Roundtable Presentation 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology 2019

The 'Why' And The 'How' Of Flow At Work; Associations With Wellbeing And Job-Related Factors From A Meta-Analysis Of 30 Years Of Research (#269)

Cedomir Ignjatovic 1 , Peggy Kern 1 , Lindsay Oades 1
  1. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Flow at work is a dynamic construct which is thought to contribute to optimal workplace experiences and has received varying amounts of research and practical attention. Summarizing research over the past 30 years, we meta-analytically combined 49 studies (54 independent samples, N = 16,171) to consider the extent to which flow at work correlates with positive job-related and wellbeing factors and moderators of effects. Flow at work was strongly correlated with job-related factors (r = .43) and wellbeing factors (r = .39). The strength of associations depended on the how flow was operationalized, the wellbeing or job-related factor, study design, and population of interest. Associations were stronger for longitudinal, within person designs compared to cross-sectional between person designs, pointing to the dynamic nature of flow Findings point to practical changes that organizations can make to assist employs to experience flow at work. These are discussed both from a personal and organisational standpoint- with primary focus on the individual level and the proposal of the fusion of flow theory and the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy change framework in order to assist employee's to both increase their flow experiences and self-development throughout their careers.