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The psychosocial work environment in the Church of Sweden: An explorative study
Author(s) -
Hansson AnnSophie
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
nonprofit management and leadership
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.844
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1542-7854
pISSN - 1048-6682
DOI - 10.1002/nml.110
Subject(s) - psychosocial , relevance (law) , work (physics) , work environment , psychology , perspective (graphical) , style (visual arts) , applied psychology , sociology , social psychology , job satisfaction , political science , psychotherapist , engineering , computer science , geography , mechanical engineering , archaeology , artificial intelligence , law
Abstract This article offers a preliminary analysis of the work environment of the national Church of Sweden. Previous research on this topic has been limited and has focused on either structural problems or leadership. This explorative study examined psychosocial work environment factors (those related to the interplay of physical, mental, organizational, and social conditions in the workplace) in the Church of Sweden and used a top‐down perspective. Data including documents and interviews and were analyzed and categorized in order to identify patterns of relevance for the psychosocial work environment in the organization. The results show four themes: unclear organization structure, a sense of being different, stressful work conditions, and a destructive communication style. The psychosocial work environment within the church is complex, characterized by deep conflicts that are often not dealt with.