Commencement Wrap Up 2022

by Lynn Barendsen

For the first time in a couple of years, it appears that a majority of Commencement celebrations have taken place in person. College seniors—who have certainly seen their share of disruption over the past two years—gathered together with family, friends and mentors to celebrate their accomplishments and mark the transition into their next stage of life.

And, in another return to relative “normalcy,” dignitaries from multiple worlds stood behind podiums to offer wisdom to the class of 2022, many of whom are poised to enter the working world. Perhaps not surprisingly, we see a number of good-work related themes in their words.

Vice President Kamala Harris, addressing the graduating class at Tennessee State University, emphasized the unique promise of this class. Here at The Good Project, we might understand her advice as turning “obstacles into opportunity” as she points to their particular vantage point and the possibilities they might see from their perspective:

“As the class of 2022, you bring possibility to the table.  You are a generation that grew up online and survived a pandemic.  You are familiar with a world that, for many of us, feels a bit strange and new.  You have been engaged with this world since you were little… Most importantly, you have the ability to see what can be, unburdened by what has been.  To look at the challenges facing us and find solutions that generations before could have never imagined.”

Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, addressing the graduating class at the University of Pennsylvania, used the moment to talk about responsibility, and to place the responsibility for change squarely on the shoulders of the graduates:

"We've nearly broken this Republic of ours, but somehow you've got to fix it. You're going to have to initiate a new movement, a new Union Army, that must be dedicated above all else—including your career and personal advancement—to the preservation of this country's civic ideals. You'll have to learn, and then re-teach the rest of us that equality—real equality is the hallmark and birthright of all Americans."

Grammy award winning musician Taylor Swift, addressing the graduating class at NYU, emphasized the importance of learning and resilience (or, in good work terms, pausing to find time to reflect before moving forward):

“There will be times in life when you need to stand up for yourself. Times when the right thing is to back down and apologize. Times when the right thing is to fight, times when the right thing is to turn and run. Times to hold on with all you have and times to let go with grace. Sometimes the right thing to do is to throw out the old schools of thought in the name of progress and reform. Sometimes the right thing to do is to listen to the wisdom of those who have come before us. How will you know what the right choice is in these crucial moments? You won’t… hard things will happen to us. We will recover. We will learn from it. We will grow more resilient because of it.”

Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and chief executive of Chobani, spoke to the graduating class at Northeastern University. He told a classic “good work” story, one in which he was torn between responsibilities as he tried to build a business that was at once, good to his employees and good for business. Ulakaya explained that as Chobani started to grow, he realized that there was a community of refugees close by who were eager for employment. He was advised not to hire them, that his company would be boycotted, and that IF he decided to hire them, he should certainly keep this fact quiet. His response—and his encouragement to new graduates—was to find and speak their own truth:

“I said, ‘If I’m going to lose everything, I’m going to speak the truth!’ That’s what we did. We hired a few refugees, and then we hired more, and we hired more. Today, we are the leading brand of Greek yogurt in America—and we have hundreds and hundreds of immigrants and refugees working for us in Idaho and upstate New York.”

Finally, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, speaking at Harvard’s Commencement, spoke to the importance of embracing diverse opinions, productive disagreement and trust: 

“The issues we navigate as a society will only intensify. The disinformation will only increase. The pull into the comfort of our tribes will be magnified. But we have it within us to ensure that this doesn’t mean we fracture. We are the richer for our difference, and poorer for our division. Through genuine debate and dialogue, through rebuilding trust in information and one another, through empathy – let us reclaim the space in between. After all, there are some things in life that make the world feel small and connected, let kindness be one of them.”

These commencement speakers relayed messages of hope and overcoming obstacles with tenacity at a time when the challenges we face feel unprecedented. Originally intended for the graduates, their words offer a source of much-needed inspiration for all of us.

The Good Project Core Concepts: Alignment and Misalignment

by Danny Mucinskas

Think about your current work and the organization or team that you are a part of. Take a moment to ask yourself some of the following questions:

• What are my goals? What are my colleagues’ goals? What are the goals of our organization or workplace?

