Individual Workplace Well-Being Captured into a Literature- and Stakeholders-Based Causal Loop Diagram

Individual Workplace Well-Being Captured into a Literature- and Stakeholders-Based Causal Loop Diagram

Niks, I.M.W.
Veldhuis, G.A.
Zwieten, M.H.J.
Sluijs, T.
Wiezer, N.M.
Wortelboer, H.M.

2022

This study demonstrates an innovative approach to capture the complexity of individual workplace well-being, improving our understanding of multicausal relationships and feedback loops involved. The literature shows that a high number of interacting factors are related to individual workplace well-being. However, many studies focus on subsets of factors, and causal loops are seldomly studied. The aim of the current study was, therefore, to capture individual workplace well-being in a comprehensive conceptual causal loop diagram (CLD). We followed an iterative, qualitative, and transdisciplinary systems-thinking approach including literature search, group model building sessions, retrospective in-depth interviews with employees, and group sessions with human resource professionals, managers, job coaches, and management consultants. The results were discussed with HR and well-being officers of twelve organizations for their critical reflection on the recognizability and potential of the developed CLD. The final result, a conceptual individual workplace well-being CLD, provides a comprehensive overview of multiple, measurable key factors relating to individual workplace well-being and of the way these factors may causally interact over time, either improving or deteriorating workplace well-being. In future studies, the CLD can be translated to a quantitative system dynamics model for simulating workplace well-being scenarios. Ultimately, these simulations could be used to design effective workplace well-being interventions.

Systems thinking
Workplace well-being
Occupational health
Causal loop diagram
Group model building
System dynamics
Complexity

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:36b8929f-ff56-454e-9f4a-3bacf11d3635

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19158925

973325

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (19)

article