ANNUAL REPORT 2019 E D I T I O N TABLE OF CONTENTS About Us...................................................................01 The IOH Team................................................................0022 Training.........................................................................0033 Adaptive Leadership..........................................03 Girls for Girls....................................................04 Innovating the Business of Happiness......................05 Research.......................................................................0066 Collaboration.............................................................07 IE University.....................................................07 Harvard Conference...............................................0088 GNH Conference....................................................1111 Japan...............................................................12 Happiness Schools in Delhi................................15 College Visits........................................................1166 Santa Monica Wellbeing Summit.........................18 Harvard Student Trek.............................................1199 P A G E 1 ABOUT US We are inspired by the Kingdom of Bhutan's philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH). The Institute of Happiness (IOH) is an evidence-based think and do tank that seeks to be a thought center for Bhutanese GNH experience. The institute will serve as an accumulator for GNH philosophy and present the alternative development paradigm for actors in societal structure for harmony. The Objective The IOH's objectives are to: Conduct and facilitate collaborative research with institutions/ partners Develop, Assess and Impart training/skills for actors in the policy process including leaders from Government, Business and Civil Societies. Organize, coordinate and lead experiential trips to learn, understand and discuss the Bhutanese GNH journey. Our Story The GNH philosophy originated in Bhutan, but has inspired scholars, academics, and policymakers around the world. The IOH shall be a private intellectual platform where academics and practitioners of GNH philosophies can convene to discuss, learn, and implement best practices in development, governance, policy, and business management. The IOH has three primary practice areas: Training, Research, and Collaboration P A G E 2 THE IOH TEAM Team Members International Advisory Panel Bhutan Advisory Panel P A G E 3 TRAINING ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP DECEMBER 2, 2019 The IOH training component shall provide the skills for leadership in public services with a curriculum based on ethical leadership, social harmony, conflict resolution, mediation, and the well-being of the larger community. The Institute of Happiness organised its first workshop in collaboration with Mr. Dennis SESSION RATING (1 - LEAST SATISFACTORY, 4 - MOST SATISFACTORY): Schroeder from Germany who was recently a professor at Royal Thimphu College (RTC), Bhutan. Titled “Adaptive Leadership,” the workshop aimed to enhance the leadership skills required to govern public services using strategies studied at Harvard Kennedy School, where Mr. Schroeder earned his Master of Public Administration in COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS: 2017. It was good to attend workshop as it gave me the opportunity to reflect and learn new methods of leadership management Eleven individuals in leadership and its role in the organization. roles from various backgrounds attended the event. They were from Workshop although short was very informative. Got an opportunity to learn something new :) DGPC, State Trading Corporation of Bhutan, Ministry of Works and Continue the ground breaking work to make Bhutan a Human Settlement, CAB and DHI knowledge based society. Thanks a million for including me. officials. Great initiative by IOH on building a knowledge based society, deeply inspired but he vision and mission of the institute and it's management. P A G E 4 GIRLS FOR GIRLS: GLOBAL MENTORING INITIATIVE DECEMBER 12, 2019 The Institute of Happiness organized a workshop “Girls for Girls: Global Mentoring Initiative” in collaboration with Miss Allen Asimwe from Uganda and an alum from the Harvard Kennedy School cohort of 2017. The program has been now launched in over 14 countries around the world. Girls for Girls offers young women access to mentorship through mentorship circles. From Thimphu, there were 16 very inspirational women in power from business, NGOs, school teachers, government officials and diplomats who participated in the workshop. The workshop created a physical and safe space for the mentors to talk about everything and anything and also included a courageous leadership video from