Engaging leaders at two hierarchical levels in organizational health interventions: Insights from the intervention team
International Journal of Workplace Health Management
ISSN: 1753-8351
Article publication date: 25 September 2018
Issue publication date: 28 September 2018
Abstract
Purpose
Although visible leader support is an essential ingredient for successful organizational health interventions, knowledge on how leaders at different hierarchical levels engage with interventions is underdeveloped. The purpose of this paper is to explore leader engagement by drawing from the experiences of the intervention team.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from semi-structured interviews with the team responsible for implementing an organizational health intervention in two large UK organizations were used to examine how leaders at strategic (senior management) and operational (line managers) positions engaged with the intervention.
Findings
Thematic analysis uncovered 6 themes and 16 sub-themes covering the leaders’ initial reactions to the intervention, barriers to leader engagement, ways in which the intervention team dealt with these barriers, factors facilitating and factors accelerating leader engagement, and differences in engagement between leadership levels.
Research limitations/implications
This study can inform research into the conditions for optimizing leader engagement in organizational health interventions and beyond. Insights also emerged on the roles of leaders at different hierarchical levels and the value of perspective taking for intervention implementation.
Practical implications
Recommendations for bolstering the engagement of leaders in interventions are offered, that apply to all leaders or separately to leaders at strategic or operational levels.
Originality/value
The experiences of the intervention team who sought to engage leaders at different organizational levels to support the intervention are invaluable. Understanding how leader engagement can be maximized can better equip intervention teams for delivering successful interventions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013), implemented by the European Commission (Grant No. VP/2012/007/0503, 2013-2016). The authors would like to thank the organizations and the intervention champions for their commitment to delivering this challenging work with the authors. The authors would also like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.
Citation
Karanika-Murray, M., Gkiontsi, D. and Baguley, T. (2018), "Engaging leaders at two hierarchical levels in organizational health interventions: Insights from the intervention team", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 210-227. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-07-2018-0086
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited