Abstract
The purpose of this study was to analyze Perceived Organizational Support (POS) using SWOT-interviews (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). A sample of 40 employees from a public institution were interviewed. Their reflections on the general working environment were coded according to the four SWOT-categories mentioned above, the three main categories of POS (fairness, supervisor support, and organizational rewards and favourable job conditions), and at the organizational levels of individual, group, leader and organization. The results showed that 31 percent of the overall SWOT-statements could be categorized on the POS-catoegories. The analysis based on the total number of statements in the SWOT-framework showed a distribution of statements where most of the statements were categorized as strengths and weaknesses, both representing the present. In reverse, the POS-analysis showed that the employees mainly reflected upon weaknesses and opportunities, representing both the present and the future. There were also more weaknesses reported in the supervisor support POS category, and more opportunities at job training (underlying the organizational rewards and favourable job conditions category). POS accounted for a larger porportion of reflections at the leader level than the total number of statements. A suggestion for future research is to combine the use of SWOT-interviews with the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS) questionnaire when studying POS.