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

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. •Awards are omnipresent but the multilevel impacts of an award receive minimal attention.•An adapted socio-ecological model can be used to evaluate an award.•Reported professional, organizational, community, and regional and international impacts.