GNP vs GNH (Gross National Happiness)

By William Seidman As we head into the holiday shopping season, news headlines are bursting with talk of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, consumer confidence, economic indicators, and fourth quarter net earnings. Will consumers shop, shop, shop and spend, spend, spend? Will companies meet their sales and revenue goals? Will the U.S. economy prevail? Ron Schultz asks an interesting question: What’s the economy for? “In building a healthy economy, what we measure and evaluate is crucial to demonstrating aspiration, progress and success. Traditional economic indicators just don’t tell the whole picture.” Schultz goes on to explain that there is a growing trend, in parts of the United States and around the world, to assess a population’s well-being instead of the economy’s well-being. It falls under the larger title of Gross National Happiness—the health and well-being of citizens. “In building a healthy economy,” Schultz writes, “we’re not interested in simply building and selling more. We have to be able to gauge the real level of satisfaction, engagement and compassion we have toward each other. These are what truly fill this life with value and worth.” These are also what drive success—or failure—within an organization. When your employees are satisfied, engaged and treating each other with compassion, the organization will thrive. When satisfaction and engagement are absent, compassion flies out the window, and an organization’s culture will suffer. Organizational culture has everything to do with goals and strategies, as well as ultimate success or failure. You can read his article here. Have you considered the Gross Organizational Happiness within your organization lately?]]>