• Do my colleagues share my opinions about our shared goals?

• How are the goals of our work made visible or tangible?

• What can I do to understand and bridge areas where others do not share my own views of our work?

It might be the case that you feel you know your goals well, that common goals are shared and discussed in your organization, and that others around you also subscribe to them. Or, less fortunately, you might feel the opposite.

In a previous blog post (linked), I emphasized the importance of personal and institutional mission statements and the role they can play in answering some of these questions and in guiding work to common purposes. Mission statements can help clarify the goals of individual and shared work and help to guide decisions.

When our team began The Good Project and researched a variety of professions, we looked not only at individuals but at all the constituencies involved in the work (e.g., in education, we spoke to students, teachers, administrators, and parents). In surveying the opinions of the various constituencies, we found two general states among the sectors we studied.

• Alignment: The people involved in a workplace or profession share the same goals as one another and have similar views of what constitutes success. Using the dimensions of “good work,” people in aligned workplaces or sectors have common understandings of excellence, of ethical behavior, and of what engages them in the work. This makes it easier for people to do good work with one another. It makes it more likely that quality, enjoyable work will be done together and less likely that ethical breaches will occur.

• Misalignment: The people involved in work together do not share similar goals or views about what their work should achieve. This situation can be due to differences of opinions at the individual level or to underlying structural issues. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to agree upon what successful work looks like. People are likely to work at cross-purposes, and “good work” is less likely to be achieved. Workers may feel disconnected from one another, and ethical mistakes can be made.

At the time of our investigation, we observed prototypical examples of aligned and misaligned professional domains.

First, genetics represented an aligned area. The interviewees we spoke to were united in a single common vision of bettering human life through scientific discovery. The common purpose united workers, providing them with a shared sense of excellence and a conviction that the work was serving ethical ends.  

Second, and not as happily, journalism was misaligned, especially between constituency groups. Depending upon their role, workers in the field seemed to have different priorities for what journalism was supposed to be or achieve. For example, while editors might have wanted to ensure profitability and involvement of their media outlets with high profile issues, rank-and-file journalists wanted to take part in investigative reporting that interested them, and readers and viewers of news largely just wanted to obtain information quickly and for free.

These two examples serve as models that might apply or relate to numerous workplaces today. Many of our readers come from the education sector, and if we were to guess, we might say that education is likely misaligned as a whole, although there are specific schools and institutions that have been able to help resolve or bring these misalignments together to form something new. For example, Wendy Fischman and Howard Gardner’s new book The Real World of College describes how higher education institutions are today torn between the desires of multiple constituencies (e.g., should colleges be places that prepare students to get jobs, to learn about a topic area in-depth, or to be personally transformed?). The authors make recommendations regarding how colleges today might react to these misalignments via better onboarding processes, for instance.

It is also possible to think about alignment and misalignment through a political lens. At the national level, the federal government of the United States has moved from a period of relative alignment about issues like environmental protection in the 1970s and 1980s and being “tough on crime” in the 1990s to extreme misalignment today about issues including climate change, healthcare, gun control, and abortion. As in workplaces, “good work” politically is easier to achieve when people are aligned. Congress was able to cooperate in the past to pass legislation that was effective. In the present, it is extremely difficult to see a productive path forward, given considerable misalignments in perspectives about the work that the government should be doing.

However, we also believe that misalignment is not a hopeless situation and can result in great creativity. Misalignments about the goals and purposes of work represent an opportunity for those who can to invest in repairing them and to problem-solve with others. If people within a workplace are experiencing misaligned perspectives, it may be time to launch a new program or protocol that will help people find commonality. While in most cases not simple or easy, the benefits of attempting to bridge misalignments will be worth it if doing “good work” becomes easier as a result.

In the end, none of us does our work completely alone without interfacing or at least having an effect on others, and we will all contend with areas of alignment and misalignment in daily practice. It is also likely to be the case that most organizations and fields aren’t completely aligned or misaligned but fall somewhere in the middle, with these two states as opposite ends of a spectrum. 

