Organizational interventions

Organizational interventions aim to improve working conditions and employee well-being through making changes to way work is organized, designed and managed. A particular type of organizational interventions are participatory interventions where intervention activities are not predetermined but determined and implemented in discussions between employees and managers. Activities are developed aimed at making changes either to reduce or eliminate demands or increase resources. The activities may target individuals, i.e., reducing the demands employees put on themselves such as expectations of career progression or building resources such a self-efficacy. Activities may also be at the group level, reducing demands such a group conflict or building group resources such as fostering collaboration. Activities may also target leaders/line managers through training to minimize abusive leadership behaviors or building the leaders’ resources to consider employee wellbeing. Finally, activities may also target the organizational level, focused on reducing quantitative job demands such a high workload or increasing job resources such as autonomy . To date, the literature has only to a limited extent documented which activities are implemented and how and why planned activities will improve wellbeing in the specific organizational setting. When planning and implementing organizational interventions it is important to develop programme theories that can be tested to evaluate what works for whom in which circumstances.