Factors Influencing Managers’ Ownership of Organisational Health Interventions

Abstract

Although several organisations attempt to implement organisational health interventions (OHI), they often fail due to the lack of attention paid to the process and context of such interventions. Managers bear a great responsibility in that they are often key players in implementing the interventions’ activities. However, little is known regarding what influences managers and what conditions are needed for a successful implementation of activities. Three organisations involved in aworkplace intervention participated in this study with the objective of identifying the conditions that facilitate or limit managers’ ownership of intervention activities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 managers and key stakeholders and identified Psychosocial Safety Climate (PSC) factors that facilitate interventions, namely the commitment of topmanagement, the integration of the approach to strategic planning and good communication. As for hindering factors, participants named the dispersal of staff at several sites, strained labour relations and the complexity of the intervention process and the lack of tools offered to managers to support them in the implementation of activities. The study adds to the literature on OHI by high-lighting how PSC is a major influence on interventions via management practices and their ownership of the intervention.