Multilevel impacts of the Wofoo Asian Award for advancing family well-being: A multimethod qualitative study applying a socio-ecological model

Abstract

Awards are ubiquitous but unique. Individual and organizational impacts of an award have been extensively discussed in the fields of business, manufacturing, education, and social work; little effort has been devoted to understanding the multilevel impacts of an award. This article seeks to propose an adapted socio-ecological model for the award program based on the Wofoo Asian Award for Advancing family well-being (3A Project), using a multimethod qualitative research design. Findings suggest that a multilevel perspective should be adopted in evaluating an award program; the 3A Project exhibited positive impacts at four levels. At the professional level, the 3A Project acted as a platform for multidisciplinary collaboration and knowledge transfer. At the organizational level, it encompassed six major impacts: being vision-driven, being growth-anchored, being leadership-sharing, being platform-sustaining, being knowledge-depositing, and being ecology-optimizing. At the community level, it cultivated positive values and beliefs about family well-being. At the regional and international level, it set a role model for promoting family well-being and achieved a special consultative status granted by the United Nations. The multilevel impacts made visible by the 3A Project provided insight into a social-ecological model of an award program that may help social workers and organizations strive for recognition.