https://www.mdu.se/

 More and more meetings in working life are conducted remotely via digital media. How are creative meetings affected by participants being at a distance? Some experiment suggests group creativity to improve with remote work, other show challenges. How is it in real practice? Ten well performing leaders working from home have been interviewed. They reported several challenges. Some have been found in earlier research, the preparation phase is harder and the tools for remote communication aren’t yet good and simple enough for practitioners. But some might be new discoveries, the long time needed for creative meetings being too tiresome for the remote situation, and participants becoming disturbed by irrelevant activities in the home context.Most of the interviewed managers see a hybrid as the future, where some work will be performed from home and some at a shared workplace. Creative meetings are suggested to be performed with physical closeness.

Many knowledge workers in the manufacturing sector from IT, research and development, sales, finance, customer care and management transitioned to work from home because of COVID-19 (Eurofound, 2020). We investigated how such an abrupt transition affected productivity. Data were collected from 138 white-collar workers using a survey shared on social media. Most of the respondents stated that working from home affected their productivity positively due to fewer interruptions and more efficient meetings. Some employees reported decreased productivity due to problems with the organisational, social and physical working conditions. The work environment should be actively managed when working from home.

 Employee-driven innovation involves all employees at all levels in improvement work in the organisation. Rather than only accessing the capabilities of research and development employees – the unique competence, insights and ideas of all staff can be activated. We use a longitudinal design to test the impact of leader training on third-level EDI as part of a psychosocial risk assessment process. Leaders are trained to listen to employees and work together to solve work environment problems. We found that idea generation and time to take a break to test new ideas increases after only six months, and this increase is sustained at 18 months compared to a control group. However, 'keenness to share ideas' and 'being listened to' were not significant compared to the control group. These findings and their implications for future research are discussed.

Syftet med denna rapport är att beskriva erfarenheterna hos individer som behöver arbeta hemifrån till följd av covid19 9. Rapporten är en del av ett AFA-finansierad forskningsprojekt som pågår till och med juni 2023.

En enkätstudie genomfördes i fem olika verksamheter våren 2021 och 2022. Denna rapport jämför 2022s resultat med referensvärden från innan pandemin samt där det finns skillnader mellan 2021 och 2022.

2022 svarade 432 respondenter. 64 var chefer och 13 var skyddsombud. Distansarbete minskade från 36–40 timmar i veckan 2021 till 16–20 timmar i veckan i april-maj 2022. Före pandemin var snittet 1–5 timmar i veckan.

• Psykosocialt säkerhetsklimat o De som arbetar hemifrån upplever att ledningen prioriterar deras psykisk hälsa och rapporterar ett gott psykosocialt säkerhetsklimat.

• Krav i arbetet o Deltagarna rapporterar bättre arbetstempo, likvärdig kvantitative krav och sämre känslomässiga krav än innan pandemin. o Känslomässiga krav är sämre 2022 än 2021.

• Arbetsorganisering och innehåll o Inflytande är bättre och utvecklingsmöjligheter och mening i arbetet är likvärdiga referensvärden innan pandemin. o Ingen förändring mellan 2021 och 2022.

• Relationer och ledarskap o Ledarskapskvalitet är bättre än referensvärden innan pandemin. Rollkonflikt, socialt stöd från kollegor, förutsägbarhet och social gemenskap i arbetet är likvärdiga. Rolltydlighet och erkännande är sämre än referensvärden innan pandemin.o Socialt stöd från överordnad är sämre 2022.

• Samspel mellan arbete och individ o Arbetsengagemang, oro för arbetslöshet och oro för förändrade förhållanden och kvalitet i arbetet är likvärdiga. Konflikt mellan privatliv och arbete har inget referensvärde men resultaten visar arbete påverkar privatliv mer än det omvända. o Tillfredsställelse med arbete är sämre 2022 i jämförelse med förra året.

• Socialt kapital o Organisatorisk rättvisa är på likvärdig nivå som innan pandemin och vertikal tillit är sämre. o Vertikal tillit är sämre 2022.

• Psykisk hälsao Inom psykisk hälsa finns det referensvärden för utmattning. Nivån på utmattning är lägre än referensvärden innan pandemin. o Det finns inga värden för isolation innan pandemin men det vi ser är att isolation har minskat från 352021, till 20 vid den andra mätningen våren 2022 (0=inte alls och 100=hela tiden). Detta är en förändring från 2021 till 2022 i isolation.

