Books

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"What Happy Companies Know"

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“What Happy Companies Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Company for the Better” is a new book that argues profits do not drive happiness in companies, but rather, happiness drives profits. Using extensive examples of successful companies from many industries and backing up the examples with an array of supporting research, the book makes a compelling case for businesses to create and maintain positive cultures that seek opportunity rather than seek to solve problems or battle competitors.

“What Happy Companies Know,” authored by Dan Baker, Cathy Greenberg and Collins Hemingway, establishes powerful psychological and leadership principles and applies them in ways that produce positive results in a real business environment. Baker is a medical psychologist and a pioneer in applied positive psychology. Greenberg is a former partner in two of the world’s largest consulting organizations, an anthropologist, and now a respected executive coach. Hemingway is an experienced business professional, author and executive coach.

“’What Happy Companies Know' is no dry scientific treatise or abstract psychological discourse,” says Warren Bennis, distinguished professor at the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, in the foreword. “The new science of happiness is always presented in a lively discussion of the real things businesses do: the real-world concerns, the day-to-day emotions, the hard decisions and the tough actions.”

Using as its primary examples a number of highly regarded organizations in fields as varied as spaceflight, manufacturing, retail, financial services, retail and product development, the book also canvasses a wealth of research that supports the thesis that companies which focus on “return on people” instead of just “return on investment” generate provably higher returns.

“Whenever you cite successful companies – ones that treat their employees well, ones that have leaders and employees eager to come to work, ones that have long-term success – the reaction is, ‘Sure, they can afford to treat their people well. They made a lot of money,’” the authors say. “People assume that happiness is the reward. Happy companies know that happiness is the secret sauce that enables them to succeed to begin with.”

“What Happy Companies Know” stresses a curious and humane paradox: A business must have purpose beyond making a buck or it is likely to fail. Even if it succeeds, it will be a lousy place to work. Businesses that find nobility in their work and in their community involvement not only make for more rewarding personal engagement but also for greater financial success. Intended for CEOs and others in senior leadership positions because such leaders are responsible for establishing corporate culture, the book also emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility by all employees in creating positive attitudes in their immediate environment. The work also stresses spirituality because the creative centers of the human brain come alive when people are engaged in something bigger than themselves.