People seek more from their work, especially a sense of meaning and purpose (d'Aniello, 2022), yet practical tools to translate meaning into a sustained sense of calling are scarce; and, theoretically, we still lack causal evidence on how a sense of calling develops and which ingredients drive it. iWORK was built to address this gap: A smartphone app that helps people clarify, strengthen and enact a sense of calling in everyday work by engaging in three evidence-based pathways: (a) identifying and using signature character strengths at work, (b) enhancing meaningful life and meaningful work, and (c) practicing job crafting. The app translates these mechanisms into brief, daily micro-activities, reflections and behavioral gestures that fit into daily life, with adaptive prompts and progress feedback to sustain engagement.
By December 2025, we will complete an optimization trial using a factorial design to test all combinations of iWORK components. A sample of 278 will be collected to detect a small-to-moderate effect size (d = 0.30) with 80% power at α = .05. Participants will engage in the program for three weeks, with outcomes on calling and related constructs assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. From January to June 2026, we will conduct a two-arm randomized controlled trial (N = 278) to evaluate the effectiveness of the optimized intervention against a control condition.
Results will be presented at the 2026 International Congress of Applied Psychology in Florence.
If effective, iWORK will advance theory by identifying which components are most useful for developing a sense of calling; clarifying the temporal ordering among strengths use, meaning (life and work), job crafting and calling, providing causal evidence that calling can be intentionally cultivated. Practically, it will provide concrete support to develop calling, packaged as a low-cost app with actionable implementation guidance for organizations and career services.