasingly competitive labour market individuals need to take control over their own career more actively. However, some employees feel that they lack psychological suppositions to get another job, even though they wish to, and as a result feel stuck in a non-preferred workplace (being locked-in). The aim of this study was to investigate how helplessness are related to being locked-in at the workplace over time, since it can be argued that helplessness precedes, is reciprocally related to, or a consequence of being locked-in at the workplace. The sample consisted of 978 Swedish employees with permanent contracts and the data were collected at two time points (2012 and 2016). Results from a cross-lagged SEM analysis showed best fit statistics for a model of reciprocal relationships over time; helplessness associated with subsequent perceptions of being locked-in at the workplace and an association, although less substantial, was found in the reversed direction from locked-in status to helplessness. Results remained unchanged when job change, reorganization, gender, age and education were controlled for, which lends further credibility to the finding. Implications for future research and theory development are outlined in the discussion.

Does Personality Have a Different Impact on Self-Rated Distraction, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance in Different Office Types?

2016. Aram Seddigh (et al.). PLoS ONE 11 (5)

Article

This study investigates the joint effect of office type (cell, shared room, open-plan, and flex) and personality, measured by the Big Five personality traits, on self-rated measures of distraction, job satisfaction, and job performance (measured by professional efficacy). Regression analyses with interactions between personality and office type were conducted on 1205 participants working in 5 organizations from both the private and public sectors. While few interactions were observed in the cases of professional efficacy and job satisfaction, several were observed between personality traits and office type on the level of distraction reported. Specifically, more emotionally stable participants reported lower distraction, particularly those working in flex offices. Both agreeableness and openness to experience were associated with higher levels of distraction among participants in open-plan compared to cell offices.

Enkätmetodik

2016. Erik Berntson (et al.).

Book

Enkätmetodik ger såväl teoretisk som praktisk kunskap om enkätundersökningar från att identifiera ett problem och formulera lämpliga frågor, till att analysera och tolka resultatet. Boken har ett evidensbaserat perspektiv där läsaren får lära sig olika verktyg som bidrar till undersökningens tillförlitlighet.

Fokus ligger på metodiken, som förklaras och sätts in i sitt sammanhang med hjälp av många exempel, faktarutor och tydliga beskrivningar. Läsaren får således god förståelse för centrala områden såsom mätteori, reliabilitet, validitet och faktoranalys.

The Launch of a New Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

2016. Erik Berntson (et al.). Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology

Article

Erik BerntsonAssistant Professor

Research projects

Publications

From believing to doing

Att synliggöra och motverka ojämställdhet i arbetslivet

Att synliggöra och motverka ojämställdhet i arbetslivet

Direct and sustained effects on leadership self-efficacy due to the inability to complete a parachute training course

Sickness absence and sickness presence in relation to office type

Improving organizational and working conditions for managers in the Swedish public sector

Preparing to lead in combat

Who Gets Stuck in Their Workplaces? The Role of Matching Factors, between Individual and Job, and Demographics in Predicting Being Locked In

The roles of shared perceptions of individual job insecurity and job insecurity climate for work- and health-related outcomes

En introduktion till ledarskap och organisatorisk komplexitet

Stuck in the job

Does Personality Have a Different Impact on Self-Rated Distraction, Job Satisfaction, and Job Performance in Different Office Types?

Enkätmetodik

The Launch of a New Scandinavian Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology