How we got here
The Human Flourishing Program at Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science was started in 2015 and aims to study and promote human flourishing, and to develop systematic approaches to the synthesis of knowledge across disciplines.
During lockdown these two groups collaborated to produce “Leading and Flourishing in Difficult Times,” an online course. It combines research on leadership, character and flourishing in an engaging 5-module program that is intended to help people across settings to exercise leadership where they are, furthering the good of their teams, communities and organisations.
The Human Flourishing Program also started ‘Communities of Practice’, which are groups of people that come together regularly to share knowledge, innovate, and solve problems related to the topic of flourishing. The first group was founded on April 23, 2019, with an initial focus on educational contexts, but has since expanded its purview to health care organisations, workplaces, communities, and other sites.
The “Leadership for Flourishing” community of practice is led by Associate Fellows of the OCP and experts from a variety of fields who are passionate about inspiring and equipping leaders to enable others to flourish.
With the explosion of research on flourishing over the last decade, as well as the research on leadership, we wanted to bring these areas together and create a place where:
Resources on leadership and flourishing are easily accessible;
People can access practical tools to improve their own and others flourishing;
People can find practical leadership tips that will promote flourishing;
People can read stories and join a movement of leaders, from all parts of society, dedicated to reimagining leadership for the greater good.