• Fysisk hälsa o På en skala av 0 till 100 (0=inte alls och 100=hela tiden) är snittnivån för samtliga deltagarna 24 för ryggvärk, 34 för muskelvärk i axlar, nacke, händer och armbågar och 32 för huvudvärk och ögonbesvär. Det finns inga referensvärden från innan pandemin. o Värk i axlar och nacken är marginellt högre 2022 och huvudvärk och ryggvärk är marginellt lägre. 3 Stillasittande och självskattad hälsa o Stillasittande: Folkhälsomyndigheten rekommenderar att man rör på sig några minuter varje halvtimme. Av de tillfrågade sitter 4% mindre än 1 timme i sträck under en vanlig arbetsdag. Resten sitter längre. 33% sitter 4h eller mer i sträck och 42% 2-4h i sträck. Här finns det inga referensvärden men en jämförelse med 2021 visar att stillasittande generellt sett ökar. Andelen som sitter mindre än 1h i sträck ha minskat från 6% till 4%.o Självskattad hälsa är sämre 2022. 2021 var självskattad hälsa 62 på en skala av 0 (mycket dåligt) till 100 (utmärkt). 2022, rapporterade deltagarna en nivå på 52.

Arbetsprestationo Arbetsprestation saknar referensvärden från innan pandemin. o Deltagarna rapporterade att sin arbetsmiljö och hälsa påverkade sin arbetsprestation i en ”mycket liten grad”. Resultaten är väldigt likt resultaten från 2021. o De flesta rapporterade att sin hälsa och arbetsmiljö vid distansarbete påverkade sin arbetsprestation ”i en liten grad” eller ”delvis” (0=inte alls och 5=I mycket hög grad). Resultaten är väldigt likt resultaten från 2021.o Ingen förändring i arbetsprestation skedde när tiden av arbete som utförts hemifrån minskade från 36–40 timmar i veckan våren 2021, till 16–20 timmar i veckan våren 2022.

Sjuknärvaroo Sjuknärvaro saknar referensvärden från innan pandemin. o 51% rapporterade att de var borta pga. sjukdom mellan 1–15 dagar och 7% rapporterade mer än 15 dagars sjukfrånvaro. o Virtuell sjuknärvaro ökade från 51% 2021 till 69% 2022. o De vanligaste anledningarna till att respondenterna arbetar trots sjukdom är att ingen annan kan göra jobbet och för att inte belasta kollegorna

Syftet med denna rapport är att beskriva erfarenheterna hos individer som behöver arbeta hemifrån till följd av covid-19. Rapporten är en del av ett större forskningsprojekt som finansieras av AFA försäkringoch pågår till och med juni 2023.En enkätstudie genomfördes genom fem olika verksamheter under våren 2021. 888 personer svarade. 161 var chefer och 34 skyddsombud. Av dem som svarade hade antalet timmar arbete utfört på distansfrån hemmet ökat. Antalet timmar ökade från 4,5 timmar i veckan innan pandemin till strax under 38 timmar i veckan vid svarstillfället.

Organisatorisk och social arbetsmiljö

• De som arbetar hemifrån upplever att ledningen prioriterar deras psykisk hälsa och rapporterarett gott psykosocialt säkerhetsklimat.

• Krav i arbetet: Deltagarna rapporterar bättre arbetstempo och känslomässiga krav än referensvärden innan pandemin. Kvantitativa krav är likvärdiga referensvärden innan pandemin

• Arbetsorganisering och innehåll: Inflytande är bättre än referensvärden innan pandemin.Utvecklingsmöjligheter och mening i arbetet är likvärdiga referensvärden innan pandemin.

• Relationer och ledarskap: Ledarskapskvalitet och socialt stöd från överordnad är bättre än referensvärden innan pandemin. Rollkonflikt, socialt stöd från kollegor och social gemenskap i arbetet är likvärdiga. Rolltydlighet och erkännande är sämre än referensvärden innan pandemin.

• Samspel mellan arbete och individ: Tillfredställelse med arbete och effekten av arbete på privatliv är bättre än referensvärden innan pandemin. Arbetsengagemang, oro för arbetslöshetoch oro för förändrade förhållanden och kvalitet i arbetet är likvärdiga. Konflikt mellan privatliv och arbete har inget referensvärde men resultaten visar på att privatlivet påverkar arbete mindre än hur mycket arbete påverkar privatliv.

• Social kapital: Organisatorisk rättvisa och vertikal tillit är likvärdiga nivåerna innan pandemin.

Psykisk hälsa

• Inom psykisk hälsa finns det referensvärden för utmattning. Nivån på utmattning är lägre än referensvärden innan pandemin.

• Kognitiv stress saknar referensvärden. Isolation ligger på 35 av en 0–100 skala och kognitiv stress på 25. Det är önskvärt med ett lågt resultat för båda.

Fysisk hälsa

• På en skala av 0 till 100 där 0 är inte alls och 100 hela tiden är snittnivån för samtliga deltagarna24 för ryggvärk, 34 för muskelvärk i axlar, nacke, händer och armbågar och 32 för huvudvärkoch ögonbesvär. Här finns det inga referensvärden.

