Ledere står i ulike krysspress. I artikkelen
analyseres de tre typiske konfliktlinjene jobb-jobb, jobb-hjem og jobb-jeg
med bakgrunn i sosiologiens rollebegrep, og med vekt på de særlige
mekanismene bak dem. Vi argumenterer for to alternative hypoteser
om mulige forløp: Sammensmeltingshypotesen og Segmenteringshypotesen.
Hypotesene drøftes med bakgrunn i cross-lagged tilnærmingen, der
gjeldende konfliktmønster forstås i lys av individets tidligere
historie. Vi anvender unike paneldata (1999, 2002, 2011; N=577) fra
Lederundersøkelsene til Administrativt forskningsfond (AFF). Analysene
støtter forestillingen om de tre konflikttypene som viktige trekk
ved lederrollen. Videre får Segmenteringshypotesen klar støtte i materialet.
Resultatene forteller at de tre formene hver for seg har egentyngde
og permanens, og at mønsteret mellom dem holder seg over tid. Samlet
tegnes et bilde av lederes rollekonflikter som overraskende stabile,
preget av seighet og segmentering gjennom sentrale karriereår.
Nøkkelord: Rollekonflikt, Lederrollen, Jobb-hjem-konflikt, Jobb-jobb-konflikt,
Jobb-jeg-konflikt, cross-lagged analyse
A Constant Struggle?
Role Conflicts for Norwegian Managers in mid-career years
Managers work under various cross-pressures. In this article
we analyse three typical conflict lines labelled work-work, work-family
and work-person based on the role concept in sociology, and with
emphasis on the different mechanisms behind them. We present two
alternative hypotheses about potential trajectories: The Blending
Hypothesis and the Segmentation Hypothesis. These competing hypotheses
are discussed within the framework of cross-lagged modelling, where
the current pattern is explained by the individual’s previous conflict
history. We use unique panel data (1999, 2002, 2011; N=577) from
the Manager Surveys carried out by the Administrative Research Institute
(AFF). The results are consistent with the idea of the three conflict
types as distinct aspects of the managerial role. Moreover, our
findings are in clear support of the Segmentation Hypothesis. The
empirical analyses suggest that each type has its own weight and
permanency, and that the balance among the three remains steady
over time. All in all, managers’ role conflicts appear surprisingly
stable, characterized by robustness and segmentation through central
career years.