The Meaning and Measurement of Well-Being as an Indicator of Success

This chapter discusses the conceptualization and measurement of well-being and success, and the relationships between the two. Many scholars in well-being research agree that well-being consists of three components (satisfaction, positive and negative affect). There are less well established definitions in the area of success. Frequently, success is conceptualized in terms of career success, distinguishing between objective and subjective indicators. These indicators most often include salary, status, and career satisfaction; they are sometimes criticized for being inappropriate in current labor markets and as to their individual meaning. In this chapter, we propose to widen the understanding of career success by incorporating the broader concept of work success in terms of success episodes, referring to task performance, pro-social success, appreciation and feedback as indicators of short-term and long-term successes.