Stillasittande och självskattad hälsa.

• Stillasittande: Folkhälsomyndigheten rekommenderar att man ska röra på sig några minuter varje halvtimme. Av de tillfrågade sitter 6% mindre än 1 timme i sträck under en vanligarbetsdag. Resten av respondenterna sitter längre. 22% sitter 4h eller mer i sträck. Här finns det inga referensvärden.

• Självskattad hälsa: Deltagarna rapporterar en likvärdig hälsa när de ska skatta det själva än innan pandemin.

Arbetsprestation (inga referensvärden)

• De flesta rapporterade en liten grad av minskad arbetsprestation som kan härledas till arbetsmiljö och hälsa.

• De flesta rapporterade att sin hälsa och arbetsmiljö vid distansarbete påverkade sin arbetsprestation positivt. 41% av svarande rapporterade att sin arbetsprestation hade förbättrats i mycket hög grad eller i hög grad pga. arbetsmiljön vid arbete hemifrån under pandemin.

• De flesta rapporterade att sin arbetsprestation hade påverkats positivt av sin hälsa vid arbete hemifrån. 38% av svarande rapporterade att sin arbetsprestation hade förbättrats i mycket hög grad eller i hög grad pga. sin hälsa vid arbete hemifrån under pandemin.

Virtuell sjuknärvaro (inga referensvärden)

• 34% rapporterade att de var borta pga. sjukdom mellan 1–15 dagar och 5% rapporterade mer än15 dagars sjukfrånvaro.

• Hälften av dem som arbetade när de var sjuka gjorde det trots att de med tanke hälsotillståndet egentligen borde ha låtit bli.

• Den vanligaste anledningen till att arbeta trots sjukdom är att ingen annan kan göra jobbet och för att inte belasta kollegorna. 

It is widely accepted that the integration of new technologies, work practices and working methods lie at the core of a successful transition to Industry 4.0. However, work-relatedstress can impair this transition. This literature review aims to identify organisational and social work factors linked to work-related stress so that they may be integrated into the transition process. This literature review uses thematic analysis to identify and organise work factors into four levels: community, company, department/group and individual.Companies should integrate identifying and treating causes of work-related stress at the company and department/group-level into the transition to industry 4.0.

Managements working conditions during the pandemic are important since they are the ones who had to motivate, encourage, and navigate their team during this unique time in history. Managers are vital in forming the working environment conditions for others. When they feel stressed and overwhelmed, this acts as a barrier to caring for and supporting their team members. Our study aimed to investigate managers’ organisational and social work environment conditions and health when working from home during the pandemic.This study has a cross-sectional design. Survey data were collected one year into the COVID-19 pandemic from April-May 2021. We used a survey with fixed questions to collect data from four different organisations and through an open online survey. Data on the 161 managers out of a total of 888 respondents is included in the present study. We compare the manager’s data to pre-pandemic reference values.The respondents report on average a PSC-score of 14. Quantitative demands, work pace, social support from colleagues & supervisors and work life balance were better for managers during the pandemic. There was no difference in burnout scores compared to pre-pandemic reference values. Male managers reported significantly lower levels of work demands compared to female managers and better work life balance. Male managers also reported lower social support from their supervisor.Workplaces should pay attention to differences in working conditions provided for male and female managers going forward.The way the data is presented in this paper could be useful for practitioners to use when introducing PSC and COPSOQ to the workplace.

Purpose:There is growing attention towards inclusive mining to make an economic case for gender equality and diversity in the industry. Available literature lacks sufficient empirical evidence on the subject matter in Ghana. Therefore, this paper aims to understudy women miners in Ghana and document their role in recent change regimes in mine works gender profiles. An observed change that is stimulating a shift in background dispositions leads to increasing number of women taking up mine jobs.

Design/methodology/approach: In working towards achieving the aim of the study, both qualitative design and a multiple case study approaches are deployed. Four multinational Ghanaian mines and a mining and technology university were used to understudy the women miners and their role towards a change in mine work gender perspectives.

Findings: The results showed a regime of “ore-solidarity movement” (women in mining – Ghana). A kind of solidarity identified conventionally as a social movement in active resource and self-mobilization, engaged in a symbolic contestation for change of the status quo (dominant masculinity cultures) in furtherance of gender equity and inclusion in milieu of mine works reforms in Ghana.

Originality/value: The study is of high scientific, political and public interest to better understand women’s movements in the mining industries in Ghana and to frame them theoretically. It offers solid empirical evidence on roles women miners play to ensure gender shape-shifting and liberalizing the mining space for women’s participation. This move towards inclusive mining implies poverty eradication among women, work towards achieving sustainable mining, competitiveness and assurance for gender-driven social innovative mining.

