Leadership in the Internal Employer Branding Process. A hermeneutic study of leadership and internal employer branding from a managerial perspective

Abstract: Today's society is in constant change and development where globalisation and technology have affected the labour market. As a result, the labour market is different and the employees set higher demands with new requirements for the employer to satisfy. It has thus become increasingly important for organisations to develop strategies to attract, develop and retain employees. The purpose of this qualitative study is to, based on managers' perceptions, describe and analyse the relationship between leadership and internal employer branding and how managers can contribute to the internal employer branding process. A delimitation has been made to only study managers within an organisation in the insurance industry. To collect data, eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted.The results indicate that leadership has an impact on the internal employer branding process, both from an organisational and individual level. The main factors within leadership that can contribute to the internal employer branding process are working with the company's values and visions, creating meaning in the employees’ daily work with a focus on communication, and also development opportunities. The result of the hermeneutic analysis together with a theoretical interpretation has lead to the implications that the relationship between leadership and internal employer branding is significant to market, internally and externally, an image of the workplace that actually permeates the organisation. Also, that leadership through the organisational culture and managers' activities, contributes to the internal branding process, which is important for the organisation's supply of competence.