A qualitative study of factors that managers in small companies consider important for their wellbeing

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Given the importance of small businesses for society, and the significance of managers’ wellbeing for employee health, leadership, and business performance, more knowledge is needed on the sources of managers’ wellbeing. This study explored factors within the small business context that were perceived by managers to hinder or enable their wellbeing.

Methods

Data were collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with 20 managers from 12 small companies, and analysed with content analysis.

Results

The factors that these managers in small businesses experienced as enhancing or hindering their personal wellbeing covered five categories: demands and resources in the daily managerial work, achievement of results, social factors, organizational factors, and individual factors.

Conclusions

The specific context of managerial work in small companies encompasses unique factors. For instance, the small company managers’ wellbeing was affected by vulnerability due to the smallness of the business and the absence of available resources. Simultaneously, a small company context provided a strong social climate and close relationships with employees and customers that strengthened the managers’ wellbeing. The findings suggest that the availability of financial, personnel, and organizational resources varies between small companies of different size, which may have implications for small business managers’ work and wellbeing.

KEYWORDS:

• Managers
• small businesses
• qualitative content analysis
• wellbeing
• demands
• resources

Acknowledgments

We thank all the interviewees for their willingness to participate in the study and sharing their experiences.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available owing to restrictions in the ethical approval for this study.

Additional information

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Notes on contributors

Elena Ahmadi

Elena Ahmadi is a PhD candidate at the Department of Occupational Health Science and Psychology, University of Gävle, Sweden. Her research interests concern leadership behaviours and managerial work, work environment and occupational health in the context of small businesses.

Daniel Lundqvist

Daniel Lundqvist is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioural Sciences and Learning at Linköping University, Sweden. His research interests include leadership and managerial work in organizations, occupational health and management, workplace learning, human resource development, and human resource management.

Gunnar Bergström

Gunnar Bergstrom is a professor in occupational Health Science. His research concerns flexible working arrangements such as telework or hybrid work, as well as nonstandard employments. He is also conducting research on mental health at work.

Gloria Macassa

Gloria Macassa is professor at the Department of Public Health and Sports Science, University of Gävle, Sweden. Research focus has been responsible leadership, corporate social sustainability, and stakeholders’ health and wellbeing.