Motivation is a significant concept within the entrepreneurial process, referring to everything from identifying opportunities and generating or articulating ideas to evaluating opportunities and planning steps to form or launch an enterprise and then grow and develop that enterprise. Motivational drivers can be classified as non-affective (i.e., rational and calculative) and affective (i.e., emotionally laden). The present doctoral thesis focuses on affective motivation among entrepreneurs and is comprised of four papers. Collectively, these papers focus on two research inquiries: (1) the role of social and cognitive factors for the development of affective entrepreneurial motivation and (2) how and why affective entrepreneurial motivations are related to entrepreneurial activities. Specifically, the thesis papers examine the following topics:Paper I. Entrepreneurship Psychology: A Review. This paper addresses the status of extant research in key areas of entrepreneurship psychology (personality, cognition, emotion, attitude, and self within entrepreneurs’ psychology) and what can be anticipated from future research in this domain. It draws upon a literature review and expert panel survey.Paper II. Exploration of Motivational Drivers towards Social Entrepreneurship. This work explores what drives individual motivation for engagement and persistence in social entrepreneurial activities. It builds on a qualitative, multiple case study. Paper III. Committed to a Cause: Passionate Leader Behavior in Social Enterprising. This qualitative, multiple case study explores the question of how passionate leader behavior benefits social enterprising.Paper IV. Obsessive Passion, Competence, and Performance in a Project Management Context. This study tests the links among competence, passion and how entrepreneurial projects are led. It builds upon quantitative survey data

Digital technology has shaped the way entrepreneurial process is driven, how ideas are generated, and how innovation is developed, exploited and marketed. To better understand the research on digital entrepreneurship process, research calls for interdisciplinary studies between innovation and entrepreneurship. The current study addresses this call by examining the role of founder’s start-up experience and the acquisition price of the venture, on their importance in digital innovation outcome and entrepreneurial exit. A total of 742 ventures were analyzed by answering two questions. Results show that the entrepreneur’s start-up experience and how much the acquirer is willing to buy them out can influence whether an entrepreneur will exit their ventures or not. The findings have important implications for entrepreneurs and larger organizations seeking to acquire innovative SMEs, by indicating which firms and entrepreneurs to watch out for when they intend to acquire new but fastgrowing small ventures.

Purpose– This paper aims to explore the reasons behind individuals’ motivational drivers to start social enterprises in Nigeria and their persistence in the entrepreneurial process. By presenting an emergent model, the paper aims to provide more understanding on why certain individuals devote their efforts in addressing nagging issues and tackling longstanding inefficiencies in communities and societies. Design/methodology/approach– An inductive study, which draws upon qualitative data (interviews and archival data) of social entrepreneurs and people surrounding them, was conducted. Findings– The findings show that local conditions such as widespread ignorance and unscientific beliefs together with the individual’s intentional mindset are contributing factors, which explain engagement in starting a social enterprise. It is further suggested that the combination of local conditions and intentional mindset, in turn, triggers the individuals’ passion for a cause that is facilitated by the support provided from their social network, which both seem to be important for maintaining persistence in the oftentimes challenging situation of being a social entrepreneur. Originality/value– This study makes two significant contributions to the literature of social entrepreneurship. First, the study presents an emergent model that introduces specific empirically grounded reasons toward individuals’ drives and motives for starting and persisting in social entrepreneurship. Second, the study adds to the development of literature by highlighting the importance of contextual factors when studying social entrepreneurship and also provides explanations for the significant role of passion for social entrepreneurial activities.

The global world over the years, witnessed significant transformations, where innovative technologies are shaping lifestyles, lifting millions from poverty, providing alternative and sustainable sources of income and stretching the reach of quality life to rural and remote areas. Africa is not an exception, and in this regard, Nigeria is witnessing a new page in its socioeconomic development, where the country is leveraging innovative technologies to unlock its technological potentials. Using desk and document reviews, coupled with online interviews with some young Nigerian innovators, the results showcase several Nigerian home-grown technology companies that have achieved global recognition. The companies include ccHub, Andela, PagaTech, BudgIT, Hotels.ng, Konga, Wakanow and MainOne among others as the country’s success stories, making immense opportunities for technological growth and job creation. The paper further sees the Facebook founder’s visit to Nigeria as validation for betting big on the countries innovative technology industry. The paper however found that the scientific narrative on Nigeria’s technology and innovative industry is under-appreciated across the world due to lack of information and support systems. This scientific contribution is a page turner to reposition Nigeria’s innovative technological ecosystem on the global map. The paper hereby recommends a public–private support to this young Nigeria’s innovative technological ecosystem to accelerate the socioeconomic development of the country.

