In this article, we extend the understanding of enabling leadership in complexity leadership theory by showing what enables and stifles organizational adaptability. By drawing on a case study of an organizational change related to competence supply in health and care services, we explore what (enabling) leaders do, in the different (i.e. ideation and scaling) stages of an adaptive process, to engage the two complexity (i.e. the tension and the linking up) dynamics that are essential for nurturing and sustaining adaptive processes in organizations. The results show that, in both stages, the way a complexity challenge is framed can determine the type of process it will trigger: if the challenge is framed as a technical one, while trying to eliminate tensions, the likely response is an order one; if the challenge is framed as a complex one, while trying to sustain tensions, the likely response is an adaptive one. Ideation can be held back by not only ‘external’ pressures but also ‘internally’ perceived scaling barriers. In scaling, dividing the implementation of a solution into phases can ‘buy time’ for the organization to ‘mature’ and, accordingly, to be better prepared for its implementation. Involving operational leadership early in the adaptive process, so that they assume certain ownership, can foster connecting and can contribute to navigating the linking up dynamic and thus reduce the risk of ideas “hitting the brick wall”. The support from managers at the ‘top’ of the system is essential for scaling adaptive processes and thus implementing systems change.

This chapter explores the transformation of Swedish health and welfare services towards co-production, emphasizing the shift from doing things for citizens and patients to doing things with them. It discusses the perplexity and potential for innovation, research and education to foster new ways of understanding and acting in line with co-production principles. The authors examine various terms and traditions associated with this transition, highlighting the need to adapt to co-production in Swedish health and welfare services. The chapter also delves into the application of co-production values in research, education and innovation, stressing the importance of defining key principles and creating a conducive environment for co-production to thrive.

This study explores co-production – as a form of co-design – as a collaborative process where stakeholders and professionals co-create change through ‘doing with’, emphasising that transformative practices demand advanced meaning-making, a dimension often underexplored in understanding how such collaborative forms are facilitated. The investigation revealed that experienced leaders utilise two distinct meaning-making approaches to co-production that influence their roles and process dynamics. Both cultivate a collaborative environment wherein every stakeholder’s voice is valued. Approach 1 is grounded in equality, consensus, and a sense of responsibility for others. Approach 2 emphasises shared learning, self-care for the leader, and process responsibility while viewing co-production as an emergent, experimental practice. As complexity increases, conflict evolves into a less personal, more fluid element that is crucial for learning and growth. Moreover, power transitions from a hierarchical commodity to a shared, collective experience, thereby leading to a shift in leadership from a controlling to a more adaptive, ‘light touch’ approach. The study underscores the importance of recognising these meaning-making strategies to cultivate more mindful, inclusive co-production and co-design practices. The findings advocate for a reflective journey towards understanding co-production, oneself, and the collective to lead to practices that resonate with stakeholders’ diverse perspectives.

Research examining Deaf older adults’ needs or experiences of old age care is scarce. This study aims to describe how Deaf older adults, supported by Swedish old age care, experience interactions and participation in everyday life and in social care situations. This study gives voice to Deaf older adults whose perspectives are rarely represented in research. To minimize misunderstandings, the qualitative individual interviews with Deaf older adults were conducted by Deaf signing research assistants. The results show that Deaf older adults face communication barriers due to a lack of shared language with their old age care staff, which may also pose health risks. Yet, despite the absence of sign language communication, participants described communication with those who help them as sufficient for basic needs, albeit limited. Furthermore, restricted community mobility contributed to sparse social contacts with Deaf peers, leading to social isolation and reduced social well-being.

Introduction: To address communication barriers, minimise social isolation, prevent psychosocial illness and increase the independence of Deaf older adults, a mobile care team consisting of Deaf assistant nurses using sign language was initiated and developed by a nongovernmental organisation in a region in southern Sweden.

Aim: To describe Deaf older adults’ experiences receiving support from an NGO-initiated mobile old-age care team for Deaf and sign language-speaking older adults in Sweden.

Methods: A series of 15 individual interviews with four Deaf older adults were analysed via content analysis.

Results: Support from the mobile care team was appreciated, as illustrated by the following categories: support in everyday activities, communication supported and enabled and support for psychosocial well-being. The care team facilitated communication using sign language. For example, they enabled in-depth communication and information sharing and supported older adults in expressing opinions and thoughts to authorities and regular care staff. Increased communication supported psychosocial well-being, independence, and feelings of safety.

Conclusion: A sign language mobile care team that is well familiar with Deafness as a culture rather than a hearing disability is highly valued by Deaf older adults in need of home or residential care later in life. It also shows that access to a sign language mobile care team leads to increased psychological wellbeing and happiness among Deaf older adults, as well as to their increased participation in decision-making concerning various aspects of their lives.

Purpose

This study explores first-line managers (FLMs) action strategies in handling disruptions to maintain operational stability and organizational resilience in manufacturing settings.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts a qualitative, collaborative multiple-case study design in two Swedish manufacturing companies. Data were collected through 32 semi-structured interviews with FLMs and purposively sampled support functions and during 23 single- and joint company workshops plus company-specific documents.

Findings

Our analysis reveals three levels of adaptability required of FLMs. At the highest level, we identified three distinct disruption-specific logics: negotiated coordination for personnel-based disruptions, procedural escalation for technical failures and goal-oriented improvisation for complexity-induced failures. These findings show that adaptability is not a generic skill but a targeted response tailored to the specific nature of the disruption.

