Aim

To describe male first-line managers' experiences of their work situation in elderly care.

Background

First-line managers' work is challenging. However, less attention has been paid to male managers' work situation in health care. Knowledge is needed to empower male managers.

Method

Fourteen male first-line managers were interviewed. The interview text was subjected to qualitative content analysis.

Result

Work situations were described as complex and challenging; challenges were the driving force. They talked about ‘Being on one's own but not feeling left alone’, ‘Having freedom within set boundaries’, ‘Feeling a sense of satisfaction and stimulation’, ‘Feeling a sense of frustration’ and ‘Having a feeling of dejection and resignation’.

Conclusion

Although the male managers report deficiencies in the support structure, they largely experience their work as a positive challenge.

Implications for nursing management

To meet increasing challenges, male first-line managers need better access to supportive structural conditions. Better access to resources is needed in particular, allowing managers to be more visible for staff and to work with development and quality issues instead of administrative tasks. Regarding organisational changes and the scrutiny of management and the media, they lack and thus need support and information from superiors.

BACKGROUND:

The work situation for first-line managers in elderly care is complex and challenging. Little is known about these managers' work situation from a structural and psychological empowerment perspective.

AIM:

To describe first-line managers' experiences of their work situation in elderly care from a structural and psychological empowerment perspective.

METHOD:

Interviews from 14 female first-line managers were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS:

The theme described the managers' work situation as "It's not easy, but it's worth it." In the four subthemes, the managers described their work in terms of "Enjoying a meaningful job," "A complex and demanding responsibility that allows great authority within set boundaries," "Supported by other persons, organisational preconditions and confidence in their own abilities" and "Lacking organisational preconditions, but developing strategies for dealing with the situations."

CONCLUSION:

The managers described having various amounts of access to structural empowerment and experienced a feeling of meaning, competence, self-determination and impact, that is, psychological empowerment in their work.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT:

It is vital that first-line managers have access to organisational support. Therefore, upper management and first-line managers need to engage in continuous dialogue to customize the support given to each first-line manager.

Aim

To study whether the number of subordinates plays a role in first-line managers’ and subordinates’ ratings of empowerment, stress symptoms, and leadership–management performance. The aim was also to study relationships between managers’ empowerment and stress symptoms and leadership–management performance.

Methods

A longitudinal and correlational design was used. All first-line managers (n = 98) and their subordinates (n = 2085) working in the care of older adults in five municipalities were approached.

Results

With fewer (≤ 30) subordinates per manager, there were higher ratings of structural empowerment among managers and subordinates and lower stress symptoms among subordinates, than with ≥ 31 subordinates. Furthermore, structural empowerment was related to the managers’ stress symptoms and leadership–management performance, mediated through psychological empowerment. Moreover, structural empowerment can control/adjust for large numbers of subordinates in relation to stress symptoms.

Conclusion

The higher FLMs rated their access to empowerment, the lower stress symptoms and higher leadership–management performance they rated over time.

AIM: To investigate relationships between first-line managers' ratings of structural and psychological empowerment, and the subordinates' ratings of structural empowerment, as well as their ratings of the managers' leadership-management performance.

BACKGROUND: Work situations in elderly care are complex. To date, few studies have used a longitudinal, correlational and multilevel design to study the working life of subordinates and managers.

METHOD: In five Swedish municipalities, questionnaires were answered twice during 2010-12 by 56 first-line managers and 769 subordinates working in nursing homes or home-help services.

RESULTS: First-line managers' empowerment at Time 1 partially predicted subordinate's structural empowerment and ratings of their managers' leadership-management performance at Time 2. Changes over time partially revealed that the more access managers had to structural empowerment, i.e. increase over time, the higher the ratings were for structural empowerment and managerial leadership-management performance among subordinates.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings strengthen research and theoretical suggestions linking first-line managers' structural empowerment to their subordinates' structural empowerment and ratings of their manager's leadership-management performance.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Managers with high access to structural empowerment are more likely to provide subordinates access to structural empowerment.