Key drivers and obstacles for performance among forest harvesting service contractors – a qualitative case study from Sweden

Figures & data

Figure 1. Combinations used to differentiate the performance of the districts and the contractors during the sampling process.

Table 1. Harvesting service value attributes mentioned by production supervisors and contractors to affect the contractors’ harvesting service performance.

Group	Value attribute	Description	Production supervisors		Contractors
			n	%	n	%
Adaptability	Collaboration	Facilitates and supports the customer's work, provides suggestions and discusses how problems can be solved in a suitable way.	15	87	8	100
	Flexibility	Adapts to variations and changes according to customer needs.	13	100	7	86
	Operates as business driver	Adapts the work according to private forest owner needs and requests, enables wood procurement from forest owners and provides tips to the customer about possible wood purchasing opportunities from private forest owners.	5	100	6	100
Operational quality	Forest management	Performs harvesting services according to policy and instructions, the work does not cause soil damage, and only causes a low level of damage to the residual stand.	13	54	8	100
	Wood value	High and consistent bucking quality (length and diameter distribution), minimal damage to saw logs.	10	60	8	88
Delivery	Volume production	Describes the volume of harvested wood and the productivity of the operations.	12	58	5	60
	Deliver reliability	The agreed volume is accessible at the roadside at the agreed time.	10	80	7	71
Information	Data-gathering	The contractor can provide logs concerning machines, daily production, and sample trees, along with follow-up documentation about how the work was carried out.	10	40	4	100
	Communication	Informs the customer about problems on time. Provides relevant information regarding the performance ability of both parties.	5	100	6	100
Development	Development potential	Includes aspects related to current conditions, future ambitions, and company objectives.	13	46	–	–
	Continuous improvement	Works independently to improve – usually via gains in efficiency – different activities in the company.	4	50	3	100
	Development contribution	Educates the customer, helps the customer educate other contractors and machine operators. A step ahead in development. Shares information about potential areas for development.	2	100	–	–
	Educates new machine operators	Contributes to more competent machine operators in the forest sector, periodically employs and mentors trainees, runs or collaborates closely with educational institutions for machine operators, good ambassador for the forestry sector.	1	100	1	100
Independence	Professional business relationship	Well versed in negotiations, Skilled in professionally agreeing price and can demonstrate how the customer will benefit. Argues with facts and results.	12	33	2	100
	Administration	Documentation and control of different activities in the company, distribution of site maps and instructions to employees.	4	75	5	60
Stability	Employee management	Successful employer with healthy and motivated employees, low employee turnover, relatively successful in finding and keeping employees.	9	67	6	67
	Long-term reliable business relationship	Has provided harvesting services to the customer over a long time period, predictable and reliable, the customer knows what to expect.	3	33	1	100
Safety	Safety work	Makes sure to prioritize safety, evaluates and avoids possible risks according to health and safety guidelines before the work is started, low numbers of sick leave days.	–	–	3	100

Notes: The frequencies (n) of contractor examples for the identified value attributes are shown, as well as the proportion (%) of instances in which it was considered to have a positive effect on performance. The value attributes were divided into eight attribute groups, sorted in descending order according to the frequency of the total value attributes given by both production supervisors and contractors. The value attributes, in turn, are sorted in descending order according to frequency in the contractor examples given by all participants. Each value attribute is presented as the total number of contractor examples given by production supervisors and the total number of the interviewed contractors that mentioned the value attribute separately, along with the proportion of examples in which the value attribute was mentioned to positively affect the ranking result (production supervisors) or the performance assessment (contractors).

Figure 2. The proportions of the themes and factors within examples given (n) by the production supervisors and contractors, organized as total instances of cases in which the theme/affecting factor was mentioned as an obstacle or driver. The themes and factors are sorted according to frequency, with the theme that was mentioned most often at the top of each circle (frequency of mentions then progresses clockwise in descending order).

Table 2. Factors that were identified to affect contractor performance in any of the studied value attributes, grouped into five themes. The themes are sorted according to the frequency at which the related factors were mentioned to affect performance (either drive or hinder) in the studied value attributes based on contractor and production supervisor interviews. The factors included in each theme are sorted according to the same logic, i.e. how often the factor was mentioned in conjunction with the studied value attributes by the participating contractor and production supervisors.

