I’m reading “What Happy Companies Know” (WHCK) by Dan Baker et al.  I was excited to find it at the bookstore because I’m a big fan of Baker’s other bestseller, “What Happy People Know.”  I recommend the latter to clients a lot because the author offers a great explanation of the importance of moving away from fear-based thinking and towards what’s possible in order to create a happier life.  The author also offers a great list of happiness traps (such as looking for happiness in money, pleasure or status) and tools for finding more happiness.

In WHCK, the authors’ premise that a company’s happiness is as important as, or at least complimentary to, profitability resonates with me though the book is longer than it needs to be and could have used a second editing. (The definition of a happy company itself feels like a long-winded elevator speech, and the authors seem to be trying too hard to make the business case for why you should care if your company is a happy one.) 

To summarize the authors’ definition, a happy company is an organization where individuals are fully engaged, find meaning in their work and through their productive and collective efforts make a difference in the lives of others while also making a profit. 

I like the book best when the authors are unapologetic about why a happy company is worth pursuing.  Particularly, when they make the case for work not only being satisfying, but fun. It reminds me of the book FISH! from Charthouse Learning, which is a more accessible, albeit less academic book about how to create a corporate culture that is fun, people-oriented and meaningful.  WHCK also has some great best practice examples for ways to create a happier company like focusing on a Return on People as well as a Return on Investment and finding ways to engage and empower teamwork as well as individual achievement. 

In my own work I see firsthand how my most successful organizational clients thrive by not only focusing on creating innovative products and services, but by creating a work environment where people find work both fulfilling and meaningful.   I recently heard a colleague assert that companies will be successful in the future by making meaning as well as money –  I think this has been true for awhile and the more mature corporate cultures are already doing just that.

What do you think?  Do you work for a happy company?  Would you like to?