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Joy ResearchA Summary of the Research Objectives, Methods, Current State and Next PhaseVersion 2.0January 2022

Everyone’s point of view is valid, even if I disagree or don’t understand it.Joy Research Statement

Table of ContentsIntroduction ..........................................................2Research Plan …....................................................3Impacts …...............................................................4Current State .......................................................5Conclusion …..........................................................6Joy Research Statement| 1

IntroductionOrganizational 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 Statement2 |

Joy Research Statement| 3Research PlanHypothesisThe research hypothesis: Joy at Work is a measurable state of being (for both an individual and an organization) that indicates to what extent the culture of an organization contributes to its success.ApproachThe approach is to apply grounded theory which was developed by two sociologists: Barney Glaser and Anslem Strauss. Through the coding of interviews with CEOs and senior executives, patterns will be sought and then hierarchies of answers created. The initial 30 interviews revealed ten dimensions of Joy at Work that are related as shown in Figure 1.Follow on interviews will focus on validating and updating this hierarchy as well as examine in what settings the hierarchy may differ.

Joy Research Statement4 | Expected OutcomeThe goal of this research is to reveal not only the relationship and interaction of the ten dimensions to Joy at Work but also what drives each of those ten dimensions. This would then lead to a more analytical assessment that could be used across an organization to judge its level of Joy at Work as expressed by the ten dimensions.ImpactsIntellectual MeritThis work will bring together aspects of psychology and sociology with a strong analytical foundation so that the implications of the research can drive the fields of group decision-making and change management. Collectively, this will have implications for organizational development and organizational design as disciplines that can help set the stage for organizational success.Furthermore, this research will move the study of organizations away from a benchmark approach and more to the underlying causal models that are valuable for prediction. This will enable organizational leaders to examine their culture and then act.Broader ImpactsCollectively the ten dimensions may be the descriptive factors in determining if an organizational culture will be successful. Will the organizational culture “eat strategy for breakfast.” If that is true, then the implication of this research is to discover the interventions needed to improve upon these dimensions such that Joy at Work is increased, and the success of the organization becomes more likely.This would bring the assessment of culture into the toolkit of organizational leaders as has occurred for process improvement, project management, and other aspects of organizational success.

Current StateNext PhaseInterview work will continue. The goal is to complete a minimum of 100 CEO and senior executive interviews. Female executives and executives of color will also be sought to improve perspective representation.Emerging OpportunitiesOpportunities for further research are noted as the research progresses. Here are a few examples:• Interviews with influencers inside work cultures: How do influencers contribute to joy in the workplace? Are there differences in impact based on the type of influencer (for example, expert versus tenured influence)? What happens to a company when an influencer conflicts with formal leadership or company culture?• Interviews with employees across tenure time periods: Is there a relationship between employee longevity and joy at work? How do employee descriptions of joy at work change based on longevity? What signs indicate inertia versus joy at work based on employee longevity?• Analyze the situations in which Joy at Work grows: Are there situations that typically grow Joy at Work? Are there atypical situations that others might utilize to grow Joy at Work? For example, one CEO talked about looking forward to firing someone, not because the act was enjoyable, but because it meant a mismatch was going to be corrected and if done well both the employee and the company would be better off.• Interviews with leaders and employees inside of cultures: How does the leader’s description of joy at work compare with the employees in their company?Joy Research Statement| 5

Joy Research Statement6 | ConclusionThis research is ambitious in the scope and deep in terms of the specificity of the tools that can become organizational interventions. The motivation of the researchers based on their corporate experience and now consulting experience drives this scope. Success is possible, but it does not seem to come from incrementalism. Instead, a new point of view is necessary for leaders to employ in order to achieve the level of success that will drive economies forward and male improvements to the lives of people generally. If this research can point the way to that goal, then the energy spent upon it will have been well used.

A change and culture company focused on growing joy at work.Roxanne Brown, CEO and Co-Founder, is a renowned change expert with more than 20 years of experience in technology, policy and culture change and related disciplines. She’s also the former President of the Board of the Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP).Ed Cook, President and Co-Founder, is an experienced leader of teams and large organizations. He’s a former Navy pilot who spent a year in Iraq nation-building. Ed’s also a Visiting Professor of Analytics at the University of Richmond and has his PhD in Systems Modeling and Analysis.AboutThe Change Decision@thechangedecision@joyatworker@ed-cook@roxanne-brownthechangedecision.comLinkedIn Instagram Medium YouTube

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