Guiding Change: Using Motivational Interviewing Within Organizations

Employee Perceptions of an Established Health and Wellness Coaching Program to Improve Behavior

OBJECTIVE

There is limited evidence, particularly qualitative analysis, of health and wellness interventions within the South African workplace. The purpose of this study is to explore whether health and wellness coaching when offered as part of an employee wellness program has potential for developing lifestyle change in a South African workplace.

METHODS

There were four, 45-minute focus group discussions, where employees discussed their experiences of the workplace health and wellness intervention program.

RESULTS

Main categories identified from the coding of the transcripts were purpose of the health and wellness coaching program, as well as employees' program experience and improvement to the program. Common barriers to engagement, positive and negative experiences, and suggested improvements were defined by the employees.

CONCLUSIONS

The study highlighted the need of understanding employee perceptions in the development and implementation of a workplace health and wellness program.

With a Little Help From Change Management

Abstract. Change-management activities require extensive interventions, for which small and medium-sized companies often lack the expertise. Thus, we examined whether a short-term intervention could be an innovative approach that affects employees’ attitudes and behavior. In the cooperative project IviPep, a company developed digital tools for its own internal development process. Our intervention was part of the corresponding training and consisted of a 5-minute presentation about prototypical reactions to change and a 45-minute workshop. Employees could voice their concerns, reflect on advantages, and work on potential solutions to address their concerns. Results of a survey before and after the training ( N = 22) showed that the short-term intervention significantly increased readiness for change ( d = 0.72) but did not significantly increase overall attitude toward change ( d = 0.16) or behavioral resistance to change ( d = -0.37), although the effects pointed in the intended direction. Our results indicate that even small change efforts can make a difference.

The Emergence of Employees' Change Readiness for Energy-Conservation Behavior During Guided Group Discussions

Studies of energy conservation efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions in the residential sector are abundant; however similar efforts in organizations have not received as much attention as they deserve. In this study, we focus on methods for increasing employees’ readiness to change their behaviors in favor of energy conservation, specifically examining the use of guided group discussions (GGDs). We use observational research methods to examine the micro-level of behavioral dynamics and understand the emergence of change readiness. We describe how facilitators (“change agents”) can conduct GGDs and foster employees’ change readiness using the established communication approach of Motivational Interviewing (MI). We also explore how employees can increase each other’s change readiness regarding energy conservation behavior. Based on our sample of eight videotaped GGDs (5430 behavioral events), interaction analysis reveals that solution-focused communication elicits change readiness in employees, whereas problem-focused communication prompts resistance to change. We further show that employees can motivate their co-workers to express “green” intentions: when employees verbalized statements in favor of energy saving, this increased other employees’ change readiness, while verbalized statements against energy saving had the opposite effect. This demonstrates that GGD participants are active individuals who can spark behavior change in their co-workers. Finally, based on our findings we propose several communication guidelines for working with groups and discuss the importance of solution-focused energy management practices to facilitate change readiness for energy saving in the workplace.

Die Ko-Konstruktion von Führung in veränderungsbezogenen Interaktionen zwischen Führungskräften und Mitarbeitenden

Dieser Beitrag in der Zeitschrift Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organsationspsychologie (GIO) befasst sich damit, wie Führung in Veränderungsprozessen als dynamischer, wechselseitiger Einflussprozess zwischen Führungskräften und Mitarbeitenden verstanden werden kann und welches Potenzial diese Perspektive für die Effektivität von Führung bietet. Die Hauptaufgabe von Führungskräften wird häufig in der Leitung und Beeinflussung ihrer Mitarbeitenden gesehen. Diese Aufgabe stellt insbesondere im Kontext organisationaler Veränderungen eine Herausforderung dar, wenn es darum geht, Mitarbeitende für eine Verhaltensänderung zu motivieren. Vor dem Hintergrund kontinuierlich stattfindender Veränderungen in der heutigen Zeit gilt es daher, ein Verständnis für die Entwicklung positiver und negativer Interaktionsdynamiken in Gesprächen zwischen Führungskräften und Mitarbeitenden zu entwickeln. In der Führungsforschung bestehen dazu unterschiedliche theoretische Perspektiven, die verschiedene Betrachtungsweisen zu Entstehung und Verlauf von Führung und den Einflussprozessen zwischen Führungskräften und Mitarbeitenden bieten. Der vorliegende Artikel beleuchtet die unterschiedlichen Führungsperspektiven vor dem Hintergrund der Herausforderungen organisationaler Veränderungen und leitet praktische Implikationen ab. Sowohl auf der Ebene von Mitarbeitenden, Führungskräften als auch auf der organisationalen Ebene werden Wege aufgezeigt, wie mit Hilfe des Verständnisses von Führung als dynamischer, wechselseitiger Prozess positive Führungs- und Veränderungsprozesse gestaltet werden können.

Learning motivational interviewing: prospects to preserve practitioners' well-being

Purpose

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a collaborative communication style designed to help clients achieve desired behavior changes. MI includes communication methods along with a mindset that avoids attempting to impose behavior change. Relying on the conservation of resources theory, this research report argues that learning MI helps practitioners communicate more effectively and preserve their own psychological health resources.

Design/methodology/approach

We tested whether MI training resulted in beneficial effects on practitioners' resilience and burnout (i.e. exhaustion and disengagement), surveying participants (N = 42) from various disciplines who learned MI at a training institute. Subjects received a questionnaire before and one month after MI training. The post-training questionnaire also assessed whether participants applied the training content in practice.

Findings

The results revealed that the training reduced participants' disengagement. Practical application was a predictor for this decrease as well as an increase in resilience.

Research limitations/implications

Due to the small sample size and self-reported data, this paper should be considered an experimental study that could inspire future research in this area, using more elaborate research designs.

Practical implications

Learning MI not only helps in facilitating behavior change in clients but also in bolstering practitioners' own resources. MI novices should aim to apply their newly acquired skills.

Originality/value

This study is among the first to explicitly hint at the possibility that learning MI helps practitioners preserve their psychological resources.