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The purpose of this paper is to review the scientific basis for claiming any effect of foreign information operations. The literature on information operations is reviewed, as well as other kinds of persuasive communication (advertising, risk and health communication) that aims to change attitudes or behaviour. Most research indicates that persuasive communication in general has little effect on receiver attitudes and/or behaviour. Some hypothetical strategies that may increase the effect are formulated, such as hiding the sender’s intent, sending messages not too distant from the receiver’s present views, or using the emotional, rather than the rational, route.

In this article we explore how Swedish citizens perceive security threats, and how threat perceptions overlap with ideology, trust and demographics. The results show that concerns over security threats are foremost connected to an authoritarian outlook. In addition, four typical groups of security orientations were identifed. On the one end of the spectrum, we found one group with anti-immigrant, anti-feminist and anti-egalitarian opinions and low confdence in media and institutions. At the other end, we identifed a group dominated by women with university degrees, who believe in egalitarian tolerance and display trust in societal institutions. Even though the findings are in line with previous research on the radical right globally, we were intrigued by the existence of a clearly defned group of respondents that oppose feminism to the extent that it is even seen as a security threat. This is particularly striking given that Sweden is thought of as one of the most equal countries in the world, with a government pursuing a feminist foreign policy.

The hypothesis was that post-Cold War downsizing of the military defense is associated with low levels of public anchoring, and that better anchoring is associated with a perception of a better performance by the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) and with a SAF connection and military experience. An additional research question concerned the level of concordance between the military and political elites and the population on these issues. A questionnaire was sent to 3,000 randomly selected residents. The results showed that post-Cold War downsizing was only partly associated with low levels of anchoring. Better anchoring was associated with a perception of a better performance by the SAF and with SAF connection and experience. There was significant concordance between the elites and the public. The study shows that anchoring is best supported by increased communication of the results and benefits of the military defense to all subgroups of the population.

Artikeln problematiserar beslutsfattande i vård- och omsorgssektorn till följd av Covid-19 pandemin. Detta görs deduktivt genom att applicera en empiriskt framtagen beslutsmodell på nya data som utgörs av medieartiklar. Be-slutsmodellen kan delas in i två dimensioner; en medarbetarinriktad och en organisationsinriktad. Varje dimension anger beslutsriktningen och sträcker sig från anti till pro. Det innebär att beslut kan fattas pro/anti medarbetare/organisation. Vi har funnit belägg för tre av modellens fyra dimensioner, vilka är utgångspunkter för analys av vilka konsekvenser beslut kan få på medar-betare, på arbetslivet och på det det civila samhället i stort.

The article problematizes decision-making in the health and care sector during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is done deductively by applying an empi-rically developed decision model to new data that consists of media articles. The decision model can be divided into two dimensions; an employee-orien-ted and an organization-oriented. Each dimension indicates the direction of the decision and ranges from anti to pro. This means that decisions can be made pro/anti employees/organization. We have found evidence for the models’ various dimensions, which are the basis of an analysis of the con-sequences decisions may have on employees, the working life and the civil society as a whole.  

Outcomes of leadership are traditionally attributed to the leader's individual characteristics and leadership style. One aspect that has been less visible in leadership models is how the decision-making process affects perception of leadership quality. Another aspect that probably exerts an impact is the difficulty level of the decisions, how they affect subordinates and the organization. The purpose of this study is to obtain a deeper understanding of decision challenges in relation to the strategic leadership level. Data were collected through qualitative, semi-structured interviews. In total, nineteen leaders at strategic organizational level were included who all possessed previous experience of decision-making within national and international staff work. The interviews were analysed according to a thematic analysis. Several decision-making challenges were described in the interviews. The study supports the conclusion that the objective, and especially the subjective, outcome of leadership is dependent on decision difficulty.

Les effets que produit l'exercice de l'autorité sont traditionnellement attribués aux caractéristiques individuelles du chef et au style qui est le sien en la matière. Un aspect moins visible des modèles existants de leadership est la manière dont le processus de prise de décision affecte la perception de la qualité du leadership. Un autre, susceptible de l'influencer, réside dans le niveau de difficulté de la décision à prendre, et la façon dont elle affecte les subordonnés et l'organisation. Le but de cette étude est d'obtenir une meilleure compréhension des défis décisionnels posés au leadership de niveau stratégique. Les données utilisées ont été recueillies au moyen d'entretiens qualitatifs semi-directifs avec un total de 19 responsables de niveau stratégique possédant une expérience passée de prise de décision au sein d'états-majors nationaux et internationaux. Ces entretiens ont été analysés par thèmes. Ils décrivent plusieurs types de défis décisionnels. L'étude confirme la conclusion que les effets objectifs et surtout subjectifs du leadership dépendent de la difficulté de la décision à formuler.

Psychological operations (PSYOP) implies a purposeful use of communication by a government or military organization to fulfill its mission and is one understanding of strategic communication. The present study focuses on PSYOP effects. The few studies available on this area indicate that the effects of PSYOP generally tend to be on a minor scale, while PSYOP may have a stronger impact in specific contexts. We discuss possible explanations and suggest that a number of psychological factors inhibit PSYOP success. One major example is that of human cognitive conservatism. Other psychological mechanisms, mostly emotional ones, may promote PSYOP, for example, strong identification with one’s own (national, ethnic or religious) group, a sense of threat to the resources, status and/or survival of own group, a perception of hostility from other groups, and the experience that another group has devalued or offended the in-group.

