“Man vänder ut och in på sig själv” : En kvalitativ studie om butikschefers upplevelse av motstridiga krav ochförväntningar under Covid-19-pandemin

Sammanfattning: The covid-19-pandemic has affected many companies and businesses in society, the retail business being one of them. The pandemic has caused a decrease in sales and many stores have had to make staff reductions. The responsibility of managing the store, as well as managing the changing work conditions, lands in the hands of the store managers. Previous research shows that the middle management position is a vulnerable position where they constantly have to adapt to and handle different interests, particularly during a time full of change. The purpose of the study is to contribute to knowledge about how the covid-19-pandemic affect the store managers work role and leadership, focusing on the conflicting demands and expectations that are integral parts of the middle management position. The empiric material has been gathered through qualitative interviews with store managers in retail, specifically within clothing,cosmetics and shoe retail. The basis for the analysis of the data is a collective theoretical framework regarding sociological ambivalence and sociological coping. The result of the studyshows that the pandemic has resulted in changed work conditions mainly due to temporary and permanent staff reductions. The changed work conditions has led to intensified conflicting demands for the store managers causing them to experience a role conflict, a conflict of values, and conflict between goals and means. Moreover, the study shows that the store managers have handled the conflicting demands and expectations by switching between roles, accepting the intensified demands, seeking support from upper management and co-workers, and to some extent by attempting to make change and set boundaries. The study indicates that the storemanagers work involves incompatible demands and expectations that they are attempting to meet, as a result the store managers feel that they are stretched to their limit.