Consider where your workplace falls and how you might wish to open up conversations with others about the purposes of your work and what excellence, ethics, and engagement should look like in your context. It may also be useful to take stock of who the parties or constituencies are that influence your work, taking time to deliberately step back and reflect on where differences in views might cause difficulties or disagreements. For example, certain colleagues might make decisions influenced by personal pressures not experienced by others, or a supervisor might see the work of your organization fulfilling a different purpose than you do.

Below are some resources you might use to explore alignment and misalignment.

• A video explaining alignment and misalignment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4jkCNA48xg&list=PL5sNbw1uznitpzLCwnv49tgumEAh1bcxG

• The Good Collaboration Toolkit, a resource that attempts to create better alignment between partners in a collaborative endeavor

• “When In Doubt… Make It Excellent,” a dilemma about a teen working at a school newspaper and navigating expectations of others

• A blog on the meaning of solidarity at work

May 2022 Resources Round-Up

by Shelby Clark

Each month, we spend some time gathering and sharing some of the latest newsletters, podcasts, and other resources that keep us informed. Learn more below about new ways to keep up to date with the latest topics and issues related to social good, character, and education.

Newsletters you might want to sign up for… 

The TED-Ed Daily  (here)

TED-Ed aims to help educators “discover ideas that spark the curiosity of learners,” “create customized lessons for [their] students,” and “inspire [their] students to share their big ideas.” “The weekly newsletter delivers excellent TED-Ed content to your inbox every Saturday. It’s your one-stop shop for everything TED-Ed from the previous week including TED-Ed Animations, TED Talks Lessons, TED-Ed Best of Web and blog posts. Don’t have time to check ed.ted.com every day? This newsletter is a perfect solution.”

Jobs for the Future (here)

“Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the American workforce and education systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all.” JFF focuses on three areas: equity, employer needs, and the future of work. They “focus on today’s most urgent issues while preparing for the future.” Sign up for one or all of their many issues touching on topics such as policy, research, corporate leadership, and more. 

Podcasts that might interest you… 

The Education Gadfly Show (here)

“For more than 15 years, the Fordham Institute has been hosting a weekly podcast, The Education Gadfly Show. Each week, you’ll get lively, entertaining discussions of recent education news, usually featuring Fordham’s Mike Petrilli and David Griffith. Then the wise Amber Northern will recap a recent research study.”

How to Be a Better Human (here)

“Join How to Be a Better Human as we take a look within and beyond ourselves.How to Be a Better Human isn’t your average self improvement podcast. Each week join comedian Chris Duffy in conversation with guests and past speakers as they uncover sharp insights and give clear takeaways on how YOU can be a better human. From your work to your home and your head to your heart, How to Be a Better Human looks in unexpected places for new ways to improve and show up for one another. Inspired by the popular series of the same name on TED’s Ideas blog, How to Be a Better Human will help you become a better person from the comfort of your own headphones.”

People Taking Action Podcast (here)

“People Taking Action is a podcast intended to publish the inspiring actions of people fighting for a sustainable future. By interviewing leaders who are pioneering their own environmentally sustainable projects, whether it be in advocacy, climate change mitigation or adaptation, or technical and community projects, we want to bring their voices to the forefront. Drawing on a global network of inspiring professionals, this podcast brings a positive, upbeat and informal perspective to the sustainability podcast scene.”

Webinars to check out … 

CASEL’s Demystifying Systemic Social and Emotional Learning: 10-Part Series  (here)

“Educators around the globe are seeing an increase in demand and attention to social and emotional learning (SEL) to create successful and equitable outcomes for young people. As a result, education leaders are grappling with what high-quality, systemic social and emotional learning looks like in schools, what the current research says, and what policies will best support students. This monthly series of thought leadership webinars addresses ten key aspects of high-quality systemic SEL. Join CASEL and collaborators for insights on prioritizing academic, social, and emotional learning for all students across all school contexts.”

