University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Managing for Happiness
Book

Managing for Happiness

Games, Tools, and Practices to Motivate Any Team

Jurgen Appelo
Wiley, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Management expert Jurgen Appelo offers a unique formula for making your organization vibrant and productive. Appelo shows you how to put his advice into practice. Instead of focusing on theoretical approaches to building motivation and contentment, he provides games and exercises that you can implement. The playful layout of his pages may enthrall you – or drive you crazy. Yet wisdom, common sense and solutions any organization can use lurk within the busy graphics and comic book format. This is solid HR advice for someone new to the field or anyone who appreciates having it packaged so cleverly, but it’s not news to experienced practitioners. getAbstract recommends Appelo’s sound management philosophy and hands-on techniques for boosting excellence, productivity and morale to entrepreneurs, executives, HR professionals and managers at every level.

Summary

“Management 1.0”

Traditional management philosophy focuses on changing employees’ attitudes and behavior. It posits that leaders are responsible for improved company functionality and for motivating workers to achieve greater productivity. In a Management 1.0 environment, managers identify and assist or replace underperforming employees. Corporate policy encourages competition and gives awards for individual achievement. Managers distrust employees, and may monitor their computer use to ensure they put in an honest day’s work.

“Management 2.0”

A Management 2.0 culture acknowledges that employees are important assets, and managers must embrace “servant leadership” to move their organizations forward. Leaders with honorable motives organize 360-degree feedback exercises and hold one-on-one sessions with employees to set individual goals. Though this is a vast improvement over Management 1.0, both styles depend on a “top-down” philosophy. Management 2.0 still uses targets and metrics to govern an entire corporate system when, in reality, performance takes place in the relationships between departments and individuals. Both Management...

About the Author

Leadership expert and speaker Jurgen Appelo is CEO of the global business network Happy Melly. He originated the Management 3.0 workshops.

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