Derailed, but implemented – a study of two natural work-life interventions

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to illustrate the complicated nature of intervention work, based on experiences with natural work life interventions in two Norwegian organizations. We defi ne natural interventions in these cases as interventions that are created and conducted by the organizations themselves. Our experiences with these two studies demonstrated that caution needs to be applied when labeling an intervention successful. Success in this case can lie in the eye of the beholder, i.e. a manager may see the intervention as a way to increase production or HR representatives may see it as means to improve the work environment. This demonstrates the political nature of interventions, as they can be used to increase the credibility or attractiveness of the company or as a way to show managerial support towards employees – which stands out as an interesting but neglected area of research. In addition, the length of the evaluation period can also infl uence whether an intervention is successful or not. It is possible that the expected effects are not mature enough to be seen after 1 year from implementation. The challenge with a longitudinal perspective is that the sample can be corrupted by other parallel events or inevitable changes that occur during the project period. We discuss lessons learned from these challenges of natural interventions.