Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies

https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/issue/feed Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies 2025-03-01T15:53:16+01:00 Bo Carstens bo.carstens@gmail.com Open Journal Systems The Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies is an international, scientific journal on working life, written in English. The journal aims to strengthen the exchange of experiences, perspectives, methods and outcomes of the Nordic working life research across the Nordic countries, and promote Nordic working life research internationally. https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/147335 Wadel’s Concept of ‘incorporation’: A Means of Improving Sustainable Work Inclusion? 2024-07-05T09:38:44+02:00 Kjetil Frøyland kjetil.froyland@oslomet.no Tanja Haraldsdottir Nordberg kjetil.froyland@oslomet.no

Sustainable work inclusion for marginalized individuals poses a significant challenge worldwide, not just in Nordic countries. In this paper, we explore the potential of ‘incorporation’, a concept formulated by Norwegian sociologist Cato Wadel, to offer fresh insights. We assess its contribution by 1) using it as an analytical lens to examine 20 micro-level, workplace-oriented studies conducted on inclusive work life in Norway, and 2) discussing it in the context of international research on work inclusion, job retention, and return to work. Our findings emphasize the relevance of Wadel’s concept as a general theory from which work inclusion efforts for marginalized individuals could benefit. Wadel’s concept highlights the role of colleagues and workplaces as complementary resources for sustainability, and underscores the importance of facilitating continuous reassurances of relationships and the development of status over time. These insights are often overlooked in work inclusion endeavors.

2024-07-05T00:00:00+02:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Author and Journal https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/146791 Institutional Hybridity in Networked Cultural Organizations through Boundary Work 2024-06-19T09:34:23+02:00 Arja Haapakorpi arja.haapakorpi@tuni.fi Jari Kolehmainen arja.haapakorpi@tuni.fi Henna Jousmäki arja.haapakorpi@tuni.fi Minna Leinonen arja.haapakorpi@tuni.fi Emmi Siirtola arja.haapakorpi@tuni.fi

The article studies the impacts of the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus on cultural festival organizations in Finland. Festivals have been institutionalized as network organizations, which presumes boundary work with partner organizations from different institutional fields. The organizational pattern of cultural festivals is studied qualitatively by applying institutional theory and particularly the perspective of hybridity due to the network pattern of festival organization.The institutionalization of cultural festivals promoted stability and guaranteed economic support during the pandemic, although the organizations had to run down most of their events. The small-scale impacts were the changes in the network structures and related reshaping of the programs.

2024-06-19T00:00:00+02:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Author and Journal https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/148116 Lost in Translation: The Human Resource Business Partner in a Scandinavian Context 2024-08-13T09:43:13+02:00 Agneta Häll agneta.hall@gu.se

Business partnerships and human resource transformation (HRT), marketed since the late 1990s as solutions for human resource management (HRM), have spread widely, mainly in US, Europe, and Scandinavian organizations. This paper problematizes the contextualization of the human resource business partner (HRBP) model, the key component of the HRT concept, in a global cor- porate group’s Swedish HR function, based on an in-depth empirical case. The paper shows that the HRBP model created tensions and ambiguities for HR practitioners working as HRBPs in their daily work due to the mismatch between the objectives of this work role and the actual requested work, complicating their relationship with line managers. Broadly, this means that this management model does not fit the Scandinavian work context. A modified HRBP role is proposed to incorporate closer cooperation within the HR function.

2024-08-13T00:00:00+02:00 Copyright (c) 2020 Author and Journal https://tidsskrift.dk/njwls/article/view/147923 ‘To be a Player, not a Piece’: LMX-Relationships in Late-career Employment 2024-08-06T08:06:10+02:00 Hege Sofie Hesselberg h.s.hesselberg@samfunnsforskning.no

This study employs qualitative interviews with employees (50+) and managers from Norwegian private companies to investigate how retirement age norms affect leader–member exchange (LMX) relationships in the late stages of employment.This research reveals that organizational practices incentivizing early retirement establish retirement age norms and create pressures that significantly impact the LMX dynamic. Employees perceive managers as key in alleviating these pressures. However, the ability of managers to shield employees from retirement pressures varies, as managers face several competing challenges, such as providing opportunities and development for younger employees. While high-quality LMX relationships are crucial in reducing retirement pressures for older employees, differing managerial practices lead to varied support levels within the same organization, putting older employees in precarious positions. The article advocates for policy reforms that limit organizational early retirement practices and promote extended working lives, ensuring a more supportive employment environment for aging workers in private organizations.

The first 2025 issue of Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies includes four original research articles written by researchers from Norway, Finland, and Sweden.