The Economics of a Positive Work Culture

How Great Companies Think Differently

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:33:30 -0400

This insightful article was written by Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Her most recent book is SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good(Crown, 2009).

Who's responsible for your happiness at work?

Wed, 12 Sep 2012 08:20:15 -0400

Who's responsible for your happiness at work?:

Insightful research findings by Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard Business School and co-author of “The Progress Principle.”

What Work Is Really For

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 21:14:14 -0400

What Work Is Really For:

“True freedom requires that we take part in the market as fully formed agents, with life goals determined not by advertising campaigns but by our own experience of and reflection on the various possibilities of human fulfillment. Such freedom in turn requires a liberating education, one centered not on indoctrination, social conditioning or technical training but on developing persons capable of informed and intelligent commitments to the values that guide their lives.”

Wikipedia's Surprisingly Good Section about Happiness at Work

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:47:33 -0400

Wikipedia's Surprisingly Good Section about Happiness at Work:

Nice definition of Happiness at work: “Happiness at work is about mindfully making the best use of the resources you have to overcome the challenges you face. Actively relishing the highs and managing the lows will help you maximize your performance and achieve your potential. And this not only builds your happiness but also that of others—who will be affected and energized by what you do.” For more, check Wikipedia’s entry here.

Do Happier People Work Harder?

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:32:05 -0400

Do Happier People Work Harder?:

“Employee engagement can make a big difference in a company’s survival. In a 2010 study, James K. Harter and colleagues found that lower job satisfaction foreshadowed poorer bottom-line performance. Gallup estimates the cost of America’s disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. When people don’t care about their jobs or their employers, they don’t show up consistently, they produce less, or their work quality suffers.” Read more here.

The Corporate Pursuit of Happiness

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:58:32 -0500

The Corporate Pursuit of Happiness:

A Stanford marketing professor is teaching her students — along with AOL, Facebook, and Adobe — how to find and export joy. Read more here.

Talent, Passion, and the Creativity Maze

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:46:52 -0500

Talent, Passion, and the Creativity Maze:

“Intrinsically motivated people are more creative because they engage more deeply with the work. Imagine a task you have to do — say, an important marketing problem you have to solve at work — as a maze you need to get through. Most business problems have multiple solutions that would work, multiple exits from that maze. Often, there is one clear, straight path out of the maze — the standard solution that everyone uses for this type of problem. If you’re extrinsically motivated, perhaps by a looming deadline or fear of a negative evaluation, you’re likely to take that safe path. The solution works, but it’s boring; it doesn’t move things forward. But if you’re intrinsically motivated, you love the hunt through the maze for a more interesting — and likely more creative — solution.” Read more here.

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY & A WORK PLACE OF...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:23:00 -0500

THE BUSINESS CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY & A WORK PLACE OF MEANING

Today I had lunch with a very dear friend and mentor of mine who forwarded me this gem stone of an interview with Ray Anderson, Founder and Chairman of InterfaceFLOR. In it, Mr. Anderson explains the remarkable business case for sustainability. Interface’s bold vision “mission zero” is the company’s promise to eliminate any negative impact it may have on the environment, by the year 2020. To me, Anderson’s leadership approach is a beautiful example of how a strong work culture in which employees feel appreciated, happy and meaningful is instrumental for innovation and (in this particular case) sustainability.

Martin Seligman, the “founding father” of the science of positive psychology, suggests that the most lasting state of happiness is “the meaningful life.” In this state, individuals derive a positive sense of well-being, belonging, meaning, and purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves (e.g. social groups, organizations, movements, belief systems). In the interview, it becomes obvious from the story Anderson tells about the factory worker James that he’s not only happy to be at his work place, but also finds real meaning in the perhaps simple, but important task of driving carpet rolls from A to B in the factory. Because of this, he takes real ownership in the “mission zero” goal which, in turn, sets InterfaceFLOR on course to making good on its promise.

Ultimately, this story shows that designing company goals (in this case “mission zero”) with employees’ happiness in mind, can not only help solve a pressing issue such as reducing a firm’s environmental foot print, but also improve people’s (work) lives and well-being in the process.

Photo

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:25:36 -0500

In 1932-1933, while working on what would become his first...

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:41:00 -0500

In 1932-1933, while working on what would become his first published novel, Tropic of Cancer, Miller devised and adhered to a stringent daily routine to propel his writing.

The Impact of Bad Bosses

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:17:53 -0500

The Impact of Bad Bosses:

New research has found that bad bosses affect how your whole family relates to one another; your physical health, raising your risk for heart disease; and your morale while in the office.

DOING WORK FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:14:00 -0500

DOING WORK FOR THE RIGHT REASONS

Debate: Employee Happiness Matters More Than You Think

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:31:01 -0500

Debate: Employee Happiness Matters More Than You Think

The Most Important Job Interview Question You Can Ask

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:12:00 -0500

The Most Important Job Interview Question You Can Ask:

Here’s the most important job interview question you aren’t asking.

“Are you happy?”

People will tell you that’s stupid, that’s crazy, that’s naive. That work isn’t about happiness, that any potential hirer will think you’re a fruitcake for asking such a drippy question, that whatever the answer is won’t tell you anything.

Instead, it will tell you everything. Read the full article on Forbes.com to find out why.

The Happiest And Unhappiest Industries To Work In

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:57:00 -0500

The Happiest And Unhappiest Industries To Work In :

According to online career site CareerBliss.com, retail or media are some of the unhappiest fields to work in right now while education and real estate offer happier career choices.

“Only 25% of your job success is predicted by IQ; the...

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:41:00 -0500

“Only 25% of your job success is predicted by IQ; the remaining 75% of your job success is determined by optimism levels, social support and your ability to see stress as a challenge instead of a threat.”

The High Price of Materialism

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:12:19 -0500

The High Price of Materialism

What Makes Life Worthwhile? GDP Won't Tell You

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:55:35 -0500

What Makes Life Worthwhile? GDP Won't Tell You:

“Too much and for too long, we seem to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product, if we judge the United States of America by that, counts air pollution and cigarette advertising and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman’s rifle and Speck’s knife and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.”

Robert Kennedy in 1968. For the full article by his daughter, Kathleen Kennedy-Townsend, go here.

FASTCOMPANY: Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:35:00 -0500

FASTCOMPANY: Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch:

“Culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions, and beliefs that combined create either pleasure or pain, serious momentum or miserable stagnation. A strong culture flourishes with a clear set of values and norms that actively guide the way a company operates. Employees are actively and passionately engaged in the business, operating from a sense of confidence and empowerment rather than navigating their days through miserably extensive procedures and mind-numbing bureaucracy. Performance-oriented cultures possess statistically better financial growth, with high employee involvement, strong internal communication, and an acceptance of a healthy level of risk-taking in order to achieve new levels of innovation. “

To Find Happiness, Forget About Passion

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:59:00 -0500

To Find Happiness, Forget About Passion:

In this blogpost Oliver Segovia, posits that happiness comes from the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what the world needs. According to him, it’s time we put more thought on the third. Read the whole article to find out why.