At the centre, we conduct multidisciplinary research focused on work life and organization. Our research concerns work environment, collaboration, leadership and organization. We develop tools and methods that can contribute to the application of research. CTA is a hub where researchers and practitioners can meet, discuss, and learn more.

The working life is important in people's lives. We conduct practice-oriented research on work-life issues of socially relevance. Our mission is to conduct useful and applicable research.

Hanne Berthelsen, Director

Current

Seminar, 12 November

The impact of office environment on physical behaviour – a field study

Working in healthcare - current research

Workload, stress and staff turnover

        Why do carers leave and how can staff turnover be reduced?

A few studies, primarily cross-sectional, indicate associations between illegitimate tasks and stress, exhaustion, and depression. This study investigates how illegitimate tasks affect the health and well-being of different groups in the workforce over time.

Threat and violence against healthcare professionals

The research study investigates the prevalence and experiences of threats and violence caused by patients or relatives in surgical wards.

Read more about the study about threats and violence against healthcare professionals

Researcher: Jenny Jacobsson

Elderly care

The project aims to increase the knowledge of responsible municipal politicians about the organisational and social work environment in elder care. 

More about the project to increase the knowledge about the work environment in elderly care

Researcher: Susann Porter

Malmö Work Science Meeting 2024

CONFERENCE: On Friday 4 October 2024 we invited researchers and practitioners to Malmö University. We encouraged research and dialogues on different perspectives of work science. Welcome back next year.

Kristoffer Holm

Employees who have previously been the subject of incivility at the workplace run a greater risk of later being bullied at work. These are the findings of a study by Kristoffer Holm, a researcher at Malmö University and PhD in psychology focusing on work and organisational psychology.

Our research

CTA researchers study various aspects of work and work life. Several research projects are currently underway and the centre also conducts evaluations and mission research in collaboration with external stakeholders.

Established in 2007, CTA has since its inception focused on research on working life and evaluation. There is a strong link to society and the centre has an explicit ambition to improve conditions in people's working lives.

All researchers at Malmö University who conduct working life research with a focus on conditions and prerequisites for management and organisation, as well as social relations in working life, are welcome to be part of CTA.

More about the research program OSSC

The research program contributes to the field with a new concept, organisational and social safety climate. The concept is inspired from two different directions, partly psychosocial safety climate, partly the new regulations from the Swedish Work Environment Agency, organisational and social work environment. Together with the JD-R model, this forms the theoretical framework for the program.

The program is based on ongoing and planned research projects which serve as a knowledge base for the development of new projects, and contribute to creating continuity and a long-term perspective within the research area. The overall goal is to develop approaches, empirically validated and reliable tools that can be used for research, practice and interventions in order to develop a sustainable work environment in human care organisations.

This will be achieved by including the perspectives of senior management, first line managers and employees on the organizational and social safety climate within various human care organisations.

During the first three years of the program, we aim to:

  • continue to develop existing methods and instruments that can be used to assess the organizational and social safety climate within various human care organisations,
  • conduct studies of the work situation for employees and first-line managers,
  • conduct studies on bullying in working life and abusive behaviour with a focus on victims and witnesses.

The subsequent three years of the program will be devoted to intervention-oriented studies with the aim of developing work methods that promote a healthy organisational and social safety climate within human care organisations. The results can contribute to meeting future challenges such as stress, abusive discrimination, high staff turnover and recruitment problems within these organisations.

Research projects and publications

Anyone who conducts research within work life and evaluation studies is welcome to join the cohesive and multidisciplinary research centre CTA. Our interests include management, organization, social relations in working life as well as interactions between working life and leisure.

Find out more about our ongoing projects.

Total hits: 11

Researchers active in CTA

Total hits: 26
Hanne Berthelsen.

CTA's Hanne Berthelsen, Associate Professor in Leadership and Organisation participated as an expert in a high-level meeting on the work environment in May 2023. She presented the COPSOQ measurement tool and participated in a round table discussion.

Person writing in the library.

Problems related to the organisational and social work environment are the most common cause of work-related ill health. A research team headed by Hanne Berthelsen, Associate Professor in Organisation and Leadership, has been responsible for further developing and validating the COPSOQ measurement tool for the Swedish labour market.

Collaboration

CTA collaborates with a variety of stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. Collaboration can take place within: the framework of existing projects; as part of the start-up of a research project; during follow-up research; within evaluation assignments; and through contract research.

For instance, CTA is currently collaborating with researchers from Australia as part of the OSSC research programme. There are also ongoing collaborations with researchers from the Netherlands, Germany, Finland and Denmark. In Sweden, CTA interacts with other universities, colleges and research centres, such as the Stress Research Institute and the Institute for Stress Medicine.

We have previously collaborated with the City of Malmö, Finsam Mittskåne, the Swedish Teachers Union, Folktandvården, IKEA, Scania, occupational health companies and a large religious organisation. We also arrange various types of activities such as conferences and seminars for researchers, practitioners and students.

If you are interested in collaborating with CTA, please contact director Hanne Berthelsen or a specific CTA researcher.

Organisation

Strategies, affiliated researchers and Advisory board

Advisory board

Chair

Maria Hultin, Quality and Development Manager, Malmö Stad

Members:

  • Fredrik Dahl, HR-strateg Koncernstab HR, Region Skåne
  • Patrik Hall, Professor, Malmö University
  • Linda Clavier, Senior Lecturer, Malmö University
  • Malin Lundberg, EY
  • Cecilia Strandberg, Interim Consultant - at Ulfsdotter Konsult AB

31 January 2022 – 31 December 2024

Strategies and affiliated researchers

Contact

Contact the Director