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	Fostering Wellness Leadership:
	A New Model By Judd Allen, Ph.D., Davis Hunnicutt, Ph.D., and Jennifer Johnson

Reprinted with permission from the Wellness Councils of America (WELCOA)

This special report from The Wellness Councils of America and Healthyculture.com will present a new approach to the crucial issue of management support of wellness programs.  First, we’ll suggest that the approach taken by health promotion professionals toward management may need revision.  Then we’ll describe several management attitudes toward health promotion and how to tailor your responses to them.  We’ll discuss strategies for assessing management attitudes and culture.  And we’ll employ a tool for measuring current wellness leadership¾and its potential for growth in your organization. Finally, we’ll explain strategies for changing the leadership culture so that it better supports health promotion objectives.

Related Products Culture Change Leadership Seminar Wellness Leadership Video

Our Approach to Management Must Change

Health promotion professionals don’t need to be reminded how essential it is to have management support for their programs.  After all, management controls the money, resources, employees’ time, access to space, promotional media, policies affecting health, and to a large degree the culture of the organization. Managers can sabotage or save a program and hire or fire the wellness professional.

Perhaps it’s the relative lack of corporate power that has caused some health promotion professionals to feel that they are beggars at the banquet.  A 1993 study of Canadian health promotion professional and senior managers found that the health promotion professionals consistently overestimated the importance of economic factors in management choices about health promotion programs. Many of us assume that management is unsympathetic and skeptical of our goals, that all they care about is the bottom line, and that we have to constantly prove that health promotion is good for business.

Of course there’s often truth in that view.  Some managers do lack enthusiasm for the full range of health promotion goals.  Some managers do think only in terms of numbers, and fail to make the connection between the wellness of their employees and the health of the business. 

The fact is most managers aren’t against health promotion. They’re supportive, aware that wellness is inherently valuable and important.  But they aren’t experts in our field¾that’s our job.  Managers need our assistance to imagine the possibilities, to comprehend the value, to understand the research, and most of all to develop their roles as wellness leaders.

Key Idea

Instead of treating all managers as unsympathetic to health promotion, wellness professionals need to tailor their approach to the attitudes of managers.

Our preoccupation with convincing managers about the value of health promotion misses the mark for a majority of managers who are already on board. Think of James Prochaska’s “stages of change” approach to individual lifestyle change. Prochaska found that health promotion messages tend to alienate their audience when they are not tailored to the readiness level of that audience. For most managers who already support health promotion goals, we may be preaching to the choir, and putting them to sleep. Worse yet, our persistent presentation of evidence may unintentionally sow seeds of doubt in those who have already been sold on health promotion goals. A good salesperson stops selling after she or he has closed the deal.

What Are Managers’ Attitudes Toward Wellness?

The readiness of managers to participate in health promotion spans a broad range¾from the enthusiastic core of wellness champions to those who actively oppose our programs. Managers can be divided into the groups pictured below.  The percentages listed are based on our experience and will vary from one organization to the next. The survey presented later in this management report will help you gauge current management attitudes in your workplace.

Figure 1: Managers' Attitudes

1. Active Opposition 1-2%

These managers speak out against wellness programs, challenging their worth and sabotaging their implementation.

The approach…Don’t antagonize these folks by arguing with them.  It’s usually a waste of your time to try to convince them of your point of view.  Be a thoughtful listener. Hear their concerns and allow them to vent.  It’s like the classic martial arts move—when attacked, simply step aside.  And don’t take it personally.  Listen for now¾someday this person may be ready to hear you. They may also offer you some valid criticism that is useful in improving your efforts.

2. Quiet Opposition 15-25%

Managers in this group may think that wellness activities are a waste of time and communicate their lack of support nonverbally by not participating—or doing the absolute minimum that’s required by senior management.

The approach… Listening is once again your main response, but you can begin to tell these managers about the benefits of wellness programs. Don’t try to oversell this group. Try to determine what, if anything, they like about health promotion. Build on their answers. Your goal is to shift the balance of pros and cons so that they become neutral in their attitude toward health promotion activities.

3. Uncommitted/Neutral 40-50%

Other priorities preoccupy this group.  They don’t feel strongly about wellness one way or the other, or they aren’t sure that programs can really make any difference. They’ll “go through the motions” as required by their bosses. They will not obstruct those interested in health promotion activities.

The approach…These managers are ready to be exposed to the benefits of wellness programs, and to hear about how they could get involved if they want to. Try to address their concerns. Eliminate some of the cons and enhance their appreciation for the benefits and you could shift their decisional balance toward health promotion.

4. Quiet Supporters 30-40%

These managers “get it” but don’t really know how to contribute to wellness initiatives.  They support workplace wellness in theory and show up for meetings and events, but they aren’t actively campaigning for wellness.

The approach… It’s not necessary to convince this group, but instead to show them simple, easy ways to get involved.  The message is that they don’t have to become “health nuts” to help employees move toward health.  Ask them to participate in non-threatening ways.  Pairing them with wellness champions to work on projects may inspire them as well.

5.     Wellness Champions  5-10%

The core supporters, these managers go to bat for better wellness programs.  They understand the human and financial benefits of health promotion, and educate other managers and employees about them.  They adopt healthier lifestyles for themselves and encourage others by recognizing and celebrating others’ efforts.  They participate in health promotion planning.

The approach…These managers are your gold mine.  They need to be recognized and celebrated individually and as a group.  Encourage them to feel that they are part of a movement in the company. They can help you to spread the word, so keep them informed of new research and strategies in health promotion by sending them articles with significant parts highlighted.

