A new framework for analysing personal and professional manager-employee relationships in small retail organisations

Abstract: Humans being social in nature naturally forms relationships. What kind of relationship a workplace has differs partly on the characteristics of the group but also on the leadership style. Previous research states that employees must feel satisfied at work in order to be motivated to perform well, where one factor is through good relationships with coworkers and the manager. In order to analyse how relationships look at a retail level (store manager and employees), managers and employees from six different small retail stores in CentralStockholm were interviewed, in two rounds. We found that organisations require a base of professionalism to establish structure, discipline and respect to run smoothly, but the personal human side of the connection including factors like camaraderie, support and listening ability are required for continued satisfaction. Pushing either extreme can create either an atmosphere of fear and lack of communication, or a flippant and overly relaxed attitude at work respectively, calling for an optimal combination depending on the organisation. We also present a model that illustrates this balancing act, and categorise the different combinations that arise, along with their causes.