Nancy Kohen, a key Harvard faculty member. SESSION RATING (1 - LEAST SATISFACTORY, 4 - MOST SATISFACTORY): P A G E 5 INNOVATING THE BUSINESS OF HAPPINESS DECEMBER 16, 2019 The IOH welcomed Dr. Ravi Chitturi from Lehigh University, USA for the workshop, "Innovating the Business of Happiness." Since joining the faculty of Marketing in the College of Business & Economics in 2003, Dr. Ravi has published a number of premier scholarly journals. Having also worked in Intel and IBM, Dr. Ravi shared valuable insights about business strategies used abroad. The audience comprised of members from BPC, T&K, Chuniding, DrukRide, JICA, Gedu College, Land Commission, DGPC, Ministry of Health, and Thimphu Tech Park. The audience engaged in hands-on group activities and learned how to apply techniques regarding creativity, customer delight, GUEST SPEAKERS: process of innovation, and brand strategy. "Developing a GNH Module for a Knowledge Economy" (Kinga Tshering, IOH) SESSION RATING (1 - LEAST SATISFACTORY, 4 - MOST SATISFACTORY): "Comprehensive National Development Plan" (Krishna Subba, JICA) "Social and Environmental Sustainability & Happiness" (Sangay Thinley, IOH} P A G E 6 RESEARCH Bhutan incorporates GNH into every aspect of its economic development, policy landscape, and social construct. Therefore, the IOH will conduct research into the following areas, which broadly represent the four pillars of GNH: Environment Governance Culture Economic Development Research themes that we hope to pursue reflects spiritual Environmental Research includes Cultural Research studying climate change, practices related to Bhutanese renewable energy, Himalayan Buddhism, community and rural studies, and glacial lakes. development, tourism and hospitality, and dispute resolution, mediation, and arbitration. Nu. Governance involves studying Economic Development includes happiness in public service, promoting evidence-based policies, democracy and innovation, ethical social enterprises, social impact politicking, leadership and media investment, infrastructure, and training, corporate strategy, and urban issues. business management. P A G E 7 COLLABORATION IE UNIVERSITY, SPAIN APRIL 11 - 26, 2019 The IOH offers opportunities for Experiencing the outdoors collaboration between Bhutanese 2 and testing people's institutions and other institutions of leadership abilities higher learning and policy design, both domestic and internationally. Students got to experience both the joy and the challenges of surviving in the wilderness as well The IE- Bhutan Trek is organised for as appreciate the pristine impact of under-graduate students studying the environment on our overall at the IE University in Spain to visit well-being. Bhutan. This trek had two main objectives Institutional visits (meeting 1 with government officials, civil society groups, etc) The trek explored policy making based on GNH principles and how those lessons could be applied to our own lives and the organisations, communities and countries we aspire to serve. QUESTIONS EXPLORED: 1. How is GNH implemented in Bhutan? 2. How can happiness be a competitive advantage for organisations and countries? 3. How do we think about balancing happiness and productitvity in our personal lives, the organisations and institutions we lead, and our broader cultures? P A G E 8 HARVARD CONFERENCE APRIL 13, 2019 This inaugural student-led Re-imagining Happiness for a Better Happiness Conference at the World explored specific initiatives Harvard Divinity School explored in the economic, technological, the questions, "how do we govern environmental, health, spiritual, and for happiness? How do we ethical domains for cultivating and approach measuring happiness?" measuring happiness in among others about the global communities and organizations movement in happiness. across the globe. The GNH Conference at Harvard sought to create awareness about various GNH frameworks and develop an action plan on how we may collectively attain happiness by drawing from the knowledge of happiness experts in academia, business, politics, and religion. P A G E 9 SOME OF THE SPEAKERS Dean David N. Hempton Dean, Harvard Divinity School; Alonzo L. McDonald, Family Professor of Evangelical Theological Studies, John Lord O’Brian Professor of Divinity Her Excellency Doma Tshering Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan to the United Nations Professor Wolfgang Dreschler Professor of Governance, Tallinn University of Technology’s Ragnar Nurkse Department Professor John Helliwell Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia Professor Sophus Reinert Associate Professor, Harvard Business School Dasho Karma Tshiteem Chairman, Bhutan Royal Civil Service Commission Professor Neil Gershenfeld Director of MIT’s Center for Bits and