Key Idea

A 5% shift across the values continuum towards support for wellness could cause a wellness revolution.

Your goal is to shift management attitudes one level closer towards the Wellness Champion position. A 5% shift across the continuum could represent a revolution in the perceived level of management support in the corporate culture. The original idea for the continuum (seen in Figure 1) was based on a review of newspaper polls during and before the American Revolution. During the revolution, public opinion shifted 5% toward being in favor of independence and against the British government. We are seeking a similar health promotion revolution. A 5% shift might just do the trick.

Assessing Management Attitudes

There are a variety of useful strategies that can be used to assess managers’ attitudes. Managers can be surveyed about their opinion of worksite wellness. Individual interviews can often be helpful. Managers may be willing to discuss their views about the pros and cons of health promotion. Observational techniques also serve a purpose. You may have an opportunity to see a manager discuss health promotion goals or activities. Field research and participation data may reveal stronger commitments by particular managers. Feedback from employees about their managers may also be useful.

Defining the Role of Leadership

It is hard to get excited about organizational wellness if you don’t understand your role. Many managers do not see how they can make a useful contribution to employee wellness. Clarifying the leadership role will gain management support for wellness programs.

One strategy is to create a dialogue about the role of management in health and productivity. Healthyculture.com’s workshop video, Wellness Leadership. features organizational leaders from five prominent companies. The testimonials of these leaders set the stage for a conversation about the role of leadership in health promotion programs. There are four primary leadership roles featured in the Wellness Leadership workshop video.  

1. Sharing the Wellness Vision. Leaders can communicate a vision of organizational wellness with genuine excitement. They can give everyone permission and encouragement to imagine a healthier worksite and make it safe for employees to suggest and organize positive changes. In addition, leaders can make it clear that the organization is committed to the ongoing process of creating a healthier culture—wellness is not just a “flavor of the month” business fad.

2. Serving as a Role Model. Leaders can visibly demonstrate personal commitment to wellness by participating in wellness activities and talking about their own efforts to achieve healthier lifestyles.

3. Gaining Resource Commitment. Leaders set organizational policies, allocate health promotion budgets and approve hiring dedicated personnel for program development. They control access to employees and decide whether wellness activities take place during work hours.  In addition, leaders can develop strategies for identifying wellness "champions" at various levels throughout their organization.

4. Rewarding Success. Recognition and celebration of success sends a life-affirming message throughout an organization. From a pat on the back to publication of statistics documenting wellness achievements, leaders can find opportunities to show their appreciation of those who attempt lifestyle change and those who support the wellness effort.

Creating a Supportive Management Culture
The support of individual managers is much more likely to take root in a management culture that supports wellness. Examining the management culture can be a complex and long-term process. To make the job easier break culture down into five dimensions.

Figure 2: Elements of Culture

Values are beliefs about what is important. For example, in some management cultures speed of innovation is a value, while in other cultures slow and steady is the value. Where possible, link health promotion goals to management values. Sometimes it will be necessary to alter management values to support wellness.

Norms are expectations about behavior, “the way we do things around here.” For example, it may be a norm for managers to allow flexible work schedules to accommodate employee exercise interests.

Peer support encompasses managers’ efforts to assist one another. For example, a manager needing help organizing employee wellness activities might get assistance from another manager.  Peer support could also play a role in assisting a manager to achieve a personal lifestyle goal such as stopping smoking. The With a Little Help from My Friends video and Wellness Mentor Program are designed to increase the quality of peer support. These Healthyculture.com resources can enhance the peer support available to managers.

Organizational support encompasses policies, procedures and programs such as rewards, training, orientation, modeling and communication systems. For example, managers could be rewarded and recognized for achieving workgroup wellness goals. Another example or organizational support would be for top leadership to model their commitment by participating in company wellness activities.   

Climate is the culture’s capacity to support individual and group innovation. Climate factors such as the sense of community, shared vision and positive outlook, make innovations such as health promotion possible. For example, in a management culture with a healthy climate, individual managers would feel comfortable expressing their enthusiasm. In an unhealthy climate, all new ideas are looked at with suspicion. The Working Well video and Work Climate Survey are tools for helping managers to improve their work climates.

We Can Foster Management Support

It’s time to change our approach to gaining management support. We can deliver information and resources that are better tailored to the attitudes of managers. We can help managers to gain a better appreciation of their roles in promoting employee wellness. We can recognize the power of the management subculture and shift that culture to better support wellness. Such an approach will lower everyone’s anxiety and lead to better working relationships.

Changing management subculture is both art and science. Use scientific discovery techniques to assess current attitudes and the management subculture. This information can empower wellness champions and inspire inactive supporters. Working together with management, you can create new cultural standards for leadership that better support healthier and more productive workplace cultures.

References 

Allen, J. (1999). “Wellness Leadership Video: Defining Management’s Role in Creating Healthier and More Productive Cultures.” Produced by Vermont Educational Television in cooperation with the Wellness Councils of America. Available from Healthyculture.com and from WELCOA.

Allen, J. and Leutzinger, J. (1999). “The Role of Culture Change in Health Promotion,” The Art of Health Promotion, March/April, Vol. 3, No. 1.

Allen, J. (1993). “Organizational support plays integral role in shaping healthy lifestyles.” Wellness Management, Vol. 9, No. 1.

Wolfe, R., Slack, T and Rose-Hearn, T. (1993). “Factors influencing the adoptions and maintenance of Canadian, Facility-based worksite health promotion programs.” American Journal of Health Promotion, January/February, Vol. 7, No. 3.

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