Happiness is firmly on the agenda for individuals and organisations today.

Jessica Pryce-Jones, CEO and founder of the Oxford-based consultancy iOpener, and

regular contributor to London Business School’s (LBS) Executive Education

programmes shares her five-C happiness model.

‘C’ IN HAPPYTHE INVISIBLE

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The pursuit of happiness

THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

Restaurant chain Nando’s ascribes a key factor in sales growth to how happy its staff are. Consequently, 50 per cent of each manager’s bonus is based on staff survey results and how happy the staff says they are.

“Happiness at work is a mind-set that helps you maximise performance and achieve your potential. If you change your mind-set you change your actions.”

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The pursuit of happiness

AN UNHAPPY CONTRIBUTION

Step out of your comfort zone to grow and learn.

“Things that make us unhappy can contribute towards our happiness. Our data is clear – most people don’t like being given a big new challenge but they love having done it. Your comfort zone is never stretched by doing something easy, if you’re always acting within your comfort zone, it shrinks.”

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MODELLING HAPPINESS

Pryce-Jones is fascinated by the power of networks in organisations where individuals act as advocates of happiness rather than spreading the doom-and-gloom that seems to be hard-wired into our psyches. She shares her five-C model to better understand happiness at work.

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The pursuit of happiness

CONTRIBUTION

This is the effort that you, as a team member, make and your perception of your personal contribution to work.

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The pursuit of happiness

CONVICTION

The motivation you have and the passion you are willing to show, whatever the circumstances.

“Conviction is your short-term motivation and this is person specific and feeds into efficiency, effectiveness, resilience and having a positive impact on the world.”

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The pursuit of happiness

CULTURE

How well you slot into life at work and fit the organisation’s environment.

“Culture is your feeling of fit,” says Pryce-Jones.

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The pursuit of happiness

COMMITMENT

The extent to which you are engaged with your work.

“Commitment is your long-term engagement with an organisation and in what you’re doing.”

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The pursuit of happiness

CONFIDENCE

The sense of belief you have in yourself and the job at hand.

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The pursuit of happiness

SURROUNDING THE Cs

On the outside of the five Cs is: trust, recognition and pride in your organisation, and from it.

At the centre is achieving your potential.

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The pursuit of happiness

MEASURED HAPPINESS

Pryce-Jones champions bringing measures to the topic – “this is all about being tied to performance”.

If organisations bring an index to life which monitors and measures the happiest organisations, what is measured might – eventually – become a reality.

The full blog post was published on London Business School Review online.Visit the website: www.london.edu/lbsr

Illustrations by Magictorch