This year is a year of expanding happiness and purpose to more countries around the world. One of those countries includes Japan! We met our future partner at the Giveness International festival last year, where our coach|sultants and CEO Jenn Lim hosted a Masterclass on how to create happier, more productive organizations using our Culture Blueprint. Let’s dive into DH Japan’s beginnings and how their journey to certification is going!
Just like anywhere else in the world, the way that people work in Japan is rooted in their country’s cultural history. The results include an approach to work that involves high productivity, lots of technological innovation, attention to detail and process, speedy growth, and a large focus on group dynamics. Though the results and high-performance marks are huge strengths in the workplace, Japanese employees have been pushing for changes in tough-to-solve areas like work/life integration and burnout.
Noted by long working hours, a reluctance to give/take breaks, and guilt associated with taking vacation days, the Japanese workforce is feeling the unsustainable effects of burnout.
People aren’t necessarily working more for more pay either. According to a 2016 government survey, nearly one-quarter of Japanese companies require employees to work more than 80 hours of overtime a month with those extra hours being unpaid.
To create more sustainable and adaptable high-performing organizations, DH Japan’s founders have stepped up to implement our happiness model around the country. In what ways will it move the needle on culture change? Let’s take a look at our model below:
If we look at the Science of Happiness layer, we see that progress falls under it. Creating a sense of progress is an essential component in opening up more opportunities for happiness at work. When it comes to communicating feedback [both positive or negative] on progress, there’s a lack of it in workplaces all over Japan - especially the positive feedback! Most times for recognition go unnoticed or it is assumed that people know they are doing a good job [but unlikely true]. Since we know from positive psychology that progress is needed for meaningful happiness, DH Japan will be able to integrate more components for happiness to address gaps in their clients’ work culture. Developing a sense of progress at work is just one of the many examples of how to move the needle on change using our proven model.
Related: Download the 'Why Culture Matters' Team Worksheet!
Our coach|sultants Sunny and Javier are in Japan right now bringing the DH Japan team through partner certification. The team will be learning how to provide Masterclasses, workshops, and coach|sulting to local clients and integrating their own expertise on how to make happiness at work resonate further with Japanese companies.
By the end of 2019, DH Japan will fully launch and ready itself to deliver happiness all across the country!
We've helped over 300 organizations around the world achieve happier workplaces with positive business outcomes: