Strategies for co-workership retention

Abstract

Co-workership is a Scandinavian working life concept that is based on post-bureaucratic organizing, the cornerstones of which are decentralization and a vision of responsible individual autonomy and participation. Research has shown positive results from implementing/developing co-workership in organizations; however, in terms of the post-bureaucratic character of the concept, it might be more challenging to retain positive results than to succeed with short-term development and implementation. This study aimed to describe and analyse the retention of co-workership. A qualitative case study based on interviews and observations was conducted at an elderly care unit that had attracted a lot of attention for its organizational development, largely due to co-workership. The present study focused on retention of the active co-workership that the former development had resulted in. Four main challenges were identified as central to co-workership retention. The paper contributes to the scientific community concerning retention of organizational development efforts, particularly by emphasizing the concept of co-workership retention, which is crucial for producing excellent operational performance over extended periods of time.