Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
Working and ageing - Cedefop - Europa
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13.5. Discussion<br />
CHAPTER 13<br />
A Swedish programme for phasing out older employees based on consent <strong>and</strong> social responsibility 253<br />
The career switching project has met different reactions in different parts of<br />
the organisation. In some units – particularly those engaged in the test phase<br />
<strong>and</strong> close to the supreme comm<strong>and</strong>er – intentions have been implemented,<br />
<strong>and</strong> several persons joined the project successfully. In other units activity was<br />
very low, or completely absent, even with firm directives from the supreme<br />
comm<strong>and</strong>er.<br />
13.5.1. Organisational barriers: role of comm<strong>and</strong>ing officers<br />
Comm<strong>and</strong>ing officers in units have voiced opinions such as: ʻwe donʼt have<br />
this problem with the age structure in our unit. There are many other things to<br />
prioritise here than to worry about the future age profileʼ; ʻif we lose officers in<br />
the career switching project we may have difficulties to be allowed to find<br />
substitutesʼ.<br />
There are good reasons to reflect on these types of reaction. Career<br />
switching is part of current reform of the Swedish Armed Forces <strong>and</strong> its way<br />
to relate to officersʼ obligations, responsibilities, terms of employment <strong>and</strong><br />
career planning in the future. All employees will be affected. These are facts<br />
that comm<strong>and</strong>ing officers must be aware of.<br />
The armed forces may be described in part as a mechanistic organisation<br />
(Burns <strong>and</strong> Stalker, 1961). Such an organisation is characterised by, for<br />
example, existence of clear rules for what needs to be done, thoroughly<br />
specified responsibilities, <strong>and</strong> vertical communication. It is a form of<br />
organisation that can work well under stable conditions. However, a<br />
mechanistic organisation has drawbacks, in particular in times of change<br />
(Börnfelt, 2009). Units are organised by function. They all strive for more<br />
resources; their first priority is for the unit to survive <strong>and</strong> even grow. Political<br />
conflicts tend to develop, in particular when the organisation is facing<br />
overriding changes.<br />
Some aspects related to the relationship between central management <strong>and</strong><br />
units in the armed forces organisation can be described according to the<br />
mechanistic organisation model. The impact of the career switching project is<br />
very different in different parts of the organisation. It is evident that there is<br />
reluctance in parts of the organisation to accept overriding political <strong>and</strong><br />
strategic realities, manifested in the career switching project. The analysis is<br />
questioned: ʻthe age structure is not a problem, at least not in my unit, <strong>and</strong><br />
not now; there is no reason to prioritise the measures asked for by central<br />
management at this timeʼ. Managers tend to feel solidarity in the first place