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Finding happiness at work : towards measuring HAW with open-ended questions

Groß, T.V.J. (2021) Finding happiness at work : towards measuring HAW with open-ended questions.

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Abstract:Topic and relevance: Happiness at work (HAW) is a topic of interest for personal well-being and performance at work. To better understand HAW concepts and their correlations, different models, such as the 5C model focused in this research, are required to gain a multidimensional perspective on HAW. Societal change implies that the concept of HAW is dynamic. As a result, a current view on the concepts of HAW for an accurate understanding of HAW is necessary in times of change. Consequently, the iPPQ and the 5C model on which this questionnaire is based need to be reviewed on their feasibility to measure and cluster the concepts and topics of HAW. Accurate measurement methods are required to measure and understand the present perspective and degree of employees' happiness and guarantee the validity of the iPPQ questionnaire. Closed questions thereby dominate questionnaires used to measure social concepts; however, open-ended questions show a suitable alternative for these and need to be considered for the future of questionnaire research. Aim: This research aimed to find how far the 5C model can be confirmed or extended with answers in open-ended questions in the iPPQ questionnaire. In specific, this includes what the developments in HAW are and what the potential of open-ended questions is for measuring the concepts of the 5C in the iPPQ. Method: The research design included a pre and main study. In the pre-study, experts were consulted in a focus group on trends in HAW of the last ten years, and an interview was conducted with an expert on text mining with R on the potential of open-ended questions for measuring HAW. These findings were used to add to the theoretical framework to understand and analyze the conclusions of the main study. The main study a data analysis including text mining methods in R to analyze answers given to open-ended questions from the iPPQ questionnaire was conducted. The dataset analyzed consists of n = 8950 respondents and includes data over the years 2017 to 2021. Text mining was used to generate topics that represent the answers from employees and individuals. These topics were further analyzed on their link with the 5C and compared between the years before Covid-19 and during Covid-19. In specific, the topics were compared on the change in relevance and content. Results: This research showed that the answers given to open-ended questions could be transformed into topics that can be linked to the 5C and thus can measure the concepts related to HAW. In addition, these topics showed that events, in this case, the outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis, affect the relevance and content of topics people have for HAW in society. Thus, confirming the dynamic nature of HAW. Results show in this regard that the relevance and content of the topics and concepts changed with the measures taken for Covid-19. The new emerging topics were not unknown but rather previously less focused topics that rose in relevance due to the circumstances of the crisis. Open-ended questions showed in this research great potential to add to or even replace closed questions in questionnaires for measuring HAW. Specifically, for the iPPQ, answers to open-ended questions can be used to extend the range of topics that are measured and further add context to the information gained from employees.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Clients:
iOpener Institute, Oxford, England
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:05 communication studies
Programme:Communication Studies MSc (60713)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/88491
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