Mental Fitness and
Organizational Change
Dr. Bill Morrison
Dr. Patti Peterson
Embracing Strengths and
Wellness in the Workplace
Session Overview
• Assumptions Related to Mental Fitness
Approaches
• Stages of Organizational Change
• Return on Investment
Recognizing Organizational
Concerns
Low Engagement
Low Performance
Includes...
Includes...
•Lack of motivation
•Not feeling valued
•Feelings of isolation
•Lack of control; self-doubt
•Discouragement
•Lack of focus
•Unsupportive peer interactions
•Low productivity
•Unmet goals
•Pressure and stress
Recognizing Organizational
Priorities
High Engagement
High Performance
Includes...
Includes...
•Knowing others
•Recognizing strengths
•Listening to others
•Engaging motivations
•Empowering others
•Having a vision
•Planning strategic actions
•Being a leader and a team player
•Experiencing accomplishments
•Celebrating successes
Positive Psychology
Approaches
Traditional workplace wellness approaches often
emphasize problems or challenges and
approaches or interventions needed to remediate
or address areas of risk, need or concern related
to employee relationships or productivity.
Recent better practices in workplace wellness
research are demonstrating the importance of
moving beyond a problem-focused approach to
embrace a more positive view of people, their
potential and motivations (McDougal & Riley-Tillman,
2004, p. 101).
.
Positive Psychology
Approaches in the Workplace
 Makes use of positive individual/team traits, strengths,
motivations and interests
 Values positive personal and team relationships,
experiences/stories, and past and present accomplishments
and successes
 Applies strategies that that promote quality of life, wellness,
resiliency and protective factors
Focus on Strengths
Deficit Based
Strength Based
Language…
Language…
 Fix
 Empower
 Limitation
 Possibility
 Weakness
 Strength
 Problem
 Solution
 Insist
 Invite
 Past
 Future
 Treat
 Facilitate
Assumptions Related to Positive
Psychology Approaches
Changing our Paradigm
People have inner strengths and gifts that support
their capacity to initiate, direct, and sustain
positive work and life directions (Hamilton & Hamilton,
2004; Losier and Morrison, 2007).
******
Engagement and empowerment are critical
considerations for facilitating positive
development or change (CSPH, 2002; Deci & Ryan, 2007).
Assumptions Related to Positive
Psychology Approaches
Changing our Paradigm
Social contexts and networks provide important
resources and influences that have the capacity
to contribute to and enhance psychological
wellbeing (Losier & Morrison, 2007; Sheridan, Warnes, Cowan, Schemm &
Clarke, 2004).
*****
People’s relationships with others that contribute
to psychological wellbeing are characterized by
interactions that convey genuineness, empathy,
unconditional caring and affirmation (Brendtro, 2003).
Mental
Fitness
People at
their Best
High
Engagement
and High
Performance
What is Mental
Fitness?
Mental fitness is a state of psychological wellbeing derived from our thoughts and emotions,
and is based on our needs for relatedness,
competency and autonomy support(Deci and Ryan,
2007).
When people’s Mental Fitness needs are met,
the conditions are right for them to be at their
best.
We all have a role to play in fostering Mental
Fitness in self and others.
Mental Fitness Needs
Need for Relatedness
Refers to our need for connection to/closeness with family, peers and
other significant individuals
Fulfillment of this need is met through interactions with others, our
membership in groups, and the support and encouragement we receive
from others.
*****
“I belong or am part of my work group and the organizational
community.”
“I feel included, encouraged and supported by my co-workers and the
organization”
Reciprocity and
Relationships
• When we have experienced hurtful or unhealthy relationships, we
have an increase in anxiety
• When we work with coworkers and colleagues, we cannot take it for
granted that a positive relationship will be formed.
• How do we create a healthy environment where positive relationships
are fostered, where we all feel safe and believe that we can trust
each other?
• How do we establish a point of connection, and discover others’
strengths and interests? Most times, people are happy to speak about
what they like to do.
• When we focus on people’s strengths, we increase their sense of
competence and their feelings of recognition.
Need for Competency
Competency (Identification and Use of Strengths)
Refers to our need for recognition of our gifts and strengths, and
the provision of opportunities to use them in achieving personal goals
Fulfillment of this need provides individuals with a sense of
personal achievement and accomplishment.
*****
“I have strengths and gifts that are recognized by myself, my coworkers and the organization.”
