Managers' experiences of promoting employees' health and work environment from a salutogenic perspective during organizational change

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to describe the managers' experiences of promoting employees' health and work environment from a salutogenic perspective during an organizational change.Design/methodology/approachTen managers going through an organizational change, including three men and seven women. The managers belonged to the same management team and was participating in discussions with researchers regarding organizational changes. The managers were between the age of 32 and 59 and had between one and 25 years of experience in a managerial position. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the analysis was performed using qualitative content analysis with an abductive approach.FindingsThe experiences from the managers were described, and during the analysis, six categories emerged. The categories were about the salutogenic theory sense of coherence, and therefore, the categories were placed in the domains comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. In the domain comprehensibility, two categories emerged in the analysis; transparent managers create an understandable change and continuous information contributes to comprehensibility. In the domain manageability, two categories emerged in the analysis; clear structure provides manageable change and balance between requirements and expectations provides manageable change. In the domain meaningfulness, two categories emerged in the analysis; an open conversational climate creates meaningful participation and common consensus contributes to meaningfulness in work.Originality/valueThis study highlights what it is like to be a manager during an organizational change and describes how employees' health and work environment can be promoted. By being clear with information about the change and being transparent in what is happening, an opportunity is created to promote good health among employees during the change period.