Centralisering och decentralisering
En fallstudie på Apoteket och Swedbank
Multi-branch companies are facing many challenges in order to become successful. Competitive advantages can be gained through a unified strong brand, standardised products and economies of scale. This normally calls for centralisation. On the contrary is decentralisation, which is said to improve work motivation and local market orientation, which are also competitive advantages. The focus of this thesis is to study how local branch managers want their companies to be structured in accordance with this dilemma. This is examined through a case study of Apoteket and Swedbank. The theoretical framework is based on theories on organisational structure and how companies can capitalize on the competitive advantages of 1) brand uniformity, 2) economies of scale, 3) work motivation and 4) local market adjustment. The study was conducted based on a qualitative approach where the compilation of the empirical data was made by 19 semi-structured interviews with local branch managers all around Sweden. The results show that branch managers appreciate a uniform brand management with similar assortment and quality everywhere. They prefer individualised customer modifications rather than a far-reaching market orientation. The branch managers also want a centralised organisational structure because it enables them to focus on their core activities, which leads to an increased sense of meaning and work motivation.