Swedish municipal social care managers and their staff often feel inadequate in their efforts to live up to legal requirements, organisational quality objectives, and their own professional ideals

This study reports from a constructivist and participative project in which Swedish social care managers reflected over their work and their managerial role by the use of repertory grid interviews, personal diaries and group discussions.

The qualitative phenomenological analyses of the extensive material show that the managers construed time as a crucial factor in relation to their work situation and managerial role, the staff members and the quality of the services produced.

The results give a vivid and nuanced picture of the managers’ experiences of time consuming work processes, time shortage, time thieves and other time related difficulties, but also of time managing strategies and alternative solutions.   

Managers’ insights regarding their own work are of major importance in terms of performance and efficiency and their personal health. In this project the managers’ meaning making processes were supported by the use of constructivist techniques.