Background: Sick leave and ill health due to stress are significant concerns today and negatively affect the individual, the organisations, and the community. High demands, multitasking, and inexplicit boundaries between different occupations contribute to an explanation. However, research shows that more qualitative studies are needed to better understand this issue and how to promote health in the working population. Objective: The study aims to explore participants’ experiences of maintaining or regaining occupational health in their everyday life, including paid work, several years after sick leave. Method: Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using inductive content analysis. The analysis resulted in one major theme and three categories describing the current experiences handling their everyday life and work situations. Results: The result showed that returning to work and maintaining occupational health after sick leave due to occupational ill health calls for “flex-ability”. The term describes that individuals need to be open to change and adapt to new challenges at work and in everyday life. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of health-promotive organisations where the individual factor is more considered. Furthermore, a broader view of health-promotive work in society where work is included in everyday life, instead of divided into and outside of work, is needed.

By exploring the perceptions of cooperation between technostructure experts and middle line managers of different departments in three Swedish municipalities in a qualitative study, this paper contributes to an understanding of how gendered norms inscribed in type of work influence expectations on cooperation. Theories of principal-agent, stewardship, and partnership, and a gender perspective are used. The comparative analysis shows that despite changes in work roles under the influence of NPM, traditional norms about gender appear to be reproduced in the expectations of cooperation. The results illustrate how cooperation is shaped in contexts associated with feminine respective masculine work. 

In this chapter, the notion of a Nordic local government model is discussed in relation to the position of the municipal chief executive officer (MCEO). We elaborate on four key areas: decentralization, fiscal capacity, autonomy, and horizontal power relations. The common characteristics of the Nordic countries in the context of the four key areas are summarized as a way in which to interpret the Nordic local government model within a primarily shared context. However, there are also nuances in the differences between the individual countries. The Nordic local government model allows the MCEO to play a role that is both interesting and influential. 

In this chapter, the notion of a Nordic local government model is discussed in relation to the position of the municipal chief executive officer (MCEO). We elaborate on four key areas: decentralization, fiscal capacity, autonomy, and horizontal power relations. The common characteristics of the Nordic countries in the context of the four key areas are summarized as a way in which to interpret the Nordic local government model within a primarily shared context. However, there are also nuances in the differences between the individual countries. The Nordic local government model allows the MCEO to play a role that is both interesting and influential. 

This chapter focuses on the Swedish municipal CEO (MCEO). The development of the role over the last 25 years is analysed in terms of stability and change. The chapter discusses the changes that have taken place in terms of the demands and constraints of the role. These changes are further compared with changes in actual performance relating to the priorities of MCEOs. The results show that while contextual factors, background, and reasons for job termination have changed considerably, small or moderate changes can arguably be observed in the MCEOs’ role performance. The role of the MCEO is discussed as a stable and institutionalized role in an otherwise changing world. However, there are some minor long-term indications that the role may become either more of an extended arm of majority politicians or a professional, administrative head—or perhaps both. The findings are based on a large amount of survey data collected every five years for a quarter of a century. 

Den här boken handlar om chefer, experter och stödfunktioner i kommuner - och om deras administrativa arbete. Den kommunala sektorns administration har på några decennier förändrats genomgripande, både vad gäller omfattning, arbetsinnehåll och styrka. Inom flera områden har roller professionaliserats, och mer kraft och resurser har lagts på att styra organisationen med bakgrund i krav på granskningsbarhet, kommunövergripande policyer och mätbar måluppfyllelse. Det har kommit att påverka hela den kommunala organisationen. I den här boken redogör vi för hur samspel mellan olika administrativa funktioner (såsom chefer, stödverksamhet och staber) ser ut och förändras. Vi diskuterar också hur goda samspel kan se ut, och vad som krävs för att åstadkomma sådana. Boken riktar sig till alla med intresse för organisatoriskt samspel mellan chefer, experter av olika slag och servicefunktioner i dagens kommunala värld. Särskilt riktar den sig till studenter som läser utbildningar inom personal- och arbetsvetenskap, organisation och ledarskap, och offentlig förvaltning, samt till dem som arbetar med ledning och administration i kommuner.