Every entrepreneur faces barriers when they engage in entrepreneurial activities and for every entrepreneur, their utmost goal is to succeed d in their endeavors. However, some entrepreneurial ventures fail due to several factors. After the failure, the entrepreneur either relapses or seeks for new entrepreneurial opportunities. The present study conducts a qualitative research synthesis to examine what happens after the occurrence of firm failure and how entrepreneurs manage the experiences from failure. In doing so, the present study analyses already published qualitative studies on failure by conducting a literature search from several electronic databases to capture the qualitative studies published under failure. After the elimination of irrelevant data, 21 relevant articles were identified. The identified articles were analyzed using meta ethnography and grounded formal theory to elaborate on three overarching concepts – the experience and cost of failure, the impact from failure and the outcome of failure. The findings from these analyzed qualitative research offers insight into the ongoing discussions on entrepreneurial failure by identifying recurrent themes and concepts as well as by presenting a conceptual model that describes the entrepreneur’s experiences from failure and how they manage these firm failures. The findings also provide avenues on how future research can contribute to the discussion on failure.

By studying social entrepreneurs within an African context, this study explores how role models can benefit from role modeling activities and draws upon qualitative data. A total of 100 interviews conducted in two cycles were analyzed to develop a theoretical model that illustrates role model’s utmost satisfaction from their modeling and mentoring activities. Furthermore, the study illustrates that role models’ task performance and motivational drive feeds into the knowledge and skills they help their protégés build, which in turn develops their competence and increases their self-wellbeing. This study contributes both to the field of social entreprneurship and that of role model research.

Advancements in technology and digitalization have paved the way for

multidimensional possibilities in the availability, extraction, and implantation of data.

The application of big data in understanding the spectrums of different knowledge

fields has recently evolved. One of these knowledge fields is entrepreneurship

research. Within this field, research has called for the advancement and application of

methodological approaches to understand entrepreneurial phenomena. This study

attempts to respond to this call by addressing how big data can be applied to

entrepreneurship research. Therefore, this study aimed to explore using big data

analysis and analytics in entrepreneurship research. The study explores several

theoretical perspectives and methodological possibilities when applying big data for

entrepreneurship research. Further, benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations

were explored, where focus was placed on how to navigate these challenges and

implement the benefits. The research concludes with some future directions in the

emerging technologies that can be adopted in entrepreneurship research. Finally,

recommendations are offered to researchers on how to apply big data not only to

collect information but also to analyze and present it in a meaningful way.

Every entrepreneur faces barriers when they engage in entrepreneurial activities and for every entrepreneur, their utmost goal is to succeed in their endeavors. However, some entrepreneurial ventures fail due to several factors. After the failure, the entrepreneur either relapses or seeks for new entrepreneurial opportunities. The present study conducts a qualitative research synthesis to examine what happens after the occurrence of firm failure and how entrepreneurs manage the experiences from failure. In doing so, the present study analyses already published qualitative studies on failure by conducting a literature search from several electronic databases to capture the qualitative studies published under failure. After the elimination criteria, 19 relevant articles were identified. The identified articles were analyzed using meta ethnography and grounded formal theory to elaborate on three overarching concepts – the experience and cost of failure, the impact from failure and the outcome of failure. The findings from these analyzed qualitative research offers insight into the ongoing discussions on entrepreneurial failure by identifying recurrent themes and concepts as well as by presenting a conceptual model that describes the entrepreneur’s experiences from failure and how they manage these firm failures. The findings also provide avenues on how future research can contribute to the discussion on failure.

The present study explores the reasons that motivates why individuals start social enterprises and persist to continue with the process. Our inductive study draws upon interviews of entrepreneurs and the people involved before and/or during their entrepreneurial process. Our findings show the existence of compassionate contextual and compassionate personal reasons for why some individuals indulge in social entrepreneurial activities, it also shows other factors to why they continue in the entrepreneurial process and finally suggest that passion is important when starting and continuing with social entrepreneurship. In addition, our findings provide new insights and contribute to the field of social entrepreneurship by shedding light on drivers for social entrepreneurial engagements and activities.

This study explores how immigrants perceive their entrepreneurial selves and their strategies to find opportunities when migrating to a new country. It focuses on their journey to find these opportunities and their experiences from the endeavour. Thus, it focuses on the conditions of immigrant entrepreneurs and their experiences by capturing entrepreneurs' experiences across different phases of their entrepreneurial endeavours. The article addresses the recent surge in the entrepreneurship literature focusing on immigrant entrepreneurship, including its consequences for integration, job creation possibilities and relationship to the national economy. Findings show that immigrant entrepreneurs adopt a multi-strategy opportunity approach during the early phase that then influences their self-image. Furthermore, for the immigrant entrepreneurs included in this study, identifying and capturing these business opportunities become as important as how they perceive themselves. In addition, the immigrant entrepreneurs' affective motivation served as an essential mechanism leading their strong self-image towards their aspirational goals. In addition, their descriptions indicate that most of them chose to start their ventures out of passion and enthusiasm rather than out of necessity.

