This thesis reports on the methodology and results of a study with one retailers 73 units to investigate factors of the store managers leadership that influence productivity performance in store. The study determine the impact of ten independent variables in terms of the store managers leadership on four performance measures: (3) three productivity measures: Sales Over Labor (SALOL), Sales Over Inventory (SALOI) and Sales Over Square-metre (SALOS) and (1) one profit measure: Contribution Income Over Square-metre (CIOS). The result shows that the leadership factors give no more explanation to the economic results after factors of local market condition and the store attributes are taking in to account. The store manager's leadership can though influence his or her decision-making in-store. The store manager's decision to staff the store more intense (higher service-intensity) can increase the level of contribution income over square metre in-store..

The aim of this study is to understand first line managers experiences of the impact leadership have on the health of employees. The study focuses on leadership behaviours and actions, experienced by first line managers working in elderly care, with either positive or negative outcomes on the employees health. To answer the purpose of the study a qualitative method was used and the data was collected through seven individual interviews. The analyse was conducted using theories of transformational, transactional and laissez-faire leadership. To enable a broader dimension to the study the concept of health-promotion leadership was also used in the analysis.

Servant leadership är ett begrepp som visar potential inom ledarskapsforskningen, framförallt för att förklara meningsskapande ledarskap, hur ledaren leder sig själv samt hur ledarskap kan accepteras utan auktoritet. Problemet är att forskningen hittills varit alltför okritisk. Begreppets validitet har bevisats i kvantitativa mått, men dess implikationer för själva ledarskapsutövandet eller ledaren är oklara.Syftet med uppsatsen är att testa begreppet servant leadership som verktyg för ledarskapsstudier. Kan begreppet konkretiseras och mätas? Kan man vara säker på vad man mäter? För att besvara dessa frågor omfattar uppsatsen en granskande litteraturstudie och en tillämpande fallstudie i tre delar.Resultaten antyder att begreppet servant leadership kan brista i precision och tillförlitlighet.

The aim of the study is to examine how the executive leadership and the decision-making process are shaped by the leadership environment in a transition democracy as Venezuela. The questions I intend to answer are: What kind of leadership environment surrounds the leadership and what kind of consequences does it have on the leadership and the decision-making process in Venezuela? To answer my questions I will use the literature: Political Leadership in Liberal Democracies (Elgie, Robert 1995, London: Macmillian), together with the method ?The cultural determinist school of history? by Tomas Spencer, later reproduced by Kellerman. The leadership environment provides unique opportunities for a leader to gain control over the decision-making process. Institutional structures and the needs of the society are major parts in determining how the political leadership is exercised.

What do we really mean when we are talking about the perfect leadership? Does a leadership like that really exist in the world we live in today? Being perfect is something that many people are longing for, but that is hard to achieve. In school, in families and at work: the longing for perfectionism is everywhere. Being a leader is a tough goal to master, being the perfect leader is something impossible. Many managers in Sweden today all want to be successful and perfect at what they do, many of them don?t have the time to reflect over how the perfect leadership should be characterized.

AbstractTitle: Communicative leadership ? a leadership for modern organizationsQualitative research attempting to define the concept.(Kommunikativt ledarskap ? ett ledarskap för moderna organisationerKvalitativ studie med ansats att definiera begreppet.)Author: Jenny AxällAim: The aim of this essay is to try to find the essence of and a definition of the communicative leadership. Questions asked are: How can communicative leadership be described? How can it be practiced? What does it demand of those who practice it? What organizational conditions are required? And what results and performances can this leadership lead to?Method: Qualitative explorative research method. The study contains an academic lit-erature review of the science of leadership and communication in general and the more specific communicative leadership.

Background: The description of different characters in soapoperas are often exaggerated to catch the viewers interest and to present an exiting content. The phenomenon that takes place in soapoperas can often relates to every-day- life-situations. The viewers should recognise them selves in the content, the imaginary situations and the characters should be normal but at the same time exaggerated and twisted to catch the viewers attention. This means that the characters in Rederiet should have connections to the real world and this makes it interesting to study how the different styels of leadership are descibed.Purpose: The purpose is to analyse and compare three choosen characters in the soapopera Rederiet, from existing leadership thoeries. To identify leadership on three hierarchical levels ? head of machinery, superintendent and captain ? and to analyse how leadership are descibed in the soapopera.