Originality/value

This study's primary contribution is the identification and analysis of three distinct disruption-specific logics (personnel-based, technical failure and complexity-induced) that require fundamentally different adaptive strategies from FLMs. By moving beyond a monolithic view of disruptions, we offer a novel, fine-grained conceptualization of how resilience is actively and situationally engineered on the front line.

Ingress: Organisationer tycks inte bli mer rustade av att förlita sig enbart på traditionella kursupplägg. Företag som presterar starkt ekonomiskt prioriterar verksamhetsnära insatser där ledarskapet utvecklas i det dagliga arbetet, skriver beslutsfattare från näringsliv och akademi.

I projektet System för ledarskapsutveckling har forskare vid Jönköping University i partnerskap med ett tiotal svenska organisationer och genom en nationell telefonintervju med drygt 1 300 privata och offentliga verksamheter fördjupat kunskapen om hur ledarskapsutveckling organiseras, uppfattas och omsätts i praktiken. Resultatet i denna rapport bygger på ett varierat material i form av dokument, intervjuer och workshops.

Genom projektet har vi fördjupat vår förståelse av att ledarskapsutveckling kräver systematik och integration. Det handlar om att arbeta medvetet och långsiktigt med olika arbetssätt som är kopplade till organisationens syfte, samtidigt som vi reflekterar över de antaganden och idéer som påverkar utformningen. Ett ledarskapsutvecklingssystem omfattar de arbetssätt som främjar utveckling av ledarskap anpassat efter verksamhetens syfte, kontext och föränderliga behov.

I rapporten beskriver sju organisationer sin syn på ledarskap och hur de arbetar för att utveckla detsamma. Genom deras egna ord får vi en inblick i hur ett system för ledarskapsutveckling kan se ut i praktiken. Särskilt markeras att ledarskapsutveckling måste skräddarsys utifrån organisatoriska förutsättningar och individuella behov. De aktiviteter och metoder som används måste kontinuerligt testas, förstärkas eller fasas ut beroende på relevans. Hellre hålla fast vid en genomtänkt metod än att ständigt byta.

Den nationella kartläggningen ger en översikt av vilka aktiviteter som är mest använda och till vem de vänder sig. Fördjupande analyser visar att de organisationer som har starkast finansiella resultat värderar fem verksamhetsnära metoder främst; chefsmöten, gruppreflektioner, utvecklingssamtal, förbättringsarbete och tillfälliga uppdrag.

Slutligen presenterar vi en uppsättning framgångsprinciper, frågor och verktyg för att arbeta mer systematiskt med ledarskapsutveckling. Vår förhoppning är att de ska fungera som en kompass för ett mer nyfiket och reflekterande arbetssätt och öppnar vägen mot en hållbar och framgångsrik ledarskapsutveckling.

In the project System for Leadership Development, researchers at Jönköping University have, in partnership with about a dozen Swedish organizations, deepened their knowledge of how leadership development is organized, perceived and put into practice. This was, among other things, done through national telephone interviews with more than 1,300 private and public organizations. The results presented in this report are based on various empirical sources in the form of documents, interviews and workshops.

Through the project, we have deepened our understanding of the need for leadership development to be systematic and integrated. It is a matter of working deliberately and with a long-term perspective with different practices that are linked to the organization’s purpose, all the while reflecting on the assumptions and ideas that influence the design. A leadership development system encompasses the practices that promote the development of leadership, adapted to the purpose, context and changing needs of the organization.

In this handbook, seven organizations describe their views on leadership and how they work to develop it. Through their own words, we get an insight into what a system for leadership development can look like in practice. In particular, it is emphasized that leadership development must be tailored to organizational conditions and individual needs. The practices and methods that are used must continuously be tested, strengthened or phased out depending on relevance. It is better to stick to a well-thought-out practice than to constantly change.

The national survey provides an overview of the practices most used and which target groups they are aimed at. In-depth analyses show that the organizations with the strongest financial results primarily prioritize five practices close to daily operations: leadership forums, performance and developmental reviews, improvement work, group reflections and temporary assignments.

Finally, we present a set of success principles, questions, and tools for working more systematically with leadership development. Our hope is that they will serve as a compass for a more curious and reflective way of working and that they will open the way towards sustainable and successful leadership development.

Introduction Improvement science emphasizes the need to understand and enhance quality in complex service systems. While the field primarily has developed within healthcare, its expansion into social care requires deeper engagement with how quality is understood and enacted in practice. This study addresses this need by exploring how child welfare professionals in Sweden understand and enact "quality" in their everyday work with implications for improvement science in complex human service systems.Methods The study employed a qualitative, practice-oriented, and interactive research design. The data consisted of 28 semi-structured interviews with professionals in child welfare, an analysis seminar, and documents (such as a quality management system and quality reports). An inductive content analysis was conducted, constructing themes through systematic interpretation rather than predefined frameworks.Results The analysis identified two coexisting logics of quality: one emphasizing uniformity, the other emphasizing responsiveness to uniqueness. The findings show how professionals move between these logics as tensions become salient in daily practice.Discussion By conceptualizing quality as a paradoxical construct, the study highlights how quality in child welfare is enacted through the ongoing negotiation of multiple logics, with implication for improvement science. The findings align with previous research suggesting that sustainable improvement involves the interplay of generalizable and contextual knowledge, and that paradoxes in organizational life shape conditions for learning and improvement.Conclusion Quality in child welfare is not a fixed attribute but a negotiated phenomenon, shaped by persistent tensions between uniformity and responsiveness. Recognizing these paradoxes invites reflection on how improvement science engages with quality in complex human service systems, particularly in relation to the interplay between codified standards and professional judgment.