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What should a reporter do if his publisher requires him to sensationalize his stories at the expense of legitimate news? What should a geneticist do if she fears that her research will be misused by future generations? In today's profit-driven world, dilemmas like these confront professionals in nearly all fields. How can workers live up to the demands of their jobs and the expectations of society while still taking personal pride in their work? How can they create "good work"—work that is both of expert quality and which also benefits the broader society—in such an environment? Since 1995, three of the country's most renowned psychologists, motivated by a passion to understand how people are able to maintain ethical standards and produce good work in a time of turbulent change and increasing pressure for profit, have sought to answer these questions. In their new book, GOOD WORK: When Excellence and Ethics Meet (Basic Books, October 2001), Howard Gardner, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and William Damon reveal their discoveries, offering a rallying cry for all those who believe that individuals have the power to do good despite the chokehold of government, institutions, and business. The authors conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with people in such disciplines as business, jazz music, philanthropy, theater, and higher education. In GOOD WORK, they focus on two fields, journalism and genetics, both of which are of major importance for the future—one with the potential to control the content of our minds, the other poised to control the content of our bodies. Among those whose voices are included in the book are Katharine Graham, Bob Woodward, Tom Brokaw, James D. Watson, Celera head Craig Venter, Human Genome Sciences head William Haseltine, and cancer researcher Judah Folkman, as well as junior scientists and journalists. Through the participants' anecdotes and comments, the authors offer guidelines for people who feel that their daily work is no longer aligned with their ethical standards. GOOD WORK presents stirring examples of individuals who took personal stands when they felt their values were being compromised:
"Nearly all of us are subjected to many of the same pressures and opportunities that exist in journalism and science," write the authors. "Each of us is dealing with a world in which change is rapid, and market forces and opportunities are extremely powerful." In GOOD WORK, they demonstrate that it is possible to do good work despite these pressures, and show why it is necessary for our future. About the Authors Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced "CHICK-sent-me-high") is Professor at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. His books include the bestselling Flow, Being Adolescent, The Evolving Self, Creativity, Finding Flow, and Becoming Adult. He is a member of the National Academy of Education, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Leisure Sciences. He lives in Claremont, California. William Damon is Professor of Education and Director of the Center on Adolescence at Stanford University. For the past twenty years, Damon has written widely on moral development at all ages of human life. His books include Self-Understanding in Childhood and Adolescence, The Moral Child, Some Do Care, and most recently, The Youth Charter. Damon has received awards from many foundations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and The John Templeton Foundation. He lives in Palo Alto, California. For More Information Respond to this press release with an e-mail to the editor HGSE News, Harvard Graduate School of Education
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