“When I use my strengths to meet my goals, I feel a sense of worth
and accomplishment, and I feel that I am contributing to the goals of
the organization.”
Self Efficacy
· People with high self-efficacy are more likely to persist in the face of
challenges and use effective coping strategies than those with low
self-efficacy. They are often perceived as “more successful”.
· Key means for increasing levels of self-efficacy in self and in others
include:
› Experiencing repeated success on tasks (mastery)
› Seeing others be successful (modeling)
› Receiving words of encouragement and affirmation from others
(social persuasion)
Need for Autonomy Support
Autonomy-Support
 Refers to our need to be active participants in making
choices that affect our lives
 When this need is satisfied in conjunction with other
need areas, freedom and choice are expressed in ways in
which respect is demonstrated for self and others.
*****
“I am able to make decisions about things that are
important to me, my co-workers and the organization.”
“I feel hopeful because my co-workers and the organization
support me in being an active participant in making
choices.”
Benefits of Mental Fitness in
the Workplace
High Engagement/Performance  High Mental
Fitness
Motivated and Healthy Team Members
Sustained Team Energy and Action
Enhanced Organizational Productivity and Service
Quality
Increased Employee Attendance and Engagement
Mental Fitness Needs
Fostering People at their Best
Mental Fitness approaches emphasize the importance of:
• Fostering healthy and pro-social team interactions
(Relatedness)
• Building on the strengths and motivations of team members
(Competency)
• Encouraging initiative and engagement of all team members
in setting a vision and working together to accomplish
personal and organizational goals (Autonomy Support)
Thinking about
Mental Fitness
Think about it...
Think about a time when you were most passionate,
proud and excited about your work. What mental
fitness needs were being met in your relationships with
others? Why were these needs important to you? In
what ways did these relationships make a positive
difference in the way you felt about yourself and
others?
Act on it…
Share with another participant from this
workshop your mental fitness story or
experience.
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Stages of Change
How do we view the process of positive change?
 The Stages of Change Model (SCM) is used to show the process
of positive change in some aspect of behaviour or lifestyle
(reducing risk and fostering development/resilience).
 The idea behind the SCM is that behaviour change does not
happen in one step.
 Rather, people tend to progress through different stages on
their way to successful change.
+
Stages of Change
Embedding
Practices
Building Capacity
5. Sustained and
embedded practice
4. Expanded plans and actions
3. Initial plans and actions
Enhancing
Awareness
2. Awareness and contemplation
1.Pre-awareness
+
Stages of Change
 Pre-Awareness - not yet acknowledging that there is a need for
change
 Awareness and Contemplation - Acknowledging that there is an
area of concern or need for change, but not yet ready or sure of
wanting to make a change
 Capacity Building: Initial Plans and Actions - Getting ready to
change; thinking about or making plans; increasing commitment
 Capacity Building: Expanded Plans and Actions - Implemented
efforts directed at change; small step successes; securing support
and encouragement
 Sustained and Embedded Practice - Persisting with positive
changes
The Case for Workplace
Wellness
•
•
•
•
•
MDS Nordion: A medical technology manufacturer in Kanata, Ontario
implemented a workplace wellness program that involved both top-down
management commitment and active employee engagement. Noteworthy
outcomes included a reduction in attrition rate from 10% to 6%; and a decrease in
annual sick days per person to four days, compared to the Canadian average of
7.4 days.
BC Hydro: For every dollar spent on organizational wellness programming, this
company estimates a three dollar savings, based on a ten-year review of their
administrative data.
Telus BC: This company reported saving $3 for every dollar spent on corporate
wellness initiatives.
Results reported by a group of eight Halifax organizations demonstrate that, for
every dollar spent on organizational wellness, there was an average saving of
$1.64 per person; plus $2 in savings for employees with multiple risk factors, and
over $3 for those addicted to smoking.
The Wisconsin Public Health and Health Policy Institute (2005) summarized the
return on investment of organizational wellness programs at specific large
corporations. The following table provides a list of these organizations and their
approximate return for dollars spent on wellness investment.
ROI
The table provides
examples of reported
returns on investment
associated with the
implementation of
comprehensive wellness
strategies within
corporate contexts.
Company
Per $ ROI
Coors
$6.15
Kennecott
$5.78
Equitable Life
$5.53
Citibank
$4.56
General Mills
$3.90
Travellers
$3.40
Motorola
$3.15
PepsiCo
$3.00
Unam Life
$1.81