Neue Perspektiven auf die Organisation der Beratung arbeitsmarktferner Arbeitsloser: Mittlere Führungskräfte im Spagat zwischen Beratungspraxis und Kennziffernerfüllung

Feldens Stefan () and Fuchs Philipp ()
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Feldens Stefan: Institut für Sozialforschung und Gesellschaftspolitik, Weinsbergstr. 190, 50825 Köln, Deutschland
Fuchs Philipp: Institut für Sozialforschung und Gesellschaftspolitik, Weinsbergstr. 190, 50825 Köln, Deutschland

Arbeit, 2025, vol. 34, issue 3, 211-233

Abstract: The interplay between activating labour market policy, managerial controlling and counselling work is a focus of research on employment services. In most cases, the focus is on the interaction between counsellors and unemployed. However, the role of middle managers, who act in a ‘sandwich position’ between executive management and counsellors, is neglected. Middle managers are the addressees of different and sometimes contradictory requirements and expectations resulting from the institutional mandate, organisational guidelines and counselling practice. So far, little is known about how middle managers in employment services adopt and perform their roles and how they deal with conflicts. Using the example of team leaders of a specialised counselling service for unemployed who are remote from the labour market, INGA, this study contributes to closing this research gap. Using case reconstructive analyses, it is shown that the team leaders, like the frontline staff, are confronted with the fundamental conflict between counselling practice and the fulfilment of indicators. However, their task is primarily focused on mediating between the levels of operational practice and superordinate management. Two contrasting cases are used to show how team leaders approach this task and deal with the ‘sandwich position’ in different ways. The contrasting coping strategies are each coherent in themselves and can be understood through professional backgrounds.

Keywords: Unemployment; counselling; controlling; tension field; sandwich position; conflict management; Arbeitslosigkeit; Beratung; Controlling; Spannungsfeld; Sandwichposition; Konfliktbearbeitung; Unemployment; counselling; controlling; tension field; sandwich position; conflict management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bpj:arbeit:v:34:y:2025:i:3:p:211-233:n:1003

DOI: 10.1515/arbeit-2025-0012

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