Swedish managers in TWA act as boundary spanners

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexity of manpower management in temporary work agencies (TWA). The aim is to investigate to which extent the managers reflects the features of boundary spanners. Design/methodology/approach -The results come from a case study where manpower managers at one of the biggest TWAs in Sweden are interviewed. Findings -TWAs' boundary-spanning managers mediate between the opinions of the clients, the TWAs, and the individual temps as well as balancing between trust and risk. The findings reveal the relevance of the managers' application of a flexible and a dialectical approach when delivering service to clients, the TWA and the temps. This flexible approach means being able to simultaneously embrace these three perspectives of interests. A dialectical approach involves being able to: systematically balance between the opposing pair of trust and risk and search for the most functional option and not relate others' opinions to one's own personal values.Research limitations/implications -The interview data come from a case study at only one TWA and it is collected in a limited number of interview subjects. Practical implications -The results can provide useful information for recruiters of manpower managers in a TWA when choosing staff members that can enhance strategic management of temps. The results can also be of assistance for managers when interacting with both customers and temps. Originality/value -The paper contributes to the literature by an analysis of the complex working conditions under which manpower managers in TWAs work.

Climate control? The relationship between leadership, climate for change, and work outcomes

“…However, the increased demand for temporary workers and the changing labour market also challenge temporary work agencies, and especially their employees, to go beyond the traditional roles and may pose a risk to the service quality of the temporary work agencies. Yet, the impact these changes may have on the employees working within the temporary work agencies is still underexposed (Burgess and Connell 2006;Augustsson et al 2010). Our study extends the research on temporary work agencies, by examining the impact leadership may have on the effectiveness, job satisfaction and amount of conflict among employees working in temporary work agencies, plus the extent to which these leadership styles may buffer against the possible negative effects of changes that occur in the work environment.…”

“…Throughout the literature on leadership, though, little is suggested about the simultaneous effect of the two leadership styles on work outcomes. Moreover, even less research has focused on the impact of leadership in temporary work agencies (a notable exception being a case study by Augustsson, Olofsdotter and Wolvén 2010). Therefore, in this study we aim to examine the impact that both transformational leadership and participative leadership may conjointly have on the work outcomes of employees working in a temporary work agency.…”

Boundary Spanning and Engineering: A Qualitative Systematic Review

“…A second cluster of competencies is associated with building and maintaining relationships and networks, as reflected in Williams' () discussion of the reticulist role with its emphasis on a variety of associated networking and political skills. Other relevant papers focus on relational skills (Ellis & Hopkinson, ; Faems et al, ); relationship management (Lundberg, ); and social capital, social knowledge, and social skills (Burt, ; Lingo & O'Mahony, ; Obstfeld, ) as well as such themes as discussions of perspective taking capabilities (Augustsson et al, ), empathy (Williams, ), and emotional intelligence (Ansett, ).…”

The client company marginally utilises the knowledge of highly skilled temporary staff

“…Here, a special complexity will be added: Learning mainly includes persons rented by a company from another company. That is, there is an inter-organizational context (Augustsson, Olofsdotter & Wolvén, 2010).…”