Publikationer från Högskolan i Skövde
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Increased MLH1, MGMT, and p16INK4a methylation levels in colon mucosa potentially useful as early risk marker of colon cancer
No full textThe genes MutL Homolog 1 (MLH1), O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p16INK4a are commonly downregulated by hypermethylation in colorectal cancer. Long interspersed nucleotide element 1 (LINE-1) can be used as marker for global hypomethylation. This study compared MLH1, MGMT, p16INK4a, and LINE-1 methylation with gene expression in colon tumors, matched non-cancerous mucosa, and control mucosa to identify signs of premalignancy. Tissues were obtained from 20 colon cancer patients and 40 controls. CpG site methylation was quantified by pyrosequencing, expression by qPCR, and MSI/KRAS status by fragment analysis and droplet digital PCR. MLH1, MGMT, and p16INK4a methylation was increasingly higher in control mucosa, non-cancerous mucosa, and tumors. MLH1 expression was lower in tumors compared to non-cancerous mucosa but higher compared to control mucosa. Tumoral LINE-1 methylation correlated negatively with MLH1 (r = −0.51, p =.021) and p16INK4a (r = −0.55, p =.012) methylation, but positively (r = 0.74, p =.0002) with MLH1 expression. A p16INK4a SNP (rs3814960 C>T) was associated with methylation, expression, and MSI/KRAS status. Aberrant methylation of tumor suppressor genes in colon mucosa could be an early cancer risk marker. Control mucosa is a more reliable reference than non-cancerous mucosa when identifying premalignant changes. Extended studies will evaluate the possible association between rs3814960 and cancer susceptibility. Trial registration: NCT03072641. CC BY 4.0© 2025 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Taylor & Francis Group an informa businessCorrespondence Address: Y. Wettergren; Department of Surgery, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, SU/Östra, Gothenburg, S-41685, Sweden; email: [email protected] work was financed by grants from the Swedish state under the agreement between the Swedish Government and the county councils, the ALF-agreement [grant number ALFGBG-542821].</p
Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders : A Pilot Study in Western Sweden
No full textAim: To develop and trial a method for estimating the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in Sweden. Methods: A school-based study with a full physical examination, including a dysmorphology assessment, neuropsychological testing, behavioural ratings, academic evaluation and maternal nutritional interview conducted as an add-on to the regular health check-up in 4th grade. Results: Out of 348 eligible children, 223 participated. In the 206 children with a dysmorphological evaluation, 9.2% (n = 19) met criteria for a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder accounting for 4.9% (n = 10), fetal alcohol syndrome for 2.4% (n = 5) and partial fetal alcohol syndrome for 1.9% (n = 4). According to the conservative method using all eligible children as the denominator, the prevalence of FASD was 5.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.3–8.4) and fetal alcohol syndrome 1.4% (95% CI 0.5–3.3). Conclusion: The lowest prevalence estimate of FASD in Sweden is similar to that found in other European countries, and four orders of magnitude more common than the prevalence of the diagnosis in official hospital records. A screening procedure for large-scale studies may utilise both behavioural and anthropometric measures, including head circumference, depending on the objective.CC BY-NC 4.0Correspondence: Valdemar Landgren ([email protected])Funding: This work was supported by the Västra Götalandsregionen (VGFOUREG-856701, VGFOUREG-932247, VGFOUREG-981955)), the research fund at Skaraborg Hospital (VGSKAS-967692, VGSKAS-939541, VGSKAS-700751, VGSKAS-851071 and VGSKAS-931754) and the R&D centre Skaraborg (VGFOUSKB-1014138).</p
Analyzing resilient performance of workers with multiple disturbances in production systems
No full textWith the emergence of Industry 5.0 and an increasing focus on human-centric approaches in manufacturing, the analysis of workers in production systems has gathered significant interest among researchers and practitioners. Previous studies have explored the impact of various aspects, such as skills, fatigue, and circadian rhythms, on human performance. However, the cumulative effect of these aspects as disturbances on work performance has yet to be fully elucidated. This study introduces an approach using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) to investigate the impact of multiple disturbances on workers’ performance. Furthermore, this approach explored how the resilience-related skill aspects of workers affect their performance under multiple disturbances. A case study on engine test and repair processes was conducted, employing qualitative data collection and semi-quantitative simulation studies examining the impact of combined disturbances across 4,094 scenarios. The results show that a larger number of compounded variabilities expressed in Common Performance Conditions (CPCs) made it significantly challenging to recover work performance, and CPCs with particularly critical effects were identified. In addition, the FRAM model of skilled workers was shown to sustain higher performance across more scenarios. The approach of this study has demonstrated its ability to provide insights for effectively and safely managing production systems while considering complex disturbances.CC BY 4.0Received 30 December 2023, Revised 4 September 2024, Accepted 17 September 2024, Available online 28 September 2024Correspondence to: b1N04 C3 Building C Cluster, Kyoto daigaku-katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, 615-8540, Japan. E-mail address: [email protected] (N. Yasue).This paper is based on results from a study supported by the Mazume Research Encouragement Prize. The study is also partially supported by the Knowledge Foundation (KKS), Sweden, through the ACCURATE 4.0 project (grant agreement No. 20200181). The authors would also like to thank the industrial partner of the project, Volvo Penta of Sweden, for their support and collaboration.ACCURATE 4.
