Introduction
Organizational culture is often described as a critical component of the success
of an organization. This idea is embodied in the phrase “Culture eats strategy
for breakfast.” The goal of this research is to understand if the concept of joy is
an indicator of the kind of culture that will have a significant impact on the
success of an organization.
There are two important components to define: success and culture. For the
purposes of this research, success will be defined by the leaders of the
organization instead of using a constant external measure such as profit or
market capitalization. This will allow the research to include nonprofit and
governmental organizations. This research will use the definition of culture
given by Edgar Schein in his book, Organization Culture and Leadership (4th
Edition):
“A pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a group as it solved
problems of external adaptation and internal integration (…) A product of joint
learning.”
The goal is to understand if the pattern of shared basic assumptions includes
notions of joy at work, then will the organization achieve greater success. The
motivation is based on the experience of the researchers as corporate
practitioners in change management and decision analytics as well as leaders
in larger organizations where outcomes varied greatly based on their
perception of the level of joy at work with an organization. Understanding the
dynamics of joy at work to culture and organizational success will set the stage
for further research but also for definition of particular interventions to help
organizational leaders achieve the goals of the organizations for which they
have responsibility.
Joy Research Statement
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