Small business managers and Covid-19—The role of a sense of coherence and general resistance resources in coping with stressors

Abstract

Background The response of small business managers to an external event such as the pandemic can have a profound effect on the work environment, health and well-being for themselves and their employees. Previous research on small business managers during the pandemic has mainly focused on traditional pathogenic effects, and there is a lack of studies looking at the issue from a salutogenic health promotion perspective. The aim of this study is to explore whether a sense of coherence and general resistance resources were experienced by small business managers in Sweden and Norway during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods A qualitative design was applied through exploratory interviews with 16 managers of small businesses in Sweden and Norway. A content analysis of the interviews was conducted using the sense of coherence concept by Aaron Antonovsky, with the three main components of comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability acting as a conceptual framework for the analysis process. Results Within the three main sense-of-coherence categories, six general resistance resources were identified as being important for the managers to handle uncertainty during the pandemic. These were understanding rules and regulations, social support, optimism, proactivity, problem-solving and flexibility and cooperation. Conclusions The small business managers handled the pandemic in a way that worked well in their contexts, and the pandemic generally did not have a negative effect on their businesses or themselves. A salutogenic approach, through which the managers focused on identifying and using resources, was an important factor for managing stressors and adversity during the pandemic. Hence, the concept of salutogenesis may be used as an intervention to foster better health in small businesses, both at a personal and organisational level in order to handle future challenges effectively.

Socio-Ecological Factors and Well-Being among Self-Employed in Europe during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Socio-ecological factors were chosen based on aspects previously known to influence the well-being of the self-employed during the pandemic. These are psychological resilience, social support, doing useful work and understanding rules of conduct [6][7][8]26]. These were grouped at four ecological levels: intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational and public policy.…”

“…Social support, on the interpersonal level, has demonstrated to help the self-employed cope with stresses and protect their well-being during the pandemic [6][7][8]. Social support was in the present study defined as: "support accessible to an individual through social ties to other individuals, groups and the larger community" [30].…”

“…There is also evidence that small businesses have been less able to quickly adjust to changes in regulations and demands and have had difficulties in increasing their web presence, adding delivery services and handling uncertainty regarding liabilities [5]. However, even though the self-employed have faced significant challenges during the pandemic, studies have also reported resilience in the self-employed in terms of being agile, finding new business solutions and being optimistic about the future of their businesses [6][7][8].…”

“…Studies to date have provided evidence for the importance of factors at each level on the self-employed during the COVID-19 pandemic [6][7][8]26]. However, to our knowledge, no studies have simultaneously examined factors at all four socio-ecological levels.…”

“…Copyright 1988 SAGE Publications As mentioned, the consequences of the pandemic on the self-employed may vary depending on the degree to which they have been affected by the pandemic. Some businesses have adapted well to the challenges imposed by the pandemic, whereas others have suffered badly [6,7,23]. In the latter situation, higher scores on the various dimensions of the socio-ecological model may be even more beneficial to the level of well-being of the self-employed.…”