title: First-line managers' descriptions and reflections regarding their staff's access to empowering structures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate first-line managers' descriptions and reflections regarding their staff's access to empowering structures using Kanter's theory of structural empowerment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Good structural conditions within workplaces are essential to employees' wellbeing, and their ability to access empowerment structures is largely dependent on the management.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight first-line managers in elderly care were interviewed. Deductive qualitative content analysis was used to analyse data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Managers perceived that staff had varying degrees of access to the empowering structures described in Kanter's theory - and that they possessed formal power in their roles as contact persons and representatives. The descriptions mostly started from the managers' own actions, although some started from the needs of staff members.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All managers described their staff's access to the empowering structures in Kanter's theory as important, yet it seemed as though this was not always reflected on and discussed as a strategic issue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Managers could make use of performance and appraisal dialogues to keep up to date on staff's access to empowering structures. Recurrent discussions in the management group based on such current information could promote staff's access to power through empowering structures and make job definitions a strategic issue in the organisation.
authors: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden.|Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Bernice
authors: B
authors: Skytt
authors: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, Department of Health and Caring Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden.|Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Heidi
authors: H
authors: Hagerman
authors: Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, Department of Social Work and Psychology, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden.
authors: Annika
authors: A
authors: Strömberg
authors: Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors: Maria
authors: M
authors: Engström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011582:Psychological Theory; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology
keywords: elderly care; first-line managers; staff; structural empowerment