Fuld fart frem på fleksible arbejdspladser: Men hvad kræver det egentlig af os som medarbejdere og ledere?

Abstract

The master's project analyzes, based on the Danish municipality Lyngby-Taarbæk – how organizations in their work with flexibility should be mindful of employee types (categorized as self-governing and self-managing according to the theory of Pedersen and Raastrup Kristensen), the level of dependency in task types (aggregated, sequential, or reciprocal task types according to Holdt Christensen), and particularly leadership styles based on the concepts of emotional intelligence developed by Goleman. The organizations should also be mindful of the fact that the need of the employees most likely will change during different life cycles (young people with small children might need some particularly flexibility for instance the possibility to be able to arrive at the work place a little later or leave a little earlier because they have to bring their children to kindergarten, school or so on, while for instance elder people would like something else like maybe the opportunity to work from home). The diverse needs can easily make it challenging to maintain a focus on the work community aimed at delivering core tasks to citizens and businesses. Thus, there is a delicate balance between the individual and the community. The project suggests that flexibility significantly motivates both employees and leaders, regardless of whether they use it extensively or sparingly. However, it is highly demotivating if the organizational leadership is unclear in setting the framework for who can use what forms of flexibility and why. In an organization with diverse tasks, it may make sense to consider the level of dependency in task types when selecting which forms of flexibility - and to what extent - should be offered in different departments. This also means that leaders must be able to differentiate between various employee types and task types, and they must also be able to lead in a reality where employees' needs change in line with their life cycles - utilizing particular selfregulation and empathy to lead the whole person. Leaders must be able to juggle the six leadership styles within emotional intelligence, so that they are both motivating and setting boundaries, sometimes with elements of authoritarianism, but also coaching, involving, and democratic to encompass their employees. At the same time, there is also a need for leadership - including top management in the organization - to dare to set boundaries that ensure enough flexibility for individuals, but that it is done in a way that also ensures the continuation and development of a collaborative work environment around task completion. It also becomes evident that the physical environment has a relatively significant impact on how the workplace can be utilized. Both methods and agreements can be employed, but also the arrangement of the rooms, to support work that requires quiet and focus for aggregated and sequential tasks, while there are other areas where more "noisy" tasks, which require mutual and ongoing dialogue, can be performed.