Working on Well-being: Using Empowerment and Behavioral Insights as Leadership Approaches to Improve the Well-being of Healthcare Employees

Abstract

While healthcare employees provide invaluable contributions to the well-being of patients, their well-being has increasingly been put under pressure. How can we take care of healthcare employees? The dissertation Working on Well-being aims to deepen our understanding of employee well-being in healthcare and develop strategies for leaders to improve the well-being of their employees. This dissertation first aims to contribute to the literature on well-being by dissecting employees’ experiences and innovating employee well-being measurement. Next, it explores leadership as a pivotal force in shaping well-being by studying two contemporary approaches to leadership: empowerment and behavioral insights. It assesses the boundary conditions of empowerment as an effective leadership approach by paying attention to the role of context and employee willingness. Finally, it studies how behavioral insights can be employed rigorously by investigating the mechanisms of effectiveness and elaborate testing. In studying well-being and leadership, this research presents various research methodologies aimed at innovating survey research. These include text mining, a Bayesian truth serum and self-generated identification codes for longitudinal analysis. It also highlights the use of Open Science practices like ethical review, preregistration and open data. Through a wide variety of academic insights and practical strategies on well-being and leadership, this dissertation aims to contribute to creating a healthier healthcare system—one in which the well-being of those who dedicate their lives to the well-being of others is also prioritized and protected.