LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENT. Since this summer Karin Ahlberg and Carina Sparud Lundin have served as head and deputy head of the Institute of Health and Care Sciences. Strengthening the institute as a workplace and its collaboration both within and outside of Sahlgrenska Academy are two important areas for the new leadership duo.
“It’s fun to take on an overall leadership role and to start as the new head of the institute when so many other new institute heads are taking office at the same time. It’s a great situation to walk into,” says Karin Ahlberg, who since July 1 has been the new head of the Institute of Health and Care Sciences, with solid support from Carina Sparud Lundin as deputy head.
Karin notes that the institute is well-managed and that it has never been stronger than it is now. A high proportion of the institute’s teachers have been promoted to associate professors in their subjects, and strategic investments as guest professors and teaching assistants have turned out well. Establishment of the Centre for Person-Centred Care (GPCC) at the University of Gothenburg has also given the institute a big boost.
A confident leader
In addition to associate professor, Karin Ahlberg also has the titles of both excellent teacher and University Hospital head nurse. She has prior experience in leadership at several levels, including as unit head at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and as deputy head at Sahlgrenska Academy. She has also been coordinator of the radiography program and headed the institute’s Education Committee.
Now she is enjoying assuming a leadership role again after a few years of focusing on research, teaching and clinical work: “I am much more confident now in my role as a leader than I had been before. During my previous management assignments, I thought I needed to know everything myself, but now I know that it works well to rely on the competence that exists nearby and that I can get help from others to solve important tasks.
As head of the institute, she wants to strengthen its position in Sahlgrenska Academy so that it becomes a more equal partner within the faculty. She also wants to strengthen the institute’s collaboration both within and outside the faculty. In developing the organization, she would like to focus on complete academic environments and also facilitate and simplify decisionmaking structures.
Open and unpretentious
I met Karin and Carina at the end of the spring semester, when the choice of the institute leadership had just been made. They are now sizing up how leadership within the institute should be structured. One of the issues remaining to be discussed is how they are going to arrange their joint responsibilities for the institute.
Carina Sparud Lundin became deputy head two years ago, when Ingela Lundgren was head of the institute. In the institute’s election before summer, both Karin and Carina ran for the position of head, with Karin receiving the most votes for head of the institute while Carina was elected as the new deputy head.
“I am very pleased that I get to continue as deputy head because it’s such an exciting and enjoyable assignment. Karin and I are both open and unpretentious people, and we will collaborate well,” says Carina, to which Karin agrees. “We know each other well and work well together,” she says.
As a researcher Karin Ahlberg leads a team working on the experience, cause and management of symptoms associated with radiotherapy for patients with cancer. Carina’s research focuses on the transition from pediatric care to adult care for young people with diabetes and congenital heart disease and on the childbearing period for women with type 1 diabetes.
Fun to go to work
Strengthening the institute as a workplace is an important goal for Karin and Carina. Karin feels that increased insight into the various governing bodies of the institute, greater transparency concerning the decisions made and a more effective dialog are some ways to get there.
“Our workplace is entirely dependent on the members of our staff. It’s important to have a good time at work and to feel that it’s meaningful and fun to come here. This improves our ability to retain talented colleagues and to recruit new ones,” adds Karin. She thinks it’s important for staff members to feel both involved and responsible.
“I want everyone to take responsibility for their work and for our common work environment. As an analogy, one can say that I want a workplace where everyone is willing to pick up the paper that fell on the floor, where everyone assumes responsibility to take care of the workplace.”
Carina agrees: “We all need to be aware of our role in the work environment. One way is to structure work in a way that keeps in mind various work environment issues. Clear structures in the work we do can really help to create a good work situation.”
Important dialog with health care services
Within health care services, there is an ongoing transition toward closer care, which is likely to affect what is taught on several of the institute’s programs. Exactly how is not clear, however. The need to provide skilled labor for the health care sector also influences healthcare programs. Unlike many other higher education institutions, nursing education in Gothenburg has managed to implement the increase in student places in educational programs ordered by the government. In view of the precarious situation that Karin and Carina believe exists at many healthcare workplaces, it’s a challenge for the institute to ensure the quality of work placements and to be able to prepare students for their future work situation.
“Health care’s need for new solutions is positive both for our educational program and for our research. Among other things, the number of combination employments has increased,” says Carina. “We have a common problem that academia and health care need to resolve in a constructive and balanced dialog. It will place even higher demands on our collaboration with the health care system, and more of our colleagues have to get involved in the issues.”
More time for research
The institute has extremely motivated and talented teachers, but the balance between education and research needs to improve.
“At our institute we are extremely ambitious within education, but I hear at the lunch table that, for many, research has become something you have to do in your spare time,” Karin says. “One way to get more time for research is to increase our external funding, but I also think we would benefit from allowing ourselves to be ‘good enough’ in education to free up a little more time for research. It’s important in this regard that the work environment is not affected in a negative way.”
Carina agrees and adds: “Our high aspirations sometimes mean that the entire teacher team always gives priority to education. In the long run this is not sustainable. Research needs to become a more integral part of our working hours.”
TEXT AND PHOTO: ELIN LINDSTRÖM CLAESSEN
