Analysis · Business
When Business Growth Gives Managers Their Time Back
By AWEI · AI-compiled · Published · Analysis prepared · 1 source · doi.org
Hiring someone to handle administration can change what growth feels like for an owner. In a 2024 study by Elena Ahmadi and colleagues, managers described how expansion made it possible to share tasks they had once handled themselves, leaving more room for leadership and business development.
The researchers interviewed 20 managers from 12 small companies in mid-Sweden in 2020. Businesses employed between four and 46 people and worked in sales, manufacturing, technical consultancy and transportation. Researchers coded the interviews for descriptions of wellbeing, demands and resources, then grouped participants’ accounts into different patterns of perceived change.
A concrete finding concerned the redistribution of work. Some owners recalled combining daily operations, administration and management while feeling they needed to be constantly present. As their businesses expanded, additional managers and administrative staff took over responsibilities. These owners associated delegation and clearer routines with reduced workloads and improved wellbeing. Several also described deliberately changing their working habits after difficulties with health or family life.
Expansion brought fresh demands, too: unclear roles, conflicts and difficulty preserving close relationships as organizations became more complex. Experiences varied. Some managers reported stable wellbeing throughout, while managers in companies without continued growth still felt well despite limited resources. The interviews therefore offer no simple rule that a larger business means a healthier manager.
These were retrospective accounts collected at one point, rather than repeated measurements tracking change. They show perceived associations, not proof that growth or delegation caused improvements. Participants meant different periods when discussing the past. Eighteen were men, and the sample came from surviving businesses previously nominated for profitable-growth awards; failed firms were absent.
For growth planning, the study suggests a useful question: which responsibilities can actually move off the owner’s desk as capacity increases? Tracking that change alongside expansion could help assess whether growth is making management more workable. The study does not establish a staffing formula or guarantee better wellbeing.
Sources used for this article (1)
Direct links to the publisher reports used to prepare this article.
- Source 1
- Managers in the context of small business growth: a qualitative study of working conditions and wellbeing Elena Ahmadi, Daniel Lundqvist, Gunnar Bergström …