Theme	Affecting factor	Description and content
Capability	Resources	Human resources (quantity and competence), material equipment and machinery, financial resources.
	Competence	Contractor's knowledge, experience, skills and talent.
	Systems & processes	Common work routines and standards.
Incentives	Economy	Economic rewards and the estimated impact on profitability.
	Motivation	Lifestyle objectives, possibility to be one’s own boss and set own schedule, personal acknowledgement that the work is important and appreciated.
	Strategy	Company goals, e.g. to be an attractive contractor to customers, private landowners and employees.
	Requirements	Abiding by laws and rules, entering into contract agreements
Commitment	Personal characteristics	Contractor’s personal attitude, interest, engagement and feeling of responsibility in the work activities.
	Relationship	Contractor’s attitude, interest, engagement and feeling of responsibility towards the customer (forestry organization), e.g. trust, loyalty and dependency to the customer, opportunities and possibilities to do other things or work for other customers.
Involvement	Collaboration interface	Customer’s adherence to their part of the assignment, contractor accepts help and advice from the customer or other external parties, contractor uses contacts in their network.
	Supplier management	Customer's leadership style, treatment of the contractor, e.g. discussing the contractor's performance results, giving feedback, expressing expectations.
External	Logging conditions	Terrain, weather and wind.
	Competition & economic situation	Market conditions, availability of machine operators on the market, competition from other areas, demand for harvesting operations, other contractors in the area.
	Risk	Balance between potential benefits and losses.

Table 3. The factors mentioned by the production supervisors in specific value attribute groups.

Theme	Factor	Value attribute group
		Adaptability		Operational quality		Delivery		Information quality		Development		Independence		Stability		All pooled
		n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Capability	Resources	3	100	3	33	9	56	1	0	5	40	–	–	5	40	26	50
	Competence	1	100	4	75	6	50	1	0	3	100	3	100	9	44	27	63
	Systems & Processes	–	–	3	67	2	50	–	–	2	100	3	100	–	–	10	80
Incentives	Economy	–	–	6	33	6	100	1	0	2	100	2	100	3	67	20	70
	Motivation	1	100	3	33	1	100	–	–	1	100	–	–	1	100	7	71
	Strategy	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4	50	–	–	2	100	6	67
	Requirements	–	–	1	100	–	–	–	–	1	100	–	–	–	–	2	100
Commitment	Personal characteristics	2	50	8	88	1	100	4	0	5	60	3	67	2	0	25	56
	Relationship	6	100	1	100	–	–	–	–	1	100	–	–	–	–	8	100
Involvement	Collaboration interface	–	–	–	–	2	100	2	100	2	100	1	100	1	100	8	100
	Supplier management	–	–	1	100	1	100	2	100	1	100	–	–	–	–	5	100
External	Logging conditions	1	100	1	0	3	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	5	20
	Competition & economic situation	–	–	–	–	1	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	1	0	2	0
	Risk	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
All pooled		14	93	31	61	32	63	11	36	27	74	12	92	24	50	151	66

Notes: The frequencies (n) of contractor examples for the identified factors are shown, as well as the proportion (%) of instances in which it was mentioned as a driver of the contractors’ performance. For the column and row “All pooled” the frequencies (n) represent the amount of mentioned examples and not the total number of contractors, as well as the proportion (%) of instances in which it was mentioned as a driver of contractor performance.

Table 4. The factors mentioned by the contractors in specific value attribute groups.

Theme	Affecting factor	Value attribute group
		Adaptability		Operational quality		Delivery		Information quality		Development		Independence		Stability		Safety		All pooled
		n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Capability	Resources	3	33	6	67	5	60	2	50	4	0	4	25	5	20	–	–	29	38
	Competence	3	100	4	75	2	100	2	100	4	100	–	–	7	71	3	100	25	88
	Systems & Processes	2	100	3	100	4	100	3	33	2	100	1	100	3	100	2	100	20	90
Incentives	Economy	5	0	6	17	5	80	1	100	3	33	5	80	2	50	1	100	28	46
	Motivation	3	100	2	100	2	100	3	100	6	83	1	100	4	100	2	100	23	96
	Strategy	5	100	3	100	1	100	2	100	4	100	3	67	4	100	–	–	22	95
	Requirements	5	100	5	100	2	100	3	100	-	-	2	100	–	–	–	–	17	100
Commitment	Personal characteristics	4	100	7	86	4	100	2	50	3	100	5	40	1	100	1	0	27	78
	Relationship	7	86	3	67	1	100	1	100	1	0	5	60	–	–	1	100	19	74
Involvement	Collaboration interface	7	86	5	60	5	40	2	50	3	100	6	67	3	100	1	100	32	72
	Supplier management	1	100	3	100	3	100	1	100	2	100	–	–	–	–	1	100	11	100
External	Logging conditions	1	0	4	0	4	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	9	0
	Competition & economic situation	–	–	1	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	4	0	–	–	5	0
	Risk	–	–	–	–	1	0	–	–	–	0	1	0	–	–	–	–	5	0
All pooled		46	78	52	67	39	72	22	77	35	69	33	61	33	67	12	92	272	71

Notes: The frequencies (n) of contractors mentioned the identified factors are shown, as well as the proportion (%) of instances in which it was mentioned as a driver of contractor performance. For the column and row “All pooled” the frequencies (n) represent the amount of mentioned examples and not the total number of contractors, as well as the proportion (%) of instances in which it was mentioned as a driver of contractor performance.