Affiliations: Nordic School of Public Health, Göteborg, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Andrea Eriksson, Nordic School of
Public Health, P.O. Box 12133, SE-402 42 Göteborg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 (0)31
69 39 67; Fax: +46 (0)31 69 17 77; E-mail: andrea.eriksson@nhv.se
Abstract: Objective: To describe and analyse different views of health
promoting leadership among actors involved in workplace health promotion in
eight Swedish municipalities. Methods: Twenty individuals were
interviewed and their views were analysed according to the methodology of
phenomenograpic research, exploring how health promoting leadership was
described, what motives were expressed, and what critical conditions were
perceived for developing such leadership. Results: The informants
described health promoting leadership in three ways: organising health
promoting activities, having a supportive leadership style, and
developing a health promoting workplace. The motives mentioned for developing
health promoting leadership were instrumental motives and improved
health. The critical conditions for health promoting leadership were
organisational conditions, characteristics of individual managers, and
support to managers. Conclusions: It seems that the concept of
health promoting leadership was often used to link ideas about good leadership
to the health of employees. Organisational goals and management trends may also
have influenced the motives as well as the conditions for development of health
promoting leadership.
Keywords: Workplace health promotion, leadership, Swedish municipalities, middle managers, phenomenography
