As we are about to start a new academic year, I keep thinking of what lies ahead and what promises to be another busy and exciting year. There are several new projects and initiatives lined up–including one that could be a game changer in many different ways–in addition to the diverse portfolio of academic degrees offered, research endeavors pursued, and community development projects planned, AUC School of Business continues to deliver. However, in today’s time and age, while organizations, whether public, private, government, or civil society–including academia–strategize for the future and manage the day-to-day operations, they have no option but to elevate their performance to become more competitive and impactful.
There are different ways to build a high-performing organization, including having a compelling mission, a well-defined purpose, developing a well-thought-out strategy and implementation plan, formulating a successful business model, recruiting the best talent, using a results-oriented approach, enjoying effective leadership, employing a continuous learning culture and taking data-driven and well-informed decisions. However, some other significant factors that can support building high-performing organizations and lead to their success–that are often overlooked–include the organizational culture, the work environment, and whether the community in the organization has a sense of well-being, and how they feel about themselves and their lives in terms of purpose, happiness and the ability to manage stress.
On this note, the United Nations declared 20 March 2012 as the first International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world. In fact, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals #3 explicitly refer to the importance of aiming to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” What this indicates is that the value of well-being is important and should not be taken for granted.
Well-being is increasingly considered a key building block that can help sustain and scale organizational performance and, consequently, success, in addition to becoming a competitive advantage in a disruptive, busy, and transformative work environment. The question is: How to address well-being to help organizational happiness and community satisfaction? For starters, there is a need to ensure a conducive work environment that supports well-being. This is a collective and collaborative effort that includes policies, procedures, and actions–including creative ideas and activities– that should be endorsed across all levels of the organization, especially by those who are in a position to be the catalysts who can help spark actions, change behavior and create a productive, rewarding and enjoyable workplace.
The path to organizational well-being includes but is not limited to listening to people, gathering and analyzing data–through regular surveys–on job satisfaction, the work environment, consumer satisfaction, performance levels, and turnover rates, and accordingly developing plans to address these issues. In-person interaction is important through focus groups and discussions. In addition, one-to-one meetings, whenever possible, are useful for better engagement and transparently ask people how they feel about their work and whether they are happy to be part of the organization. Clearly, this is easier said than done, but it is an exercise that organizations can benefit from and can yield better overall satisfaction by identifying what actions need to be taken. The goal is to see people inspired, engaged, and happy. If that is the case, they would give the organization their best and always aim for more.
On this note, I get it: no one size fits all, and cultures vary around the world, where in some places, they do not consider that well-being is related to organizational performance. In fact, some think that well-being is personal and has nothing to do with the workplace. I beg to differ. The effects and implications of well-being are both professional and personal. There is no question that there is a correlation between well-being and high-performing organizations. If an organization wants to strengthen and improve its performance, it needs to formulate a framework that includes an authentic people-driven strategy that encompasses well-being, which can help unlock the untapped potential and revolve around staff development, engagement, and empowerment as an engine for high organizational performance and sustainable success.
Organizations with more engaged, empowered, motivated, and satisfied people–beyond the paycheck–feel that they bring value, are more comfortable, and are able to build strong work relationships to contribute to the organization collectively, create a better environment, and lead to delivering better results–all help to have a sense of achievement and fulfilment. An integral element of promoting well-being is supporting people to constantly learn and renew as well as focus their energy, not just to face today’s disruptive environment but also to focus on creating opportunities and taking the organization to the next level. An important element of well-being is for people to understand the organizational purpose and be part of it. Building an organizational culture that promotes collaborative work and cultivates compassion is critical. The state of well-being in the organization offers insights into what its leaders should do to be able to attract, motivate, and retain people who are looking at joining to realize a sustainable and scalable impact way beyond self-interests and benefits.
In the context of academia, it is no different. For example, The American University in Cairo has for many years aimed to enable the environment needed to empower its students to achieve their highest potential during their academic studies and throughout their careers. Therefore, it has always focused on prioritizing a balanced approach for the well-being of the students as well as continuous education and advocacy for the university community. The counseling services started in 1989 and have seen several developments leading to the establishment of the Center for Student Well-Being. It offers individual and group counseling, mental health assessments, and workshops on a variety of topics to help students develop the skills and resilience they need to thrive academically, professionally, and personally. The center provides a confidential and supportive environment for students to discuss their concerns, seek guidance, and work to raise awareness and promote empathy among the university community about the issues that some students may face.
For AUC School of Business, over 25 years ago–among other efforts–introduced the Honors Assembly, which was a recognition of the best-performing students in the undergraduate programs as well as the full-time faculty who excel in research and teaching. It is important in any organizational setting to celebrate success. It is a moment of recognition that contributes to the feeling of self-fulfilment and happiness. Despite the significance and impact of the Honors Assembly, it was not inclusive. Therefore, in 2009, other school stakeholders were added, including top graduate students, full-time faculty who excel in service and community development, adjunct faculty, staff, and alums. It is a community event, and no one should be left out. In 2020, the event was transformed into the Recognition of Excellence Ceremony to reflect its purpose better.
Well-being is way more than the recognition of some members of the organization. It is more about creating a sense of community and belonging–one for all and all for one. Therefore, in 2010, the school introduced a Sports Day, bringing faculty, staff, and students together for a full day of activities playing a variety of sports, including football, basketball, running, and more. Retreats have been organized at the school for more than three decades, whether on campus, in Cairo, or at one of the resorts in Egypt, sometimes for a day or a weekend–including families. This experience has been invaluable and a learning experience. The retreats’ focus varied from work-related issues, such as discussing strategies and future projects, to brainstorming sessions, exchanging ideas, and sharing stories. It was all contributing to bringing Team Business together. In 2012, a series of regular town hall meetings, including one-to-one meetings with faculty and staff, including gatherings on and off campus, were organized to strengthen the dynamics between the members of Team Business. In 2018, the school newsletter was relaunched with a new look, showing sections that recognize excellence among faculty, staff, and students, showcasing their work which contributes effectively to their self-fulfilment.
When COVID-19 hit and following the challenges that every individual, organization, and society faced, the school decided to rethink the portfolio of efforts that aimed at the well-being of the community, which resulted in the launching in 2022 of the Happy School initiative where the pursuit of happiness is real and relevant as a building block for us to perform better as an organization.
The Happy School initiative is based on three pillars of happiness: soul, body, and mind. The soul inspires faculty and staff to serve a purpose they believe in and motivates them to be more collaborative, innovative, and productive. The body emphasizes focusing on faculty and staff health, which is impacted by the work environment and, in turn, affects workplace happiness and efficiency, and the mind encourages spending time on mental well-being, promoting faculty and staff passion, and fulfilling their needs through professional and personal development plans.
The initiative includes diverse ideas and activities, including a hub–a designated indoor and outdoor space for faculty and staff for meditation, social events including birthdays, celebrations of accomplishments, informal gatherings, daily morning coffee, and more. Blessed with a green campus, the initiative includes organized walks and other physical activities early in the morning and during assembly hours to increase the energy level and enhance overall health, including yoga classes. In the school building, some of the ideas involve adding an art collection, planting more plants, and adding more motivational quotes on the walls, given how they affect the general mood. For example, during the last academic year, there was a campaign to promote healthy food–including dish parties, which were great opportunities to gather and bond, in addition to forming hobby groups for reading, cooking, and photography. The initiative also includes capacity-building seminars and re-energizing workshops around topics of interest to Team Business–not necessarily related to work–on stress management, wellness, communication, teamwork, and other interpersonal skills. In addition, it includes volunteering for other school activities and contributing to various tasks and events across the school to get to know better other members of the team and get introduced to other projects that contribute to their self-development and help build teamwork. Balancing work and diversity of workplace fun is important.
In the context of business schools, especially in today’s exciting, changing, fast-paced, and disruptive environment–not just caused by GenAI–and where there is never a dull moment, firm attention to well-being can help not just productivity and effectiveness but also what the school offers in terms of learning experience to its different stakeholders in the ecosystem both on and off campus.
For students, the effect of business schools on the business world and beyond is immense and profound, and it all boils down to how NextGen leaders are ready to make a difference. Therefore, as business students forge paths into different organizational and leadership positions, factoring well-being within their learning experience is important not only for personal happiness but also for their long-term career success. Well-being can be the engine and driver for everything we do and everything we are. The paths to the future are made, not found. Such a path comprises purpose, knowledge, experience, hard work, passion, happiness, and more.
Next for AUC School of Business is to integrate well-being into the curriculum through a series of seminars and workshops. The objective is to allow the students–through the lens of their academic disciplines–to explore different perspectives and implications of well-being and its role in enhancing the overall health, happiness, and productivity of individuals, organizations, and societies.
Happiness is a mindset that can be taught at the business school. This includes courses and seminars on how to prepare students to be positive, foster well-being, and become happier leaders. Business schools need to equip students with a competitive edge and an understanding of how to find more satisfaction in their work. These classes provide practical tools for personal wellness, career success, and fulfillment. The essence is to learn how to lead a good life and that satisfaction with what we do can lead to delivering outcomes rather than outputs.
In addition to courses, it is important to mentor students to take time away from their studies to boost their well-being, which is essential for a positive business school experience–explaining to them that exercising and socializing counts. Reducing the levels of stress can make great improvements to their focus and concentration levels and contribute to their overall well-being. Besides, embracing routines and regular habits supports cognitive function and contributes positively to mental health. In other words, the more organized one is, the happier they are. Happy people lead to happy organizations and, eventually, to a happy society. As the latest research into happiness and leadership informs the business curricula of today, business school graduates are shaping the future of positive and high-performing work environments.
If well-being is integral to the organization’s DNA, it could become a real competitive advantage. It has enormous potential and can help teams do better and excel and consequently lead to a higher-performing organization. In the world of business schools, availing a conducive work environment driven by a work-life balance can help faculty and staff plant the seeds for the next generation of leaders to be happy, healthy, informed, and ready to make a difference in society.
About the author: Sherif Kamel is a Professor of Management and Dean of the School of Business at The American University in Cairo.
31 August 2024
Issue #43