Organizational Happiness Dimensions as a Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals: A Prospective Study in Higher Education Institutions in Chile, Colombia and Spain

José Luis Silva Munar,Laura Martínez-Buelvas,Susana De Juana-Espinosa,Yanina Vecchiola Abarca,Joan Orellana Tirado

doi:10.3390/su122410502

José Luis Silva Munar, Laura Martínez-Buelvas + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410502

Copy DOI

Abstract

The aim of this study is to reveal the perception of current and future organizational happiness in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs) in a cross-national study, to reveal exploratory scenarios supporting the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). Six dimensions of organizational happiness were considered for this study: Meaning, reliable relationships, positive emotions, engagement, achievement and recognition, and personal and professional development. To do so, Delphi methodology was used. An online survey was addressed to academics and support staff from three HEIs in different countries (Chile, Colombia and Spain), whose answers were analyzed using the Approximation of Qualitative Profiles mathematical technique. The results of this analysis show that there is a favorable prospective for happy workplaces, in all the dimensions for all countries. The implications of this research will serve HEIs’ human management practitioners to formulate effective policies for sustainable workplaces based on organizational happiness.

Highlights

The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is one of the most ambitious and influential global agreements in recent years. This agenda [1] presents a framework of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, which are based on the eight Millennium Development Goals of 2000, for the fight against poverty [2] and on a “universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere” [3] by 2030
The masculinity dimension varies between the studied countries, with Colombia leaning towards to a more masculine society, in which people are more concerned with success and status than the more feminine culture and well-being-oriented Chilean society, or the neutral Spain, where balancing and inclusive behaviors are more appreciated
Before analyzing the research results, a Chi-squared test was used to analyze if there were any differences in the perspectives of the consulted experts with respect to some control variables, such as gender, country and tenure, on the probability of finding happiness at work

Summary

Introduction

The United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is one of the most ambitious and influential global agreements in recent years. SDG No 3 aims to ensure good health and well-being, which translates into guaranteeing the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and well-being for people of all ages [4], with a multidisciplinary approach [5] This SDG is currently of special interest given the threat to global health posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moraes and Barreiro [7] claim that the level of an employee’s well-being or happiness at work can be explained both by the contribution of individual factors such as values, personality and goals, and the impact of organizational characteristics such as culture, work and the context in which they are developed. There is sufficient evidence that researchers in the field of business organization have worked to better understand the role of work in the overall well-being of an individual [9,10]

Objectives

Methods

Results