Integrating Society and Organizations: A Multilevel Framework for Social Well-Being

This research aims to systematize knowledge on the social well-being dimension within the sustainability domain and its associated indicators within a comprehensive framework. The literature on well-being is highly fragmented, with the concepts of social well-being and organizational well-being often treated as separate domains. However, the growing prevalence of remote work and other emerging work modalities increasingly blur the boundaries between work and personal life, necessitating a more integrated approach. Furthermore, the Strategic Human Resources Management (SHRM) literature underscores the importance of examining the effects of HR and management practices, including those related to well-being, both within and beyond organizational boundaries. This calls for a multilevel perspective that extends to the societal (extra-organizational) level, recognizing the interconnected nature of organizations and the broader social systems they operate within. To address these gaps, we employ a bibliometric-systematic review to systematize the concept of well-being within the sustainability domain. This review forms the foundation for the development of a comprehensive theoretical framework that bridges the two research streams. By adopting an extended multilevel approach, we account for organizations as open systems where management practices influence citizens’ well-being, while policymakers' decisions shape employees’ well-being in return. Our findings aim to provide a systematic framework of well-being definitions, measures, and factors to guide both policymakers and organizations in crafting sustainable well-being policies. Ultimately, we propose the development of a social intelligence system, validated through a citizen science approach, to operationalize and refine the theoretical framework for broader societal impact.