Frequently asked questions
Here we answer the most frequently asked questions about Agerus, verksamhetsskap®, the method, our products and what working with us can look like.
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This FAQ brings together broader questions about Agerus, the method, our products and what working with us can look like. More detailed product questions can be found on the relevant product page.
Agerus is a Swedish organisational development company that turns research on working life into practical value in organisations' everyday work. Our work is based on the idea that people and organisations depend on one another, and that wellbeing and performance reinforce each other when the right conditions are in place.
Agerus offers research-based services in three areas: team development, leadership development, and surveys, analysis and follow-up. Each area includes system solutions, training and consulting services.
The method is based on research into working life and the conditions that create sustainable performance, summarised in the books Verksamhetsskap and Jaget, laget och uppdraget. Researchers Pär Pettersson and Ulf Ericsson are associated with the method, which also has links to research at Stockholm University.
Agerus works with organisations in both the public and private sectors, including the Swedish Tax Agency, Systembolaget and Akademiska Hus. These relationships are often long-term, averaging around ten years.
They are Agerus' two books summarising the perspective and the method. Verksamhetsskap® describes the broader category, while Jaget, laget och uppdraget explores the model for how the Individual, the Team and the Purpose interact. Both books are included for every client.
Agerus is a Swedish company with Scandinavian roots, also reflected in the positioning “The Scandinavian Art of Organizing Work”. The method and materials are also used internationally.
Verksamhetsskap® is a way of organising work around purpose, people's conditions for performance and dialogue in everyday work, so that performance and wellbeing reinforce one another. It is both a category and an organisational capability, rather than a single method or product.
Verksamhetsskap is needed because many organisations want responsibility and development, yet organise work in ways that restrict both. Despite major initiatives, the same problems often remain, suggesting that these efforts address the symptoms rather than how the work itself is organised.
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“The Scandinavian Art of Organizing Work” places Verksamhetsskap® within a Scandinavian tradition of trust, participation, responsibility and dialogue. It signals that work can be organised around purpose and a view of people as wanting to contribute when the right conditions are in place.
Engagement is an important condition for performance, but it is not the whole answer. Verksamhetsskap® connects engagement to purpose and the actual conditions people need to succeed.
The three principles describe what a Verksamhetsskap organisation does: places purpose at the centre, uses dialogue as a way of working and focuses on enabling people to perform sustainably.
The perspective's ten points summarise what Agerus believes about people and work: for example, that the needs of people and organisations are interdependent, that people want to do a good job, and that it is easier to change the situation than the people in it.
The method brings together three levels – the Individual, the Team and the Purpose – connected through dialogue in everyday work. When the purpose is clear, conditions for performance are strengthened and dialogue is alive, a balance emerges that makes performance sustainable.
These are the five conditions for performance: motivation and meaning, information and direction, competence, mandate and room to act, and responsibility and ownership. When all five are in place, both performance and wellbeing often follow.
The purpose answers what needs to be done, why it matters and how success will be achieved. It is often the missing link: when the purpose is unclear, both individuals and teams are left to carry too much on their own.
The Individual represents a person's conditions for performance, the Team represents collaboration and belonging within the group, and the Purpose provides the shared direction. Without a clear purpose, the team loses momentum and the individual is left to guess what matters most.
Dialogue is the way of working that brings the purpose to life. Simply communicating the purpose is not enough; people need to interpret, understand and take ownership of it together by exchanging perspectives and creating shared understanding.
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It means retaining direction, responsibility and follow-up while reducing the need for micromanagement. The organisation is then characterised by clear areas of responsibility and governance that supports the work rather than monitors it.
Pulse surveys work when they are connected to purpose and lead to dialogue and action. They offer little value when they mainly produce more numbers and dashboards. Their strength lies in tracking what matters over time.
It means that measurement can show where the organisation stands, but meaning only emerges when the insight influences purpose, responsibility, priorities and conditions for performance. The point is to make better use of measurement.
AI can make analysis faster, but it does not make an organisation wiser on its own. The risk is that AI reinforces existing ways of working, producing more reporting without more dialogue. Its value depends on whether the insight is connected to purpose and conditions for performance.
