What Can Employers Learn From Denmark? More Than They Believe.
Hopefully, we can learn a lot. After all, the Danes are the happiest people in the world.
The article that began a wide-ranging discussion among social scientists and even a few of us workplace observers was found in The Atlantic at http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/06/the-worlds-happiest-people/239971/
Bottom line? What is essential to happiness are supporting networks between people and groups that enhance social capital. Social capital is a major predictor of national happiness, according to new research in the 2011 Journal of Happiness Studies. A 2004 Cambridge University study concluded that mutual support and trust in society leads to well-being in Denmark and elsewhere. The research finds that the citizens of countries that scored highest for happiness also scored highest for trust in their governments, their laws, and each other. Where trust was lacking, "even the well off tended to be unhappy," according to the study.
And, what of our workplaces? In the United States, as trust in leadership wanes, so does work satisfaction. As employees see the rules changed to secure desired results, i.e., "situation ethics," trust is diminished. Where employees view each other as competitors rather than as teammates, mutual support lags as does satisfaction and happiness. We call it the absence of "credible connections."
Contact me at jimkarger@mac.com for more information on installing Credible Connections in your workplace.
The article that began a wide-ranging discussion among social scientists and even a few of us workplace observers was found in The Atlantic at http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/06/the-worlds-happiest-people/239971/
Bottom line? What is essential to happiness are supporting networks between people and groups that enhance social capital. Social capital is a major predictor of national happiness, according to new research in the 2011 Journal of Happiness Studies. A 2004 Cambridge University study concluded that mutual support and trust in society leads to well-being in Denmark and elsewhere. The research finds that the citizens of countries that scored highest for happiness also scored highest for trust in their governments, their laws, and each other. Where trust was lacking, "even the well off tended to be unhappy," according to the study.
And, what of our workplaces? In the United States, as trust in leadership wanes, so does work satisfaction. As employees see the rules changed to secure desired results, i.e., "situation ethics," trust is diminished. Where employees view each other as competitors rather than as teammates, mutual support lags as does satisfaction and happiness. We call it the absence of "credible connections."
Contact me at jimkarger@mac.com for more information on installing Credible Connections in your workplace.
Labels: Credible Connections, happiness, satisfaction
posted by Jim Karger at 4:18 PM
1 Comments:
Good points. One problem is that no one pays attention to the troops. Their work is monitored and measured by computer. For any personal problem, insurance, pension, etc., they get an 800 number, or, as one employee told me, call 1 800-eat shit. Crude, but not that far from the truth. All this due to the continuing cutting of personnel
Post a Comment
<< Home