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The growing recognition of the importance of cultural and creative sectors as sources of creativity and innovation has put emphasis on the development of entrepreneurs within this field. Cultural entrepreneurs are often described as being driven by artistic, rather than entrepreneurial, ambitions, where value creation is based on unique expressions, requiring them to engage in continuous innovation to sustain their activities, as well as facing challenging conditions. However, more understanding is needed on the work of these entrepreneurs and how they deal with challenges. The purpose of this paper is thus to explore the work of cultural entrepreneurs by integrating the current understanding of its challenges and strategies. Through reviewing empirical articles focusing on entrepreneurs in these industries and analyzing how the activities of entrepreneurs are described, we argue that the academic conversation around these entrepreneurs revolves around broad questions: who they are, what they have and where they are. These questions constitute three domains of entrepreneurial activity. We outline the challenges and strategies of cultural entrepreneurs and discuss the dynamics in the interplay between challenges and strategies within and across these domains. In highlighting the interplay between challenges and strategies, we advance the knowledge of entrepreneurship in the cultural and creative sectors and provide avenues for further research.

Purpose: With the increasing importance of individuals willing to undertake international assignments in risky contexts, the purpose of this paper is to increase the understanding of the interplay between the challenges of such assignments in risky contexts and the motivations of individuals to undertake them.

Design/methodology/approach: The study follows a narrative approach to gain an understanding of individuals' subjective experiences. In-depth interviews were conducted with Swedish police officers who have been on international assignments. The narrative analysis comprised two steps: first, to identify motivations and challenges and, second, to capture how challenges and motivations interplay.

Findings: The main motivations for international assignments in risky contexts were thrill-seeking, meaningfulness and financial gain and were found to shift with experiences. The main challenges were related to danger, physical and mental hardship, family relations and repatriation and were experienced by police officers as both positive and negative. Three ways in which challenges interplay with motivations were identified. The dynamic interplay of initial motivations and expected and experienced challenges was found to shift motivations as well as willingness to undertake further assignments.

Practical implications: The findings have implications for the recruitment, management and support of individuals on international assignments in risky contexts.

Originality/value:The key contribution of this paper lies in identifying the interplay between challenges and motivations on international assignments in risky contexts. Challenges are not only deterring but can strengthen, or even be, what motivates international assignments, while others need to be compensated for. The study contributes to research on the impact of experiences of international assignments on motivations and on the willingness to go on additional assignments.

Purpose: Based on the well-known risks associated with deviating from established routines in primary healthcare and the positive consequences of upholding them, the purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of the role of meaningfulness in the enactment of organizational routines.

Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on 24 semi-structured interviews with three different professional categories in primary healthcare in Sweden. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis on a latent level, combined with a two-factor model as sensitizing concepts.

Findings: Differences are identified between factors that reduce meaninglessness (called “sufficiency factors”) and those that enable meaningfulness (called “meaningfulness factors”). Nine sufficiency factors and six meaningfulness factors explain what makes organizational routines perceived as meaningful by the different professional groups. A two-factor matrix is developed that highlights the intricate challenges associated with routine enactment based on these factors.

Originality/value: The study is unique in that it is the first to integrate research on organizational routines and meaningfulness. However, understanding meaningful organizational routines is not only essential because it is an overlooked area in both of these two streams of research but also because of its clear, practical relevance in the primary healthcare setting.

In primary healthcare, various professions and roles need to collaborate to treat the constant influx of patients. Notorious problems of stress, high workload, high staff turnover, etcetera, make this collaboration even more challenging. Well-functioning organizational routines are needed to coordinate work, ensure patient safety, and the correct and equal treatment of patients. However, if the routines are perceived as meaningless, there is a high risk that professionals will deviate from them. Therefore, it is essential that the routine is perceived as meaningful to motivate all those involved to uphold the routine. Although the subjective meaningfulness of work has been found to have beneficial performance outcomes, it has rarely been connected to organizational routines. We, therefore, explore how organizations can foster meaningfulness in routines. Based on a thematic analysis of interviews with staff at three primary care units, six sources that make routines perceived as meaningful were identified. Also, we discuss and identify two types of organizational practices that can foster meaningfulness in routines, internalization practices and collectivization practices, that are summarized as 6C’s. Our findings have significant implications for healthcare organizations and are relevant for organizations in other contexts where different professional groups collaborate.

In primary healthcare, various professions and roles need to collaborate to treat the constant influx of patients. Notorious problems of stress, high workload, high staff turnover, etcetera, make dealing with this collaboration even more challenging. Well-functioning organizational routines are needed to coordinate work, ensure patient safety, and the correct and equal treatment of patients. However, if the routines are perceived as meaningless, there is a high risk that professionals will deviate from them. Therefore, it is essential that the routine is perceived as meaningful to motivate all those involved to uphold the routine. Although the subjective meaningfulness of work has been extensively researched, it has yet to be connected to organizational routines. We, therefore, explore how meaningfulness can be enabled in organizational routines. Based on a thematic analysis of interviews with staff at three primary care units, six sources that make routines perceived as meaningful were identified. Also, we discuss two types of organizational practices that can foster meaningfulness in routines. Our findings have significant implications for healthcare organizations and are relevant for organizations in other contexts where different professional groups collaborate.

This study takes its starting point in the question of what makes routines meaningful. Despite the well-established understanding of the importance of both well-functioning routines in primary health care, and the benefits associated with meaningful work, research to date has not integrated the two streams of research. Therefore, the purpose is to increase the understanding of meaningful routines. Based on interviews with three different professional categories in primary healthcare, and a thematic analysis on a latent level, the notion of a two-factor model for meaningful routines is proposed. In the analysis, the two-factor notion is used as a sensitizing concept, and nine factors explaining practitioners' sense of non-meaninglessness and six factors explaining meaningfulness in routines are identified. Thereby, the paper contributes to a better understanding of both what enables a sense of meaningfulness in routines and how different professional roles in the workplace differ in their perceptions. Practically, the results also open for improved routine practices that should consider the individual-collective dichotomy of meaningful routines and the challenge resulting from the fact that what enables meaningfulness in routines for one profession might be what erodes meaningfulness for another.