A mixed case study on workplace wellbeing
Author: Regan Cotter
Supervisors: Martin Andrew, Helen Mataiti,
Cotter, R. (2023). A mixed case study on workplace wellbeing. (Unpublished document submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Professional Practice). Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, New Zealand. https://doi.org/10.34074/thes.6344
Abstract
A mixed, multi-case study was undertaken to capture workplace health and wellbeing (H&W) initiatives within five organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2022/3. The study used a framework based on Stoewen’s (2017) germinal 8 Pillars of Health and Wellness (physical, nutritional, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, social, environmental, and financial) as a means of understanding workplace health and wellbeing within the five settings. The framework was used as a lens to investigate the workplace initiatives of five different New Zealand organisations and consider how they accorded with and deviated from the model. Originally seen as a multi-site case study, where leaders from five organisations participated in open-ended interviews, the study evolved into a narrative approach within each case study to create a strategic alignment between the voices, the literature, and the themes. Because this approach appeared deductive a priori, an inductive element was introduced via thematic analysis and a series of synergistic initiatives emerged where the pillars aligned with the themes. These workplace wellbeing initiatives enhance and communicate the desired organisational culture. Based on the study findings a new framework relevant to a contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand is proposed, The Workplace Wellbeing Kete. Further to this a set of guidelines and recommendations on how to construct, implement and evaluate a compelling workplace wellbeing programme is outlined in The Five Steps of a Workplace Wellbeing Programme.
Keywords
workplace wellbeing, organisational culture, case study
Licence
A copy of the thesis is publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives licence CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