The war and violence around the world today has brought a mass increase of forcibly displaced individuals to seek refuge in the European Union, where they have to leave their homes and restart a new life built on other cultural, social, economic and legal premises than they are used to. Since 2014, the EU have accepted such individuals to help deal with the crisis by providing protection and refuge. Countries like Germany, Hungary, Austria and Sweden accepted around two- third of EU’s asylum seekers. Statistics from the Swedish migrations agency shows that about 163, 000 people applied as asylum seekers in December 2015 as compared to the 20, 000 persons who applied in April of the same year. This dramatic rise in population brought an overwhelming shock to Sweden because they needed to find quick and suitable solutions to be able to accommodate the thousands of refugees. Due to this, it posed a challenge for the Sweden to immediately tackle the problem of integrating the new arrivals in the labor market. With less societal integration and little or no skills to connect to the workforce, these immigrants faced a shaky beginning, as they had to struggle with not just integrating into a new society but also to get suitable jobs. These uncertainties brought pressures to the immigrants which drove a certain number of them to move from city to city seeking for a place seek for alternatives not just to contribute to their own well-being but also to contribute to the environment which provided a safe haven for them. As a result, they brought in their own skills, experiences, and cultural orientation to exploring and exploiting new opportunities and filling the gaps in their new environment. Recently, immigrants contribute with multidisciplinary collaborations and insights, international relations and to national growth through the exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities because they come with different backgrounds and see their new society with a different “lenses” from the locals in the country. Our study, seek to understand how these uncertainties led migrant entrepreneurs towards entrepreneurial activities. We seek to understand their processes towards exploring and exploiting opportunities for entrepreneurship as well as their role in contributing to the regional growth. To reach these aims, we conducted a qualitative study using open-ended interviews of several migrant entrepreneurs – both female and male – that took part in two different entrepreneurial projects in mid-Sweden. The first projects was a business program for African women, the other was an entrepreneurship hub for immigrants. Both were focused on inspiring and coaching immigrants during their entrepreneurial process. An integrated part was to work with the participants’ entrepreneurial skills and abilities. In addition, we also collected archival documents to support our data. We analyzed our data using content analysis for qualitative research. The study aims to contribute to the entrepreneurship literature by understanding the influences of cognitive and environmental factors towards entrepreneurial activities. This study also provides several suggestions for policy makers on how they can better integrate migrants into becoming contributors of the society.

The present study looks into the immigrant entrepreneurial self and their opportunity identification strategies along the entrepreneurial phases. It addresses the recent surge in entrepreneurship literature that has attracted more attention due to the inflated level of immigrations especially in the European countries. The study draws samples from immigrants who have the intentions of starting a venture (the pre-start-up phase), those who have already started their venture (start-up/early phase), those who have nurtured their ventures to maturity (growth/development phase) and those who are in the process of exit (exit phase). Findings suggest that immigrant entrepreneurs adopt several strategies for capturing opportunity during the early phase which, in turn, influence their self-image. Additionally, for the immigrant entrepreneurs included in this study, the identifying and capturing of these opportunities becomes as important as how they perceive themselves. This study shows that the immigrant entrepreneurs’ affective motivation served as an essential mechanism leading their strong selfimage towards their aspirational goals

 As a result, to the pandemic, several organizations moved their operations from working in the workspace to working from home. This change came with its one challenges but also new and innovative ways to teleworking. The current study addresses the role of leadership support and recognition as a mediator in the relationship between employee’s work requirement and their deteriorating work performance. The study also addresses the moderating role of employees’ mental health. Based on a survey of 888 individuals working from home, we reveal a moderated mediation relationship between employees’ work requirement, and deteriorating work performance. The findings hold important implications for those currently working hybrid and most specially for supervisors managing such individuals. 

The current study explores individuals’ experience working from home during the covid-19pandemic and how this experience has impacted their health and wellbeing. Open questions were asked in an online survey to gather insights into their teleworking experiences. A total of138 responses were received from participants of different sectors and occupations. Data analysis was conducted following a three-stage process to develop a first-order category, second-order themes and aggregate dimension. Findings indicate that in certain areas, working from home during the pandemic has positively influenced health and wellbeing, while in other areas, health and wellbeing have been negatively affected. 

Affective motivation (motivation that is emotionally laden usually related to affect, passion, emotions, moods) in the workplace stimulates individuals to reinforce, persist and commit to their task, which leads to the individual and organizational performance. This leads individuals to reach goals especially in situations where task are highly challenging and hostile. In such situations, individuals are more disposed to be more creative, innovative and see new opportunities from the loopholes in their workplace. However, when individuals feel displaced and less important, an adverse reaction may suffice which may be detrimental to the organization and its performance. One sector where affective motivation is eminently present and relevant, is the mining industry. Due to its intense work environment; mostly dominated by men and masculinity cultures; and deliberate exclusion of women in this environment which, makes the women working in these environments to feel marginalized and. The mining industry in Ghana has mostly been seen as a very physical environment especially underground and mostly considerd as “no place for a woman”. Despite the fact that these women feel less “needed” or “appreciated” in such environments, they still have to juggle between intense work shifts; face violence and other health risks with their families, which put a strain on their affective motivational reaction. Beyond these challenges however, several mining companies in Ghana today are working towards providing a fair and equal working situation for both men and women miners, by recognizing them as key stakeholders, as well as including them in the stages of mining projects from the planning and designing phase to the evaluation and implementation stage. Drawing from the psychology and gender literature, this study takes a narrative approach to identify and understand the shifting gender dynamics within the mine works in Ghana, occasioning a change in background disposition of miners, which leads to more women taking up mine jobs in the country. In doing so, a qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews from Ghana. Several women working within the mining industries in Ghana shared their experiences and how they felt and still feel in their workplace. In addition, archival documents were gathered to support the findings. The results suggest a change in enrolment regimes in a mining and technology university in Ghana, making room for a more gender equal enrolments in the university. A renowned university that train and feed mine work professional into the industry. The results further acknowledge gender equal and diversity recruitment policies and initiatives among the mining companies of Ghana. Lastly, the women miners were seen in an organized, solidarized moves, judging the time ripped to step forward for a change in the statues quo. This study contributes to the psychology and Gender literature by highlighting the hindrances women face in the mining industry as well as highlighting several of their affective reactions towards gender inequality. Furthermore, the study elaborates on how these emotional reactions may be detrimental or beneficial to the success of the industry. The study also provides several suggestions for decision makers in the mining industry of what can be done in the future to reduce the gender inequality gap within the industry.

Aim of the paperThe purpose of this study is to examine and illustrate the interplay between individual entrepreneurs and the organization in social entrepreneurship towards achieving community development. The study focused on addressing two research questions to achieve this aim. First, what role can passionate individuals play in social entrepreneurship? Second, how does the social entrepreneur’s personal performance feed back to the individual? Contribution to the literature The findings make a series of contributions to research. Foremost, the present study provides empirical evidence on how the leader as an individual is important for the social venture. Little previous research has focused on this aspect of organizational management. Instead, theoretical research has focused on conceptualizing social entrepreneurship (e.g., Haugh, 2007; Lumpkin et al., 2013; Weerawardena & Mort, 2001), and empirical studies have focused on social entrepreneurs as change agents (Partzsch & Ziegler, 2011), entrepreneurial models (Mair et al., 2012), and ranking success factors (Sharir & Lerner, 2006). To shed light on the social entrepreneur’s behavior, as we do, adds an active and vivid element to the interplay between the social entrepreneur and the social organization. It does not merely confirm that the individual is important, but helps us develop a tentative model regarding how the leader is important. In doing so, we offer a greater. Second, although social entrepreneurship is a global phenomenon, African countries are underrepresented in the research (for exceptions see Ndemo, 2006; van Rensburg, Veldsman, & Jenkins, 2008; Nwankwo, Phillips, & Tracey, 2007). By drawing on data from entrepreneurs working in Nigeria, the present study contributes to building richer theory.Methodology We used an inductive study to gain greater understanding of the individual−organizational interplay in social venturing. Our sample included 37 individuals leading nonprofit NGOs in Nigeria. In addition, data was collected from 63 individuals surrounding these social entrepreneurs. A semi- structured interview was conducted and lasted from 5-80 minutes. Data analysis followed three steps. First We engaged in open coding. Second, the open coding was used for axial coding, meaning that conceptually similar codes were grouped into more abstract constructs. And finally, we identified dimensions underlying the constructs through axial coding (“organizational power, “community development,” and “personal performance”)Results and implications Findings suggest that social entrepreneurs play significant roles in the organizational power of the enterprise such as engaging in mobilizing resources; promoting in-house commitment within and between members of the organization and also promoting the attractiveness of the enterprise. In addition, promoting community development was another significant role played by social entrepreneurs to promote social impact. Specifically, building organizational power resulted in community development leading to the development of the communities through empowerment; raising awareness; and role modeling. Finally, the findings revealed that the social entrepreneurs perceived how they were performing in terms of both organizing (organizational power) and creating social value (community development). Specifically, the data indicated that their perceived personal performance, which impacted their future behavior and commitment for the social cause was represented by the three indicators: (1) organizational success, (2) affecting others’ lives, and (3) needs that remained unmet.

