Building Positive Organizations: A Typology of Positive Psychology Interventions

Abstract

Research indicates that Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) in the work context have a small positive impact on improving desirable work outcomes, and a small to moderate effect on reducing undesirable work outcomes, suggesting that the effects of PPIs are not trivial, but also not large. Whereas this may be related to the difficulty of changing oneself or one’s happiness levels, the relatively small effects of PPIs may also be due to the predominant use of one-off interventions instead of more structural interventions that reflect policy level commitment. Furthermore, since most PPIs tend to focus on the individual, one could question the long-term effectiveness of such interventions, especially when the work environment remains unchanged. In this manuscript, I introduce a typology of PPIs in organizations by distinguishing between the organizational level they target (the individual or group level), and between one-off and structural interventions. I argue that different types of interventions can strengthen each other, and that to make a sustainable contribution to the optimal functioning of workers, PPIs need to comprise a wide variety of one-off and structural interventions targeting both individuals and groups in organizations. Furthermore, I make suggestions for improving the long-term effectiveness of PPIs by drawing on the literature on transfer of training, nudging, and positive design.

Thriving on Strengths: Effects of a Strengths Intervention for Younger and Older Teachers

“…PPIs are "[…] treatment methods or intentional activities that aim to cultivate positive feelings, behaviors, or cognitions" (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009, p. 468) and that enable individuals to transition from a 'languishing' state to a 'flourishing' state (Keyes, 2005). Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown that PPIs can improve desirable work-related outcomes (Donaldson et al, 2019;Van Woerkom, 2021;White et al, 2019). Strengths interventions aim to enhance the identification, use, and development of one's strengths (Ghielen et al, 2018;Wood et al, 2011).…”

“…Third, our study makes a methodological contribution to research on strengths interventions and on teacher well-being. Only (quasi-) experimental studies can establish causality, and such studies are urgently needed in an organizational context and particularly in an educational setting (Quinlan et al, 2012;Eden, 2017;Van Woerkom et al, 2021).…”

Art-of-living at work: interventions to reduce stress and increase well-being

“…Although these effects are not trivial, improvements to positive psychology interventions in the work context are needed. Van Woerkom (2021) has pointed out that future interventions should target multiple art-of-living components in order to improve their long-term effectiveness.…”

A Narrative Review of Peer-Led Positive Psychology Interventions: Current Evidence, Potential, and Future Directions

“…A limitation of the literature to date is that most PPIs in workplace (and other) settings focus on individual-level traits, neglecting the broader socio-environmental influences on behaviour, mood, and wellbeing [68]. This is especially important in workplaces where group or team-level states, traits, and behaviours co-exist with individuals and bidirectionally influence one another [69,70].…”

“…This is especially important in workplaces where group or team-level states, traits, and behaviours co-exist with individuals and bidirectionally influence one another [69,70]. Of note is the finding that longer-term structural changes are more likely to be more effective for sustained improvement [68]. Therefore, an area of significant opportunity in the field is the trial and evaluation of peer-led PPIs in the workplace.…”