happiness works teef 2013

Happiness is a serious business

Nic Marks

The New Economics Foundation (nef)

• An independent UK think-and-do-tank.

• Inspired by 3 principles…– Sustainable development– Social justice– People’s well-being

• …and a belief that the metrics are a key way of creating positive change

Well-being @ nef We seek to act as a ‘bridge’ between researchers

and policy-makers

Well-being programme set up in 2001 to ask: What would policy look like if it focused on improving well-being

Centre for Well-being created in 2006 and best known for The Happy Planet Index (2006, 2009 & 2012), National Accounts of Well-being (2009) and Five Ways to Well-being (2008)

Well-being @ nef

We are emotional beings

Emotion Typical Situation Probable Action Promoted

Fear

Anger

Sadness

Disgust

The Role of Emotions


Fear Source of danger

Anger Violation of a norm

Sadness Loss of support

Disgust Contamination



Fear Source of danger Detect and Flee

Anger Violation of a norm Deter future violation (violently or non-violently)

Sadness Loss of support Save energy and thread carefully until conditions improve

Disgust Contamination Spit out and avoid



Fear Source of danger Detect and Flee

Anger Violation of a norm Deter future violation (violently or non-violently)

Sadness Loss of support Save energy and thread carefully until conditions improve

Disgust Contamination Spit out and avoid


Positive Emotions?

Barbara Fredrickson’s theory of the evolutionary role of positive emotions

1. Positive emotions BROADEN our thoughts & actions: paying more attention, being more creative & playful, open to relationships, and flexible.

2. Positive emotions BUILD psychological resources: resilience, coping, physical abilities, emotional intelligence, social skills and self mastery.

Role of Emotions at Work

Fredrickson and Losado: Positive teams at work

Study of 60 Strategic Business Unit teams, each of eight people, all from within the same organisation.

The SBUs performance categorised in terms of:– Profitability (SBU profit & loss accounts)– Customer satisfaction (surveys & interviews)

Each “utterance” in meeting was coded in terms of:– Positivity (support, encouragement, appreciation)– Negativity (disapproval, sarcasm, cynicism)



Team Performance

HIGH (15)

MEDIUM (26)

LOW (19)



Team Performance Positivity / Negativity

ratio

HIGH (15)

MEDIUM (26)

LOW (19)



Team Performance Positivity / Negativity

ratio

HIGH (15) 5.61

MEDIUM (26) 1.86

LOW (19) 0.36


Click to edit Master subtitle style High performance teams operate in an

expanded chaotic (creative) emotional

space.

Mid performance teams are still

somewhat creative.

Low performance teams ‘collapse’ into

a non-inquiring ‘strange attractor’.



Magic Ratio of Positive : Negative

3 : 1 to 8 : 1

BUT – they do NOT show causality

Happiness at Work

• So does Happiness come from HIGH performance?

• Or does Happiness lead to HIGH performance?

• Or both!

Happiness at Work

Happiness T1 Happiness T2

$$$ $$$Performance T1 Performance T2

11 organisations; 2,000+ teams; 140,000+ respondents

Both models fitted the data …

Source: Causal impact of employee perceptions on the bottom line of organisations; James Harter et al; Perspectives on psychological science 5(4); 2010

Both models fitted the data …but Model 1 was much better

“these data suggest that the impact of … [happiness at work] on … performance is twice as large as from performance to … [happiness at work]”

Source: Causal impact of employee perceptions on the bottom line of organisations; James Harter et al; Perspectives on psychological science 5(4); 2010

Happiness works!

It is a serious business …

But somehow it is not being taken seriously

“The management are focused on employees to the detriment of shareholders. Why would I want to buy a stock like that?”Equity analyst quoted in Business Week

“I happen to believe that in order to reward the shareholder in the long term, you have to please your customers and employees.”Jim Sinegal, Costcoi’s CEO, quoted in the Wall Street Journal

Companies listed in the top 100 “great places to work” have outperformed the market every year between 1985–2011 by 2.3 – 3.8%.Source: “The link between Job Satisfaction and Firm Value” Alex Edmans; Academy of Management Perspectives 2012

emotions are contagious

emotions are contagious we share them

emotions are contagious we share them

Photo by Annika Bischof

emotions are contagious and communicate with them

CONNECTED:

The amazing power of social networks

and how they shape our lives

Nicholas Christakis & James Fowler; 2009

“If you look at the modern workplace, I would say it's one of the most feedback-deprived places in American civilization.”

“feedback comes in the form of a once-a-year, awkward, 45-minute conversation with your boss. It's a feedback desert.”Washington Post, 9th January 2011

Happiness is a serious business

Happier workplaces aren’t just better for the employee. They are more productive and innovative too.We are creating tools based on the latest science that will help create happier workplaces.happinessworks.com

2008 project: Mental Capital and Well-being


• Involved over 400 experts• Five key themes including “wellbeing at work”

• 108 different reports


• Involved over 400 experts• Five key themes including “wellbeing at work”

• 108 different reports• Two of which were carried out by nef

Measuring well-being in policy:

issues and applications

Sam Thompson and Nic Marks; 2008

Original report is freely available at:www.neweconomics.org/publications

All the foresight project outputs:www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/publications/report

http://www.neweconomics.org/publications

http://www.bis.gov.uk/foresight/publications/report

the dynamic model of well-being


External conditions

Personal resources

Masterclass – Nic Marks - December 2012Happiness at Work


External conditions

Personal resources

where we arewho we are



External conditions

Personal resources

circumstances & contexts of people’s lives

people’s attributes & stable traits



External conditions

Personal resources

CultureOpportunities

BarriersNorms

ResilienceSelf EsteemOptimism


External conditions

Personal resources



Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources



Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

what we do



Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

psycho-social need

satisfaction



Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

AutonomyCompetenceRelatedness

Deci and Ryan:

Self Determination Theory



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

what we feel



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

what we feel (and think)



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

emotional & cognitive

experiences



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

EnjoymentHappiness

Interest



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

EnjoymentHappiness

Interest

AngerFear

Sadness



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

Emotions are more than ‘feeling states’



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

Emotions are linked to actions



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources


AngerFear

Sadness



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources


Happiness ?



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

Barbara Fredrickson:“Broaden & Build” Theory of Positive Emotions



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources


dynamic interventions

Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

individual

interventions

systemic

interventions



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources

individual

interventions

systemic

interventions

group interventions



Good feelings

Good functioning

External conditions

Personal resources


happiness works’ dynamic model

Experience of work

Functioning at work

Organisational system

Personal resources

Appreciative Inquiry

Recall the best team experience you have ever been a part of.

Take turns to describe describe your experience – others ask questions – focus on the experience – set aside clichés and preconceptions –

fully explore what about themselves, the situation, the task, and others made this a "peak" experience.

Once all members have exhausted their exploration, list and develop a consensus on the attributes of highly effective groups

happiness works teef 2013

Documents

positive teams

cynicism role of emotions

low performance teams

positive changewell

mid performance teams

workmagic ratio of positive

wellbeing centre

future violation