Next Level Lab’s Distinguished Speakers Series  (here)

“The Next Level Lab Distinguished Speaker Series launched in Spring 2022 to provide an opportunity for the broader community to learn from scholars who are engaged in work related to the learning sciences, innovative learning design and technology, and workforce development. Summaries of prior presentations are posted at the links [on this website], along with video recordings of the sessions where available. We hope you can join us when the series resumes in Fall 2022!”

Top 5 Articles - Spring 2022

by Kirsten McHugh

Over the last few weeks, there has been no shortage of provocative and interesting articles, books, and podcasts related to “good work”. As always, our team would like to share the Top 5 articles we have been reading with you all. We hope you enjoy these pieces, that they give you some “food for thought”, and that they contribute to your thinking about what it means to do “good work”.

1. In the latest Good Project Newsletter (link here), we highlight a few articles and tools for effective communication with those who hold beliefs or values different from your own. In keeping with the theme of encouraging respectful discourse, take a look at this article from The Ethics Centre’s Dr. Tom Dean, “How To Have A Conversation About Politics Without Losing Friends” (link here).

2. Ethics Unwrapped is well-known for their video series and case studies of ethical scandals. They also have a blog series in which they explore the behavioral ethics of scandals in current events. They recently released a third part in their series focused on the infamous “Varsity Blues” scandal (here), in response to the Sports Illustrated piece on Coach Center (here). This latest post by Robert Prentice takes a look at one of the central though perhaps less glamorous players in this story—a tennis coach who accepted a “marginally qualified” student in return for a bribe from the student’s wealthy parents. 

3. In a recent Slate Magazine article, Karmela Padavic-Callaghan and Hossein Taheri examine the barriers women face to fully participating in their careers and contributing to their fields. In their article “Women Have Been Disappearing From Science for As Long As They’ve Been Allowed to Study Science” (here), the authors compare the career trajectories of scientific heroines Madame Curie and Harriet Brooks, pointing out the differences in each of the women’s support networks, along with how that contributed to (or hindered) their ability to fully engage in their work. The authors draw parallels between the barriers that ultimately ended Brooks’s career and those that still affect many women today. 

4. Here at The Good Project, we encourage students to engage in respectful dialogue and deep reflection. Many of the lessons in our new curriculum (here), incorporate opportunities for students to discuss big issues, listen to the range of perspectives in their class, and identify what they personally find meaningful in their work as students and members of a community. A team from The Civic Engagement Research Group just published a new related study in the American Journal of Education. In “Is Responsiveness to Student Voice Related to Academic Outcomes? Strengthening the Rationale for Student Voice in School Reform”, Kahne et al. argue that strengthening student voice leads to academic benefits such as higher attendance rates and better grades. Access the article and a short summary here. 

5. Stateside, it seems like every conversation about work quickly leads to a discussion of “The Great Resignation”. There is a lot of “doom and gloom” talk by those who believe that Americans have abandoned their attachment to work and to their identities as professionals. However, Carolyn Chen argues in her recent article “What the Anti-work Discourse Gets Wrong”, published in The Atlantic (link here), that the work culture we see in places like Silicon Valley–where companies provide access to benefits such as meditation spaces and mindfulness retreats in an effort to foster “devotion to work”—is “not an outlier but a harbinger for American professionals.” Chen states that, despite the rhetoric, “...many professionals describe a good job with words such as calling, mission, and purpose—terms that were once reserved for religion.” 

   Our work highlights the 3 E’s of “good work”—excellence, ethics, and engagement. This framework came out of the original “Good Work” study of 1,700 professionals back in the mid-1990s. In that study, those participants who were doing what we would consider to be “good work” were very much finding purpose and meaning in their professions. Although the decades since that original study have seen many changes in the way we work, it appears that engagement holds steady as a central tenet of what Americans seek in their employment.