In this qualitative study the authors explores, by studying several quality-development models what quality in leadership is. The models are: Total Quality Management; SIQ?s model for customer-oriented organizational development; the EFQM excellence model; the ISO 9000:2000 standard; and Six Sigma. These models will be compared from Deming?s list for upper management; the Situational Leadership Theory; and the Contingency Theory.

Culture is seen as an abstract phenomenon, not easily defined. It is cathegorized as something that affects every person, though it is seldom described how. This study adress how culture, in the form of basic assumptions and accepted behaviors and ways to think affected how young coaches formed their leadership under the influence of their organization. The possible implications for the importance of knowing about ones culture in an organization affect both the recruitment process in organizations and what the organization stands for and what is conveyed through values and ways to act in the organization. The purpose of this study was, through the use of semi-structured interviews with young coaches and organizational leaders and a review of policys, to get the perspective and experiences of young coaches regarding cultural influence on their leadership.

Previous research in the area of leadership and stress has shown that the leader plays an important role but in what way is still an issue to explore. A qualitative approach was used in this study to develop an increased understanding of the leader's experience of stress using four themes; leadership, stress, control and organizational factors. A total of 12 semi-structured and un-structured interviews were carried out with 6 leaders, three females and three males. The data was transcribed and thematic as well as narrative analysis was conducted.The results indicates that leadership stress is caused by a lack of control and that factors intrinsic to the role as a leader both facilitates and complicates the leaders situation when facing stress..

The aim of this work is to define the party structure of Feministic Initiative (FI). We want to examine the structure of an organization that doesn?t start out with a hierarchical order. We further intend to examine the party?s leadership; whether or not it is equal, between the three spokespersons.We find it interesting as a topic from a democratic point of view as well as to see if a flat structure could work in practice.

To lead is to communicate, a main part of the leadership. 80 % of leaders working tasks involve communication of some kind. The ambition of this study is to analyze how four leaders of an international technique consulting company experience and handle community and technical development during their professional courses. The leaders have a various experience of leadership which adds depth and width to this study. To perform the study qualitative method has been used in the form of personal interviews.The result indicates that change is not always beneficial in every aspect of communication.

This paper is a qualitative study of the pedagogical conditions and the knowledge necessary for the creation and development of an education regarding leadership in the field of amateur theatre.The purpose of the study has been for participants to reflect and create knowledge about the creation and implementation of a course for leaders of amateur theatre.Questions raised in the study concern the students? previous experience of drama, theatre and leadership; their desire to become leaders of theatre; their own view of their need for knowledge for their future leadership; their understanding of the contents of the education and the theoretical perspectives upon which a course in theatre leadership can build. Finally, the participants? perceptions of difficulties and possibilities of working as theatre leaders were investigated.All 13 participants have answered a questionnaire regarding their previous experience of drama, theatre and leadership and also about why they want to become theatre leaders. The participants have also taken part in four focus conversations regarding what they think they learned, how they value the knowledge they gained and what knowledge they feel will be needed in a future leadership.The data has been analyzed hermeneutically to find patterns in the participants? perceptions of their learning.

The aim was to examinehow managers, based on similar education and policy background, perceive their leadership today, and how it according to them, maybe developed in the future. The sample consisted of younger and older managers within the same organization, with diverse experience in managementand leadership roles. Data were collected by two focus groups interviews and analyzed bya thematic analysis. The results indicated that managers, regardless of age and experience, have similar views on their management role and are in general positive regardingtheir leadership, despite stressand time pressure related issues. They have also suggested similar changes for future management and leadership roles.

Title: The significance of small talk on leadershipDate of seminar: 13 October 2010Course: Bachelor paper in Business, in Organization, 15 ECTSInstitution: Swedish Business School at Orebro UniversityAuthors: Linda Andersson & Ebba HallbergAdvisor: Gabriella WennblomPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe how leadership is affected by the small talk, with these three managers. This with the manager?s perspective as a starting point, within the three services we examined.Research methodology: This paper is based on a qualitative method. Targeted open interviews were carried out with three respondents. Literature in the organizational field has been searched through to give a base for the study.Theoretical framework: This paper uses the theory of communication, the theory of leadership and the theory of small talk.Conclusion: The conclusion we make is that the small talk makes it easier for the modern leadership, this is because the small talk, among other things, allows the manager to spread information and to avoid misinterpretation, and that the manager become more involved in the company.Keywords: Communication, small talk, leadership.