Abstract
Uncertainty, innovation, competitive advantage, globalization, and digitalization are some of the changes that have forced managers to rethink the way they manage their organizations. So, management models are beginning to emerge, focusing on human capital (employees). Happiness management arose as a new form of organizational culture, and the main objective is to ensure the well-being of employees by promoting positive experiences/emotions in the workplace. Artificial intelligence combines the ability to learn similarly to humans, with an even more extensive capacity than humans. Although its effects on employees still divide opinions, what is certain is that innovation in this area is increasingly common in organizations in a broad field.
TopIntroduction
Globalization, digitalization, and COVID-19, among other changes, are affecting the way that managers look at their organizations and how to manage them (Costa, Neto, et al., 2022; Costa, Oliveira, et al., 2022; Costa & Oliveira, 2022a, 2022b; Meister, 2023).
This chapter proposes to develop a conceptual study about the happiness management culture and how can artificial intelligence (AI) help managers in the promotion of happiness at work. First, the concepts will be explored separately to provide a broad overview of the topic under analysis. Subsequently, a section on the interconnection of the two themes will be developed. This last section is developed using ChatGPT, as there is still little analysis of this topic. The main objective is to associate this new perspective of management with de AI, presenting some of the possibilities suggested by AI and how they can be implemented in organizations.
COVID-19 was the biggest crisis in a recent period bring the necessity to rethink the ways how things are done and how can organizations survive this (Castro-Martinez et al., 2022; Castro-Martínez, Díaz-Morilla, & Pérez-Ordoñez, 2022; Castro-Martínez, Díaz-Morilla, & Torres-Martín, 2022; Castro-Martínez & Díaz-Morilla, 2021; Qin & Men, 2022).
For AI, the pandemic has been a positive factor that has helped the development of this area in organizations (Rožman et al., 2022). The lockdown measures introduced by most governments around the world forced organizations to adapt. These adaptations included remote working as a way of minimizing productivity losses, but also to avoid contamination and the propagation of the virus. It should be understood that the concept of remote working is associated with “organizational personnel performing their job responsibilities outside of traditional office environments” (Aleem et al., 2023, p. 1). It can therefore be said that “the development and diffusion of digital technologies (especially those supporting communication, collaboration, and social networking), along with the pervasive dissemination of powerful and easy-to-use mobile devices, are supporting businesses and employers in their quest to develop a smart working system.” (Aleem et al., 2023, p. 1).
Happiness management it's a new management model that appears. This new perspective of the management model emerged in an era where innovation, competition, but also uncertainty, and employee insecurity are improving feelings like anxiety, disorientation, and mental stress (Castro-Martinez et al., 2022; Qin & Men, 2022). If people as a new way to face life, considering “workers prioritize both their work and their personal lives equally” (Kanmani & Fonceca, 2023, p. 361), managers need to face the organizational management considering this ideas. Not least because the concept of happiness cannot be dissociated from personal and professional life (Elpo & Lemos, 2022; Sarkar et al., 2023). This field of investigation it’s more recent, but the question that arises is if the new tools with AI can help managers in the promotion of happiness and the process of decision-making.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Hedonic Perspective: It's a way of living life through experiences that bring pleasure, trying to distance oneself from emotions that can lead to feelings of suffering.
Happiness Management: It’s the process of determining and design strategies to promote happiness at the workplace, developing them to promote a sense of well-being and make interpersonal relationships better.
Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence arises from the association between the skills of a machine and human beings. In other words, certain tools can copy human skills or even surpass them.
Happiness at Work: It is characterized by a positive feeling that depends on the evaluation of various parameters related to this context (relationship with colleagues/superiors, working conditions, organizational culture, among others).
Positive Psychology: It's a perspective that aims to see life on the positive side. Therefore, happiness, according to this view, should be understood through the positive emotions/experiences lived.
Eudaimonic Perspective: It corresponds to the need for everyone to understand that what they are and what they do has meaning for others and that their contribution is relevant.
Happiness: Happiness is a subjective concept; in the sense it varies according to everyone’s overall perception of their life/experiences. It's a state characterized by a positive mood.
Well-Being: Well-being depends on each individual's overall assessment of life. In the case of well-being at work, it is associated with the evaluation each employee makes of the job they do, the colleagues they work with, their superiors, and other elements of the environment involved in this context.