Well-being of hospitality employees : A systematic literature review
No full textThe hospitality industry employees' well-being is relevant for practitioners and researchers alike. Academic interest in hospitality employee well-being (EWB) has been steadily rising. Yet, the unintended result has been a fragmentation of the field, with at least 42 different theories addressing issues of EWB in hospitality. This study adopts a systematic literature review approach to re-balance a fragmentation that can lead to myopia and assesses relevant literature on EWB in hospitality. The study identifies 122 articles in 19 relevant hospitality journals listed in Scopus utilising the PRISMA process and analyses them with the help of a framework derived from well-being reviews in corresponding fields, such as human resource management. The findings account for individual, group and organisational level stressors, resources and practices affecting EWB in hospitality, and they are subsequently related to the theoretical landscape in the field, suggesting future avenues for research.CC BY 4.0Corresponding author: [email protected] (D. Brozović)This work was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) under the grant number [20K01929].</p
From games to success : Using gamification to foster motivation and community in remote learning
No full textSyftet med gamification är att tillämpa speldesignelement hämtade från spelvärlden i kontexter som inte berör spel. Den beteendepåverkande naturen av gamification kan anses driva motivation hos användare av ett gamifierat system till att slutföra uppgifter eller mål på ett belönande och lekfullt sätt. Idag används exempelvis gamification för att driva engagemang hos kunder av ett företag. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka hur gamification kan påverka motivation och gemenskap bland studenter i distansundervisning. Studien följer frågeställningen “Hur kan gamification tillämpas i distansundervisning för att bidra till ökad motivation och känslan av gemenskap för studenter som utför sina studier på distans?”. En enkätstudie genomfördes med högskolestudenter och lärare från olika lärosäten runt om i Sverige och svaren analyserades tematiskt. Det huvudsakliga resultatet av studien är sex designriktlinjer för hur gamification kan tillämpas i distansundervisning för att öka motivation och gemenskap baserat på studenters och lärares perspektiv och teorier som bland annat Självbestämmandeteorin (SDT). Designriktlinjerna fokuserar på hur gamification bör användas för att vara stödjande och etiska, snarare än vilka element som ska inkluderas. Designriktlinjerna validerades av en lektor inom datavetenskap vid ett svenskt lärosäte. Resultatet betonar att trots gamifications potential att öka motivation och engagemang är det avgörande att implementeringen sker etiskt och med hänsyn till studenters integritet, behov och välbefinnande.The purpose of gamification is to apply game design elements from games in contexts unrelated to gaming. The behavior-influencing nature of gamification can be seen as driving users of a gamified system to complete tasks or goals in a rewarding and playful manner. This study aims to explore how gamification can impact motivation and a sense of community among students in distance education. The study follows the research question: “How can gamification be applied in distance education to contribute to increased motivation and a sense of community for students studying remotely?” A survey was conducted with university students and teachers from various institutions across Sweden and the responses were analyzed thematically. The main result of the study is six design guidelines on how gamification can be applied in distance education to enhance motivation and community, based on the perspectives of students and teachers as well as theories such as self determination theory (SDT). The design guidelines focus on how gamification should be used to be supportive and ethical, rather than on which game elements should be included. The design guidelines were validated by a lecturer in computer science at a Swedish university. The results emphasize that despite the potential gamification possesses to increase motivation and engagement, it is crucial that the implementation is carried out ethically and with consideration for students' privacy, needs and well-being.Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning Distansundervisning har blivit en allt större del av vår vardag, särskilt efter pandemin. Trots de tekniska lösningar och digitala plattformar som finns idag för att möjliggöra studier på distans återstår två problem: Att studenter inte upprätthåller högt engagemang till att fortsätta och bristen på social kontakt. Det finns flera olika sätt för att upphäva dessa trender men en metod som sticker ut är konceptet av spelande. Det är precis denna metod som studien undersöker. Studien tittar närmare på hur konceptet av gamification, som innebär att låna speldesignelelemt från spelvärlden, kan användas i distansundervisning för att bidra till större motivation och känsla av gemenskap bland studenter. Det handlar om att till exempel använda belöningar, poäng och märken men även många andra spelelement för att öka lärandeglädjen och göra studierna mer engagerande och meningsfulla. För att ta reda på hur studenter och lärare upplever distansundervisning och användningen av gamification genomfördes en enkätstudie i två delar med deltagare från flera olika högskolor i Sverige. Svaren analyserades för att se mönster i hur dessa individer resonerar kring motivationer, utmaningar, gemenskap och gamification i undervisningen. Studenterna beskrev en lägre känsla av gemenskap med andra studenter och en måttlig motivation i sina studier på distans. Flera upplevde även en avsaknad av kontakt med både studenter och lärare. När det kommer till åsikter om gamification oroades många av att dessa skulle skapa stress och tävling, dock uppdagades även positiva perspektiv om att spelelement som tydligare visar progression skulle uppskattas. Det beskrivs även att dessa tillämpningar borde vara valfria. Utifrån deltagarnas tankar och kopplat till litteratur om motivation och gamification togs sex designriktlinjer fram för hur gamification kan användas i utbildningsplattformar på ett meningsfullt sätt: ❖ Användarstyrd gamification: Ge studenten kontroll över sin upplevelse genom att möjliggöra val av vilka gamifierade element de vill använda. ❖ Balans i gamification: Implementera gamifierade funktioner och verktyg på ett sätt som stödjer studenten utan att skapa en känsla av överbelastning och press. ❖ Visuell progression: Använd visuella element för att tydliggöra studentens progression i program och kurser, exempelvis genom progressionsträd, märken eller kontinuerliga mindre uppgifter. ❖ Integrerad kommunikation: Erbjud kommunikativa plattformar som möter studentens behov av social och akademisk kontakt under kursens gång. ❖ Assisterad gruppmatchning: Erbjud assisterad matchmaking vid gruppuppgifter för en rättvis och inkluderande gruppindelning som minimerar social stress och främjar aktivt deltagande. ❖ Stärkt social närvaro: Stöd studentens identitet och sociala närvaro med hjälp av visuella eller symboliska representationer i systemet. En viktig aspekt i studien är att gamification inte får bli ett verktyg som känns påfrestande för studenterna genom att skapa stress. Användningen av spelelement kan lätt slå fel om de implementeras slarvigt eller utan hänsyn till studenternas behov. Studien betonar därför att designriktlinjerna måste vara etiskt förankrade och bygga på en transparens som reflekterar frivilligheten att delta för att kunna respektera studenternas integritet. De designriktlinjer som togs fram har även granskats av en lektor inom datavetenskap för att säkerställa att de håller hög kvalitet och är tillämpbara i verkligheten. Däremot bör dessa designriktlinjer självklart testas i en verklig miljö för att undersöka tillämpningsgraden. Studien visar att gamification har potential att förbättra distansundervisning om det implementeras med omsorg. Det handlar inte om att göra skolan till ett spel i sig, utan att låna det som fungerar för att hjälpa studenter på traven att få distansstudier att fungera för dem. Studien riktar sig mot de designers och tekniker inom utbildningssektorn som vill göra sina digitala miljöer mer mänskliga och engagerande med hjälp av en sådan teknik som gamification.Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.There are other digital material (eg film, image or audio files) or models/artifacts that belongs to the thesis and need to be archived.</p
Impact of data-oriented design principles on performance : An experimental study of hardware performance metrics of data-oriented design
No full textModern software often faces increasing demands on performance, especially in domains such as gaming, real-time systems, and data processing. Traditional Object-Oriented Design (OOD) frequently introduces performance limitations due to suboptimal data locality and excessive branching, hindering efficient use of modern CPU architectures. This thesis investigates the performance impacts of alternative programming paradigms, particularly Data-Oriented Design (DOD), through empirical testing. Two main hypotheses were explored: first, that DOD-style implementations reduce execution time and branch mispredictions compared to OOD-based polymorphism; and second, that memory layouts optimized for cache efficiency in DOD outperform traditional layouts used in OOD. A series of experiments were designed to test control flow and memory layout scenarios. Results showed that DOD approaches, particularly through existential processing and struct-of-arrays (SoA) layouts, yielded significant improvements in execution time and reduced hardware-level inefficiencies such as cache misses and branch mispredictions. These findings support the argument that architecting software to optimize for the hardware can produce measurable performance benefits, and suggest that DOD principles should be more widely considered in performance-critical software development.Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.There are other digital material (eg film, image or audio files) or models/artifacts that belongs to the thesis and need to be archived.</p
Facing the competition : A qualitative study on the strategic work of construction companies in Skövde
No full textBakgrund: Byggbranschen har under det senaste decenniet påverkats negativt av globala händelser som pandemin och kriget i Europa. Dessa faktorer har bidragit till lågkonjunktur i Sverige, vilket i sin tur lett till minskad efterfrågan på byggtjänster och ökade kostnader. För små till medelstora byggföretag har detta inneburit stora utmaningar. Företagsekonomi handlar bland annat om hur företag strategiskt planerar för att möta förändringar och skapa konkurrensfördelar. Inom byggsektorn är detta särskilt relevant, då branschen präglas av hård konkurrens, höga miljökrav och beroende av externa faktorer. Små aktörer har ofta begränsade resurser och svårare att anpassa sig till snabba förändringar. Tidigare forskning har främst fokuserat på nationell nivå, vilket innebär att det saknas kunskap om hur ledare i mindre städer som Skövde själva beskriver sitt strategiska arbete. Den här studien undersöker därför hur ledare i lokala byggföretag upplever och formulerar sina interna och externa strategier för att stärka konkurrenskraften, med stöd i relevanta strategiteorier. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur ledare inom små och medelstora byggföretag i Skövde upplever och beskriver sina erfarenheter av strategiska utmaningar kopplade till att bibehålla och utveckla sin konkurrenskraft. Studien avser att belysa både interna och externa perspektiv i det strategiska arbetet. Frågeställning: Vilka strategier beskriver ledare i små och medelstora byggföretag i Skövde att de använder för att stärka och behålla sin konkurrenskraft, både internt och externt? Teori: Porters tre generiska strategier och Resursorkestrering Metod: Studien utgår från en deduktiv ansats där teori och empiri har samverkats. Studiens empiri har formats genom kvalitativa semi-strukturerade intervjuer som sedan transkriberades och som därefter behandlats med tematisk analys. Empiri och resultat: Empirin baseras på intervjuer med åtta ledare i byggföretag i Skövde, som delade med sig av sina upplevelser av strategiskt arbete kopplat till konkurrenskraft. Respondenterna beskrev utmaningar som priskonkurrens, resursbrist och ökade krav på hållbarhet och digitalisering. Mindre företag betonade flexibilitet och interna relationer, medan större företag lyfte fram struktur och innovation. Flera uppgav att deras strategier handlar om att balansera kostnadseffektivitet med långsiktig utveckling. Slutsats: Studien visar att ledare i små och medelstora byggföretag i Skövde upplever sitt strategiarbete som ett ständigt balanserande mellan extern anpassning och intern kapacitetsbyggnad. Deras beskrivningar pekar på att flexibilitet, värderingsdriven differentiering och stark intern kultur är centrala för att behålla konkurrenskraft, men också att detta arbete rymmer sårbarheter och risker. Det strategiska handlingsutrymmet formas därmed i ett samspel mellan möjligheter, begränsningar och organisatoriska värden.Background: Over the past decade, the construction industry has been negatively affected by global events such as the pandemic and the war in Europe. These factors have contributed to an economic downturn in Sweden, leading to reduced demand for construction services and increased costs. For small and medium-sized construction companies, this has resulted in significant challenges. Business economics includes how companies strategically plan to respond to change and create competitive advantages. In the construction sector, this is especially relevant, as the industry is characterized by intense competition, strict environmental regulations, and dependency on external factors. Smaller firms often have limited resources and face greater difficulty adapting to rapid changes. Previous research has primarily focused on the national level, which means there is limited knowledge about how leaders in smaller cities like Skövde describe their strategic work. This study therefore explores how leaders in local construction companies perceive and articulate their internal and external strategies for strengthening competitiveness, with support from relevant strategic theories. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to develop a deeper understanding of how leaders in small and medium-sized construction companies in Skövde experience and describe their experiences of strategic challenges related to maintaining and developing their competitiveness. The study aims to highlight both internal and external perspectives in strategic work. Research Question: What strategies do leaders in small and medium-sized construction companies in Skövde describe using to strengthen and maintain their competitiveness, both internally and externally? Theory: Porters three generic strategies and Resource orchestration Method: The study is based on a deductive approach, combining theory and empirical data. The empirical material was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. Empirical Findings and Results: The empirical data is based on interviews with eight leaders from construction companies in Skövde, who shared their experiences of strategic work related to competitiveness. The respondents described challenges such as price competition, resource shortages, and increased demands for sustainability and digitalization. Smaller companies emphasized flexibility and internal relationships, while larger companies highlighted structure and innovation. Several stated that their strategies involve balancing cost-efficiency with long-term development. Conclusion: The study shows that leaders in small and medium-sized construction companies in Skövde experience their strategic work as a constant balancing act between external adaptation and internal capacity building. Their descriptions highlight that flexibility, value-driven differentiation, and a strong internal culture are central to maintaining competitiveness, but also that this work involves vulnerabilities and risks. The strategic room for maneuver is thus shaped through an interplay between opportunities, constraints, and organizational values
A Framework for Transdisciplinary Engineering Research : Integrating Interactive Research and Design Methodologies
No full textConventional research typically adheres to established disciplinary methodologies, whereas transdisciplinary research demands a more flexible and adaptable approach. This paper presents and discusses a work procedure developed and successfully implemented to support collaboration and progress in a large-scale 4-year research project. The work procedure integrates the overall principles from interactive research with the structure of the design research methodology (DRM) framework. The focus here is on the potential of the developed work procedure to support transdisciplinary engineering research. We specifically investigate to what degree the requirements of relevant transdisciplinary research processes are met, i.e., the ability to a) understand and manage complexity, b) incorporate diverse perspectives, c) link abstract and practice-oriented knowledge for implementation and d) develop descriptive, normative, and practical knowledge. Several principles essential to fulfilling the requirements and succeeding with transdisciplinary research were encouraged and supported. Therefore, integrating knowledge from collaborative research, industry-academia partnerships and engineering design could be a promising strategy to strengthen transdisciplinary engineering research. We propose that the suggested work procedure, together with the identified best practices, could serve as support in this context as a transdisciplinary engineering research framework.CC BY 4.0First published online August 25, 2025Corresponding Author: Kristina Säfsten, Product Development, Production and Design, School of Engineering, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden. Email: [email protected] research was funded by the Knowledge Foundation and the School of Engineering, Jönköping University, Sweden.Integrated Product and Production Platforms Supporting Agile and Demand-driven Industrial Product Realisation (IDEAL
Nanopore sequencing fungi and bacteria communities of raw honey stored for different time periods
No full textA diverse microbial community flourishes in honey. The microbial composition of honey may change before honey reserves are used either by European honey bees (Apismellifera) or by humans for consumption. The aim of this study was to determine if the microbiota in Swedish raw honey could be identified to the genus or species-level using Nanopore sequencing, to evaluate technical reproducibility of Nanopore sequencing, and to see if the fungal and bacterial community composition seems to change due to the age of the honey. Results indicate (1) five of five and one out of five fungi positive controls could be identified with the genus level and species level, respectively, with either ligation or tagmentation based library preparation – the latter had more false positives (2) fungal richness of 2019 honey samples plateaued at 20 taxa, whereas 2023 and 2024 samples were still sequencing new taxa at 20 and 32 taxa, respectively (3) Nanopore sequencing led to broadly consistent compositions of the most abundant bacteria and fungi taxa in raw honey, while both technical replicates and PCR replicates featured rare taxa that were unique between replicates. It was concluded that (1) genus-level identification of fungi had most potential to be accurate with the ligation-based Native Barcoding Kit (2) fungi richness was lower in the 2019 honey sample than in more recent raw honey samples (3) Nanopore sequencing is robust at identification of most abundant taxa but an evaluation of rare taxa compositions across technical replicates would require greater sequencing depth
How do office managers motivate their employees during a crisis from a Self-Determination Theory perspective?
