Beyond Simple Roads: Conditions Explaining Perceived Fit of an Organizational Occupational Health Intervention

Marta Roczniewska*, Susanne Tafvelin, Karina Nielsen, Ulrica von Thiele Schwarz, Edward J. Miech, Henna Hasson, Kasper Edwards, Johan Simonsen Abildgaard, Ole Henning Sørensen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference abstract in proceedingsResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Background:
Intervention fit is an important factor explaining sustained impact of the intervention beyond project timeframe. It refers to the extent to which employees in the organization perceive the intervention's objective and design as relevant to meeting the needs of the workplace. Employee perceptions of intervention fit has been shown to predict psychosocial outcomes beyond the exposure to the intervention. While past research has identified various factors that may facilitate perceiving intervention as relevant, it remains unclear which aspects of the implementation make the intervention more versus less relevant for the employees. Here, we aim to investigate potential combinations of context and process factors that lead to high perceptions of intervention fit among the staff members.
Method:
Data from a participatory occupational health and safety intervention project in 64 Danish pre-schools were analysed. The program emphasized relevance of the intervention, employing a participatory approach with an implementation team, educational seminars, and financial incentives. Intervention fit was measured through employee ratings of intervention relevance, while implementation and context factors were assessed by the implementation team at five timepoints. A coincidence analysis (CNA) with multi-value set calibration was employed to explore potential paths to high or low perceptions of intervention relevance.
Results:
The CNA revealed two paths to high perceptions of intervention relevance: strong leadership support and a combination of role clarity, employee involvement, and experience exchange from seminars between different kindergartens. Conversely, low relevance was associated with the presence of other changes, lack of leadership support, or low role clarity among implementation team members. Notably, assessments by shop stewards were most strongly linked to employee perceptions, emphasizing their crucial role in shaping the psychosocial work environment.
Conclusion:
This study contributes to the understanding of factors influencing employee perceptions of intervention fit. The CNA approach allowed for simultaneous exploration of multiple factors, revealing distinct paths to success and failure. The significance of shop stewards in shaping perceptions highlights the importance of involving those with direct knowledge of the work environment in implementation teams. These findings offer practical insights for tailoring interventions to enhance employee engagement and intervention success. Our findings underline the complexity involved in implementing organizational interventions and offer insights into reasons they may fail.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBook of Proceedings : 16th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology: Contributions of OHP to Social Justice
EditorsFiona Frost, Kevin Teoh, France St-Hilaire, Alice Denman, Caleb Leduc, Miguel Muñoz, Daniel Ripa
Number of pages1
Place of PublicationNottingham
PublisherEuropean Academy of Occupational Health Psychology
Publication date2024
Article numberS86
ISBN (Electronic)9780992878672
Publication statusPublished - 2024
Event16th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. EAOHP 2024 - University of Granada, Faculty of Science, Granada, Spain
Duration: 5 Jun 20247 Jun 2024
Conference number: 16
https://eaohp.org/eaohp_2024/

Conference

Conference16th Conference of the European Academy of Occupational Health Psychology. EAOHP 2024
Number16
LocationUniversity of Granada, Faculty of Science
Country/TerritorySpain
CityGranada
Period05/06/202407/06/2024
Internet address

Cite this