The Effectiveness of Work-Nonwork Interventions: A Theoretical Synthesis and Meta-Analysis

von Allmen, N., Hirschi, A., Burmeister, A., & Shockley, K. M. (2023). The effectiveness of work–nonwork interventions: A theoretical synthesis and meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001105

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Abstract

A growing body of intervention studies is concerned with improving the work-nonwork interface. Extant work-nonwork interventions are diverse in terms of content and effectiveness. We map these interventions onto work-nonwork theories that explain why the interventions should improve proximal work-nonwork outcomes (i.e., conflict, enrichment, balance). Our resulting integrative framework suggests that interventions can affect work-nonwork outcomes via distinct mechanisms, which can be delineated according to their (a) content valence (i.e., increasing resources/positive characteristics or decreasing demands/negative characteristics; (b) locality (i.e., personal or contextual factors); and (c) domain (i.e., work, the nonwork, or the boundary-spanning). We further provide a meta-analytic review of the efficacy of such interventions based on 6,680 participants within 26 pre-post control group design intervention studies. The meta-analytic results reveal an overall significant main effect across all identified interventions for improving proximal work-nonwork outcomes. When comparing different kinds of interventions aimed at increasing resources, we found beneficial effects for interventions targeting personal resources over contextual resources and interventions in the nonwork domain compared to interventions in the work or boundary-spanning domain. We conclude that work-nonwork interventions effectively improve the work-nonwork interface and discuss theoretical and practical implications of the more substantial effects and potential advantages of interventions aimed at enhancing personal resources in the nonwork domain. Finally, we provide concrete recommendations for future research and elaborate on the type of studies we would like to see in terms of interventions targeting the reduction of demands, for which we found only a limited number of studies.

 Keywords: work-nonwork; work-family; interventions; resources; demands

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Reaching the heart or the mind? Test of two theory-based training programs to improve interactions between age-diverse coworkers.

Burmeister, A., Gerpott, F. H., Hirschi, A., Scheibe, S., Pak, K., & Kooij, D. (2020). Reaching the heart or the mind? Test of two theory-based training programs to improve interactions between age-diverse coworkers. Academy of Management Learning & Education. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2019.0348

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Abstract

Due to demographic change, age diversity is increasing in many organizations. We aimed to understand how organizations can use age diversity training to overcome the challenges and realize the benefits of an age-diverse workforce. We built on the two predominant theoretical perspectives in the diversity literature–social identity theory and the information/decision-making perspective–to advance a dual pathway model and to develop two age diversity training programs: An identity- oriented training that helps organizations to overcome the challenges of age diversity by “speaking to the heart” of age-diverse coworkers and a knowledge-oriented training that helps organizations to realize the benefits of age diversity by “speaking to the mind” of age-diverse coworkers. We tested both training programs in a randomized controlled field experiment with age-diverse coworker dyads. We found that the identity-oriented training facilitated contact quality as a socioemotional outcome through increased levels of coworker’s perceived similarity and also reduced stereotype threat. The knowledge-oriented training increased knowledge transfer as a sociocognitive outcome through increased levels of coworker’s perceived knowledge utility and transactive memory. In a pilot training integration study, we made a first attempt to develop and test an integrated training program. Our findings advance research on the evidence-based management of age diversity.

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Whole-Life Career Management: A Counseling Intervention Framework

Hirschi, A. (2020). Whole-Life Career Management: A Counseling Intervention Framework. Career Development Quarterly, 68, 2-17. doi: 10.1002/cdq.12209

Abstract

It is widely recognized that career management and counseling require a consideration of work and nonwork roles. I present a career counseling intervention framework to help clients self-direct their careers and attain work-nonwork balance. Based on an action-regulation approach, the framework consists of four phases: (1) Clarifying goals across work and nonwork roles; (2) mapping resources and barriers related to goal attainment; (3) developing action strategies for goal attainment; and (4) monitoring and adapting goal pursuit across work and nonwork goals. I outline the theoretical foundations of this framework, provide a case study on how the framework can be applied in individual counseling, and give examples of specific intervention contents. The framework provides a foundation for career counseling practice to assist clients in managing their careers under considerations of nonwork roles. Research can use the framework to gain a better understanding of career self-management from a whole-life perspective.

Keywords: work-nonwork; career counseling; work-life balance; work-family; action regulation

Deutschsprachige Zusammenfassung des Beratungsmodells