Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.

First, read “Work Policies May Be Kinder, but Brutal Competition Isn’t” by Noam Scheiber in The New York Times at https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/18/business/work-policies-may-be-kinder-but-brutal-competition-isnt.html

Second, watch The happy secret to better work on TED https://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work/up-next (12 minutes).

After reading Chapter 9 and the materials above, please address the following questions:

1. What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of stated policies that encourage work–life balance? Do you think it is realistic for a highly competitive workplace to uphold such policies?
2. What is the Cravath system? Why do you think an organization would adopt such a model?
3. What is the relationship between happiness and success? Is it counterintuitive to you?
4. How can the principles behind the science of happiness be leveraged to improve work performance?
5. How might an organization create an environment that is rich in optimism, social support, and the ability to see stress as a challenge instead of as a threat?