Happiness - Publications - Faculty & Research

Howard H. Stevenson

Howard H. Stevenson is Sarofim-Rock Baker Foundation Professor emeritus, former Senior Associate Dean, Director of Publishing, and Chair of the Harvard Business Publishing Company board. The Sarofim-Rock Chair was established in 1982 to provide a continuing base for... View Details

Keywords: broadcasting; communications; computer; construction; financial services; forest products; health care; high technology; industrial goods; insurance industry; investment banking industry; manufacturing; paper; professional services; real estate; service industry; software; venture capital industry

02 Sep 2015
What Do You Think?

What's Wrong With Amazon’s Low-Retention HR Strategy?

added: “I think there may be too many variables left out here The relative happiness of an employee base has bottom-line repercussions far beyond customer satisfaction.” What’s to be done? At the very least, FISSINNF suggests that greater... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett; Web Services; Retail; Apparel & Accessories; Consumer Products; Fashion

Web

2023 Reunion Presentations - Alumni

Less Info Happiness levels are plummeting in the United States. People disagree about why this slump is happening – technology, polarized culture, the economy, politics, etc. – but we all know it’s happening. Journeying toward greater... View Details

Web

Skydeck - Alumni

public radio host, and special correspondent on PBS NewsHour —talks about his new book, Hotel Scarface , and the lasting allure of 1980s Miami Living the Quantitative Life What Paul Grana (MBA 2009) has learned from eight years of personal data tracking Skydeck Live:... View Details

29 Nov 2021
Research & Ideas

How Bonuses Get Employees to Choose Work Over Family

half paid a fixed salary—with choices such as: “Would you go to a happy hour with colleagues or go to your friend’s birthday party?” People who were paid primarily with performance incentives were up to two-thirds more likely to choose... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Kim Raczka

07 Nov 2023
News

Love and Money

we even talk about romantic relationships, I want to understand more about you and what makes you happy. So think about a person in your life who genuinely makes you happy when you're around them. It could be a friend or family member, it... View Details

24 Jan 2023
Research & Ideas

Passion at Work Is a Good Thing—But Only If Bosses Know How to Manage It

have to be this way? How could we make it better?" You Might Also Like: When Your Passion Works Against You More Proof That Money Can Buy Happiness (or a Life with Less Stress) Income Inequality Is Rising. Are We Even Measuring It... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

19 Dec 2022
Research & Ideas

The 10 Most Popular Articles of 2022

collaboration. 1. Scrap the Big New Year's Resolutions. Make 6 Simple Changes Instead. Self-improvement doesn't need to be painful. Rather than set yet another gym goal, look inward, retrain your brain, and get outside, says Hirotaka Takeuchi. 2. More Proof That Money... View Details

Keywords: by Danielle Kost

07 Mar 2011
Research & Ideas

Why Companies Fail—and How Their Founders Can Bounce Back

don't forgive that." Ironically, a personal failure often occurs because an entrepreneur is trying too hard to avoid an enterprise failure. Trying to keep the venture capitalists happy and bankruptcy at bay, the founder or CEO will... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

2011
Book

The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work

By: Teresa M. Amabile and Steve J. Kramer

The most effective managers have the ability to build a cadre of employees who have great inner work lives-consistently positive emotions; strong motivation; and favorable perceptions of the organization, their work, and their colleagues. The worst managers undermine... View Details

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01 Mar 2024
News

Game On

It’s raining in Sarasota. And not a light sprinkle but a proper, Florida drenching, so the outdoor courts at the Pickleball Club’s Lakewood Ranch location are deserted. Inside is a different story. Most of the 12 courts are in play. With four people to a court, all... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; photographed by Edward Linsmier; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Arts, Entertainment

2014
Article

Prosocial Spending and Happiness: Using Money to Benefit Others Pays Off

By: Elizabeth W. Dunn, Lara B. Aknin and Michael I. Norton

While a great deal of research has shown that people with more money are somewhat happier than people with less money, our research demonstrates that how people spend their money also matters for their happiness. In particular, both correlational and... View Details

Keywords: Prosocial Spending; Well-being; Happiness; Money; Spending; Welfare; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving

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01 Sep 2023
News

That Was Then, This Is Now

of people in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. After traveling and living in 55 countries, I am surprisingly happy living in the United States again. I think I’m ready to make an impact in my own country, among my own people. In many ways... View Details

Keywords: Photographed by Tony Deifell (MBA 2002); edited by Julia Hanna. Above: Heidi Brooks, photographed in 2003 and 2023.; life experience; family; leadership

01 Sep 2023
News

Solving for Z

With nearly 20 years of experience as a senior human resources executive, Matthew Breitfelder (MBA 2002) has seen a lot of change in the corporate talent space. But what’s happening now looks like a tectonic generational shift. From his perch as global head of human... View Details

Keywords: Alexander Gelfand; Illustrations by Doug Chayka; Administration of Human Resource Programs; Government

26 Nov 2018
Book

Make Your Employees Feel Psychologically Safe

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

29 Sep 2022
Op-Ed

Inclusive Leadership Advice: Get Comfortable With the Uncomfortable

“Difference is an acquired preference,” a colleague once told me. The statement seemed rather strange to me at first. Upon reflection, though, I understood what my colleague was saying: Difference is uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and sometimes even unsafe. Whether it is... View Details

Keywords: by Francesca Gino

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Profiles - MBA

victims did not prevail in court until 1973. The fast-growing chemical company's faith in its cutting-edge technology diverted it from its human consequences, and people in powerful positions were happy to help the company cover up, for... View Details

13 Mar 2023
Op-Ed

How Leaders Should Leave

chain, in which case that manager will likely be happy to consider language that you might propose regarding your contributions. Avoid a statement that you are leaving to pursue other interests or spend more time with family; these are... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch

02 Nov 2023
News

Seeding Startups

Shirish Nadkarni (MBA 1987) was the director of product planning for Microsoft’s MSN when he decided he was ready to become an entrepreneur. He had recently led the growing internet portal’s 1997 acquisition of Hotmail, the first free, web-based email solution, and the... View Details

Keywords: April White

01 Oct 2023
Blog Post

Myth Busting: Financial Aid for 2+2 Students

support their parents and/or siblings. Like our need-based aid, you apply for these fellowships in the spring before you matriculate into the program. We know that figuring out how to finance your education is a huge part in your decision to join the MBA program and we... View Details

Publications