No full textBakgrund: Krissituationer som Covid-19-pandemin har visat att kontorschefers ledarskap är avgörande för att både driva verksamheten framåt och bevara medarbetares motivation och trygghet. Traditionellt uppgiftsfokus räcker inte, utan chefer behöver arbeta med tydlig kommunikation, empati och flexibilitet. När ledarskapet samtidigt tillgodoser medarbetarnas behov av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet stärks engagemang, välmående och prestation. Studien bidrar därmed till en djupare förståelse för hur motivation kan upprätthållas i kriser. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur kontorschefer motiverar sina medarbetare under en krissituation, utifrån Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Som empirisk kontext används erfarenheter från Covid-19-pandemin. Metod: Studien bygger på en mixed methods-ansats med både kvalitativa och kvantitativa inslag. Fem semistrukturerade intervjuer med kontorschefer genomfördes för att fånga deras upplevelser och åtgärder under pandemin. En kvantitativ enkätundersökning riktades därefter till medarbetare hos dessa chefer för att belysa deras upplevelse av ledarskapet. Self-Determination Theory användes för att analysera hur behov av autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet tillgodosågs. Slutsatser: Studien visar att kontorschefer motiverade sina medarbetare under Covid-19-pandemin genom att tillgodose de tre psykologiska behoven i Self-Determination Theory: autonomi, kompetens och samhörighet. Samhörighet framstod som mest grundläggande, då trygghet, tillit och gemenskap lade grunden för motivation. Autonomi främjades genom ”frihet inom ramar” med tydliga mål och flexibilitet i arbetssätt, medan kompetens stärktes genom feedback, lärande och stöd i digitala arbetsformer. Resultatet visar att motivation i kris upprätthålls genom en balans mellan struktur och flexibilitet samt mellan individuellt stöd och kollektiva relationer.Background: Crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic have demonstrated that the leadership of branch managers is crucial not only for maintaining operations but also for sustaining employees’ motivation and psychological safety. A traditional task-oriented approach is insufficient; instead, leaders must rely on clear communication, empathy, and flexibility. When leadership simultaneously supports employees’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, engagement, well-being, and performance are strengthened. This study therefore contributes to a deeper understanding of how motivation can be maintained during times of crisis. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how branch managers motivate their employees during a crisis, based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The empirical context is drawn from experiences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: A mixed methods approach was used, combining qualitative and quantitative data. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with office managers to gain insights into their leadership strategies during the pandemic. Additionally, a quantitative survey was distributed to employees working under these managers to capture their perceptions. The analysis was guided by Self-Determination Theory, focusing on how the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness were addressed. Conclusions: The study shows that branch managers motivated their employees during the Covid-19 pandemic by addressing the three psychological needs in Self-Determination Theory: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Relatedness emerged as the most fundamental, as trust, safety, and a sense of community formed the basis for motivation. Autonomy was promoted through “freedom within boundaries,” combining clear goals with flexibility in work practices, while competence was supported through feedback, learning, and guidance in digital work methods. The results demonstrate that motivation during a crisis is sustained through a balance between structure and flexibility, as well as between individual support and collective relations