The universal nature of conscription ties or anchors broad segments of society to the military. What happens to societal anchoring after the draft ends? Using in-depth interviews with two groups of elites, this article explores factors that promote and hinder the Swedish Military’s societal anchoring post-conscription. The first group consisted of 18 executives at the Swedish Armed Forces (SAF) headquarters with strategic positions in relation to societal anchoring. The second group consisted of 15 representatives from the corresponding political level: members of the parliamentary Committee on Defense and their officials. The interviews were semistructured and analyzed according to a grounded theory-inspired approach. Main themes concerning obstacles were the public’s low interest and dated knowledge, an unclear political debate resulting in vague expectations concerning the SAF, as well as unclear responsibility for informing the public, and confidence gaps between the military and the political elite.

Military organizations have a long tradition of autonomy in relation to other groups. Most positions in military organizations, at least those at the higher levels, are reserved for military officers. However, given the increasing complexity of modern society, civilian specialists have become more common in high-level military staff contexts. The purpose of this study was, through an inductive approach, to gain a deeper understanding of the role of civilian and military advisors in a high-level military staff context. A grounded theory approach was used. The empirical material is based on 10 interviews with advisors in high-level military staffs, three of which were with women. The qualitative analysis resulted in a theoretical model that describes that the trustworthiness of advisors is established through two types of action-logics: (1) through the advisor’s individual strategies - that is, what the advisors themselves do and (2) through an “allowing” structure, which permits an increased freedom of action for advisors. Advisors' positions and skills are unique in a staff environment, which is important in a decision-making process. These two logics influence one another as well as the credibility of the advisor’s agenda. Research limitations/implications are the following: small sample, lack of representativeness, and lack of illumination of possible gender-related aspects. The suggested model may be valuable in military educational settings.    

Les organisations militaires ont une tradition d'autonomie vis-à-vis d'autres groupes. La plupart des emplois (au moins aux niveaux les plus élevés) y ont longtemps été réservés à des officiers. Pourtant, avec la complexité croissante des sociétés modernes, les spécialistes civils sont moins rares qu'ils n'ont pu l'être au sein d'états-majors de haut niveau. Le but de cette étude était, par une approche inductive, de mieux appréhender le rôle que jouent militaires et civils dans un contexte où chaque emploi et les qualifications qu'il exige sont hautement spécifiques, ce qui ne peut manquer de conférer aux processus de prise de décision un tour particulier. L'approche retenue est celle de la théorie ancrée [grounded theory]. Les données empiriques utilisées résultent de 10 entretiens avec des titulaires de postes dans des états-majors de haut niveau, dont trois femmes. L'analyse qualitative conduit à un modèle théorique qui lie la manière dont s'établit leur fiabilité à deux logiques d'action : (1) les stratégies individuelles que manifestent leurs comportements, et (2) la structure “habilitante” mise en place, qui encourage l'initiative et accroît leur liberté d'action. Ces deux logiques s'influencent mutuellement, tout comme elles influent sur la crédibilité des acteurs et de leurs visées. Si cette recherche est limitée par la petitesse de l'échantillon et son manque de représentativité, mais encore par le peu d'attention qu'elle accorde aux aspects possiblement liés au genre et à de possibles différences entre experts civils et militaires, le modèle qu'elle suggère n'en a pas moins des implications, notamment pour les instances militaires de formation.

Föreliggande bok har ambitionen att sätta samman tre års forskningsresultat (2016-2018) inom ramen för det av Försvarsmakten (FM) finansierade forskningsprojektet Ledarskap och ledning i en förändrad organisatorisk kontext och omsätta kunskaper till ett pedagogiskt och lättillgängligt material som kan användas i såväl Försvarshögskolans ordinarie kurs- och utbildningsprogram, som enskild läsning eller som utgångspunkt för gruppdiskussioner, seminarier och förberedelser inför något av de teman som tas upp i boken. Bokens innehåll speglar forskningsprojektets sammansättning som består av forskare från Ledarskapsavdelningen i Stockholm, Försvarshögskolans Ledarskapscentrum i Karlstad, och Ledningsvetenskap i Stockholm. Att bokens empiri kommer från militär kontext hindrar inte att bokens innehåll även kan vara av stort intresse för civila läsare, särskilt inom ramen för dem med intresse för civil-militär samverkan i såväl nationella som internationella insatser.

The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the experience of Swedish officers when serving as the only Swedes in a multinational staff context. The methodological approach was qualitative and inductive according to the Grounded Theory method, and the empirical material is based on twenty completed interviews. The informants possessed a wide range of experience in a number of leadership positions as well as extensive participation in international operations.The building of contextual self-esteem is the central theme that emerged inthe data analysis that may improve our understanding of officers serving as the only Swedes on an international staff. Contextual self-esteem and its structure can be understood through the following four processes: interpretation, adaptation, influence, and withdrawal. These occur to a greater or lesser extent depending upon both the individual and the context. Contextual self-esteem increases over time as experience of international operations expands. The longer the duration of a mission, the greater the influence becomes in contrast to adaptation, although all the processes are significant.The findings may be valuable in educational settings regarding challenges faced while serving alone during international military missions in multinational contexts.