That depends on the purpose. A broad Employee Survey is usually conducted periodically as a baseline, while Pulse Surveys track selected areas more frequently to keep the dialogue alive between larger surveys.
Agerus offers products including the Employee Survey, Pulse Survey, Agerus Audit, Purpose Dialogue, Leadership Survey, Flow for management teams, training and consulting support. The products are applications of the same method and can be combined.
It is a recurring baseline survey that reveals whether people and teams have the right conditions for sustainable performance, based on Want, Know, Can, May and Should. More information about how it works can be found on the product page.
It is a short, recurring survey that tracks selected parts of the method over time and keeps dialogue alive between larger surveys. More information about frequency and format can be found on the product page.
Agerus Organisational Analysis is a strategic assessment of the organisation's capacity for Verksamhetsskap®. It measures purpose, the Individual's conditions for performance, the Team's conditions for performance and the communication climate, giving the management team a basis for decisions, priorities and development.
Agerus Purpose Dialogue is a digital tool that helps organisations, teams and individuals define a clear What, Why and How. It creates a clear line of sight between organisational, team and individual purpose.
Agerus Flow is a recurring digital service that gathers feedback from the team and gives the manager a practical basis for dialogue and development in everyday work, delivered directly to their inbox. It is fully automated and requires no administration.
It is a survey that shows how leadership contributes to purpose, conditions for performance and dialogue, rather than rating the leader as an individual. More information can be found on the product page.
This is research-based training in the method, delivered online in four sessions and included for every client. More information about the content and further learning can be found on the product page.
Consulting support provides advice and practical help to put Verksamhetsskap into practice: understanding the current situation, setting priorities, facilitating dialogue and building sustainable ways of working. More information can be found on the service page.
Yes, although they create the greatest value as part of a coherent approach. When measurement, dialogue, training and support are connected, Verksamhetsskap becomes a common thread throughout the organisation's development.
Yes. The products are designed to be combined. A common sequence is for a survey to create insight, Purpose Dialogue to provide direction, training to build capability and consulting support to help turn the insights into action.
It usually depends on your current situation and what you want to achieve. In an initial conversation, we explore where the need is greatest and which approach best fits your organisation, level of maturity and everyday work.
The difference lies in purpose. While many tools measure engagement or satisfaction, Agerus connects measurement to purpose, conditions for performance and dialogue, so that it leads to meaning and action.
Agerus products are applications of a method, rather than a system in themselves. The point is to connect purpose with people's conditions for performance, rather than simply collecting more data. Technology is a tool, never the end point.
Every client receives the books, complimentary certification training delivered in four online sessions, recurring client events with researchers, editorial content and a shared collaboration plan. The product becomes part of a wider context rather than an isolated delivery.
The relationship is based on a shared plan with a long-term purpose and concrete goals. Agerus seeks to coordinate its work with the client's own initiatives in areas such as employee responsibility, leadership and change.
The starter kit provides new clients with a shared foundation: an introductory booklet, the Agerus principles, the books, a template for internal guidelines and method booklets for everyday application. It creates a shared language and a starting point for the work.
Yes. Clients receive recurring events with researchers and experts, as well as regular articles and analyses connected to current research and ongoing assignments.
Yes. Although Agerus is a Swedish company with Scandinavian roots, its materials and method are used internationally, as reflected in the English positioning.
Parts of the material are available in English, and the method is designed for use in international organisations. Contact us and we will confirm what is available for your specific needs.
The price depends on which products and services are included and how the approach is designed for your organisation. Contact us and we will prepare a proposal based on your needs.
Agerus processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection regulations. For details, please refer to our privacy policy. We are also happy to answer specific questions before working together.
It usually begins with a conversation about your current situation and what you want to achieve. From there, we shape an approach that fits your organisation, level of maturity and everyday work.
Verksamhetsskap is designed to adapt to different organisations, needs and levels of maturity. Because it starts from purpose and people's conditions for performance, it can be applied across industries.
You can contact Agerus through agerus.com, subscribe to the Bulletin newsletter and follow our work on LinkedIn. The easiest way to start a conversation is to book a short meeting.