Based on a literature review of entrepreneurship psychology, and a specific highlighting of the subareas personality, cognition, emotion, attitude, and self, this article presents a review of this field’s past and current issues in terms of topics, theories, and methods. In combination with survey results from entrepreneurship psychology researchers’ current work and opinions on the research frontier on those aspects, this article provides insights and suggestions for future research directions

Obsessive passion is when people have a strong inclination toward an activity that they like, find important, and in which they spend significant time, but also feel internal pressure to engage in. Prior research has demonstrated that obsessive passion typically brings several negative consequences. The present study nuances the picture by showing that there are indeed conditions when obsessive passion can be beneficial and that it has an important role for project management. It develops and tests hypotheses on the role of project leaders' obsessive passion for project goals. Results support that challenging goals are attained to a greater extent if the project leader scores high on obsessive passion. Such obsessive passion, in turn, is a result of the project leader's competence (positive relationship) and the team's competence (inverted U-shaped relationship). These results have important implications for theory and future research on passion, goal theory, and competence in projects.

PurposeThe current research investigates the managers' perception of teleworking and attempts to understand how the psychosocial safety climate and psychosocial job characteristics affect their levels of burnout and cognitive stress levels while teleworking.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a survey, collecting data via questionnaires from five distinct organizations. N = 161 responses from managers were analyzed using the confirmatory factor analysis and regression analysis.FindingsThe findings show that managers who telework do not experience numerous psychosocial stressors. This means that they experience less burnout and cognitive stress. However, results also show that managers benefit from working in an environment with a high psychosocial safety climate.Practical implicationsOur study highlights the need to address managers' working conditions and well-being in telework, given their unique challenges, by fostering a supportive psychosocial climate and providing resources to mitigate stress and burnout.Originality/valuePrevious studies have thoroughly examined the dynamics of telework employees, including the challenges they face and the strategies their immediate supervisors employ to foster a positive remote work environment. Such research has illuminated various stressors that these individuals may confront while teleworking. Despite this, scant attention has been paid to the experiences of managers themselves when they operate from home. The concept of psychosocial safety climate becomes crucial when considering managers grappling with high job demands, low control, and insufficient support from their own superiors and peers. This gap has prompted the present study to explore the unique experiences of managers in a teleworking context, particularly concerning cognitive stress and burnout.

Nonstate actors such as social enterprises are increasingly influential for addressing pressing social needs in sub-Saharan Africa. Moving responsibility from the state to private entrepreneurs calls for a greater understanding of how single individuals achieve their social mission in a context characterized by acute poverty and where informal institutions, such as trust and collective norms, are strong governance mechanisms. This study recognizes the role of leader passion as a key element for gaining people’s trust in the social enterprise leader and the social mission. Qualitative data were collected on 37 leaders of Nigerian social enterprises in arenas such as health, women’s rights, children’s rights, AIDS/HIV care and education, and sustainable development. Drawing on 100 semistructured interviews, the authors develop an inductive model illustrating how leader passion interrelates with the social enterprise organizing and outcomes.

This study bridges occupational health and innovation management by proposing  psychosocial safety climate (PSC) as a key precondition for employee-driven innovation(EDI). EDI emphasises employees’ unique potential to generate and implement innovative ideas, with conducive working conditions, particularly those supporting psychological health,being crucial. Using a mixed-method explanatory design, the research draws on survey data from 19 work teams (n = 317) and five in-depth interviews with managers to explore the relationship between PSC and EDI. Findings show that all four PSC domains; support and commitment, priority, communication, and involvement significantly influence EDI. The study highlights how PSC leadership and communication about worker welfare play a criticalrole, offering groundbreaking empirical evidence linking PSC and EDI.

In the evolving landscape of project management, the challenge of managing uncertainty is paramount, particularly in innovation and design projects where the unpredictable nature of activities often defies traditional project management methods. This study introduces a novel integration of game-based learning (GBL). The research explores how GBL can simulate real-world uncertainties and foster adaptive skills in managing the unforeseen variables characteristic of innovation projects. By engaging students in a master’s course, through game-based workshops, the study evaluates how these interactive experiences enhance their ability to navigate and manage project uncertainties effectively. Additionally, the paper examines the utility of the ISO56000-series in guiding these uncertain environments, exploring how it can be adapted to better support innovation-driven project management. Through this dual approach, the study aims to offer insights into blending structured project management frameworks with the flexible, exploratory nature required for successful innovation and design projects. The findings suggest that combining GBL with targeted standards can significantly mitigate uncertainty and enhance the innovative capacity within complex project environments.