The Good Project Core Concepts: Responsibility

by Lynn Barendsen

As we think about what’s involved in carrying out good work and the challenges we face in our efforts, whether or not we realize it, issues of responsibility are often at the core of our decision-making. Some examples:

• Should I stick to my principles and speak up in a group meeting or go along with a majority that feels otherwise? 

• Should I confront my colleague about hurtful actions or remain quiet in an effort to keep the peace? 

• Should I tell the truth or remain quiet to protect someone close to me?

In the mid 1990s, when we began our research into what eventually became a study of good work, we interviewed well over a thousand workers in a variety of different domains. One of the most revealing questions we asked was “to whom or what do you feel responsible in your work?” Using this question as a reflection prompt for students and for educators, we have been struck by the impact of this simple inquiry. One student, having written a long list of his responsibilities, said “no wonder I’m so stressed!” Of course, simply making a list of responsibilities doesn’t mean that choices between them are spontaneously clear or obvious. But the process does help to reveal the factors that pull us in various directions, and sometimes this additional information can aid in decision-making.

When we grapple with ethical dilemmas, we are often wrestling with conflicting responsibilities:  responsibilities to ourselves, to our friends, to our families, to our co-workers, our workplace or profession, or to the wider world. Some of us express a sense of responsibility to our religion, to our identity or identities, to principles or ideals. Responsibility is a core idea on The Good Project for many reasons: how we understand our responsibilities (and which responsibilities take priority) is closely related to what we value and, which of those values have priority, how we construe our roles in the world, and what we understand our identities to be. Taking ownership for our work and its impact on the world is key to our understanding of what it means to do good work.

Over the years, we have written a great deal on the topic of responsibility. In fact, we’ve written an entire book on the topic, where various authors examine different aspects of responsibility through the lens of “good work” and additional perspectives: i.e., the relationship between creativity and responsibility, how responsibility may be understood differently by various groups (genders, types of workers, individuals who are/are not religious), considering responsibility as an “ability” to be responsive. 

In the world of education, teachers juggle multiple responsibilities, and during these past few years, many have felt overburdened by them. Although many tell us they feel their primary responsibility is to their students, they are conflicted about how best to fulfill these obligations. Some examples of dilemmas in which teachers struggle with responsibility might be found here (links in titles):

• The Protest: A teacher struggles to decide whether to take a stance about an issue she believes in (responsibility to ideal) or to respect another’s privacy (responsibility to colleague).

• Discriminating Decisions: An educator is deeply conflicted about following directions at work when the request conflicts with her core beliefs (responsibility to workplace versus responsibility to an ideal).

• The Meaning of Grades: A professor grapples between his responsibility to his beliefs (learning for learning’s sake) versus responsibility to his students (opportunities that might be lost if their grades aren’t top notch).

• Looking Good: The issue of grade inflation is explored from a slightly different angle as a teacher in a new pilot school is torn between his responsibilities to his students and to the school itself.

• Excellence at Risk: A teacher’s safety is at risk when a student threatens her, and she is torn about whether or not to press charges (responsibilities to self, to student, to the community).

We offer a number of additional resources on our website that address responsibility in various ways:

• This video describes the research findings that led to the development of the Circles of Responsibility.

• These writing prompts which encourage reflection about our various obligations and decision-making.

• This video, in which the GP team uses the idea of responsibility to unpack and analyze an ethical dilemma from our dilemmas database.

• Several blogs tackle the topic of responsibility from varied angles. Howard Gardner uses the rings of responsibility in this blog to analyze the life and work of John F. Kennedy. Two blogs consider responsibility in light of the COVID pandemic: Shelby Clark writes about encouraging student responsibility during the pandemic here; in this blog, Kirsten McHugh uses the rings of responsibility as a tool to reflect on how understandings of personal and professional responsibilities since the beginning of the pandemic.

Revisiting responsibilities regularly can be a useful exercise, especially as most of us are regularly juggling multiple obligations. Taking the time to pause, reflect and consider our responsibilities (perhaps using the 5 Ds as a guide) may help to identify core values driving our work.