Harvard University

In 1994-95, psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon, and Howard Gardner spent a year discussing their common research interests and exploring new avenues of research. By the end of their residency, they decided to join forces on an ambitious line of study, which became known as the GoodWork Project. They identified the question at the heart of the Project: How do individuals continue to perform work of high quality, at a time when things are changing very quickly, our sense of space and time is being radically altered by technology, market forces are very powerful, and the forces that have traditionally tempered markets are weak? The trio engaged in the study of work in nine different professional spheres: science (genetics), art (theater), pre-collegiate education, higher education, law, medicine, journalism, business, and philanthropy. Now completing its 15th year, the Project has accomplished considerable research, issued numerous publications, and launched several promising practical initiatives. Its websites attract visitors from all over the world, and they receive inquiries on a daily basis from all over the world. However, such achievements are far-flung and fractured. This grant would support a two-week residency to synthesize what has been learned, pull it together in readily accessible form, and consider which lines of work might be carried out going forward.