The AI train is barreling down the tracks, scaring us, exciting us, and making a heck of a din. It can write poems, detect climate-changing weather patterns, and quasi-translate whale songs. Pew has predicted that nearly one in five U.S. workers is in a job highly likely to be transformed by AI. It is a game-changer.
The Business Case for Love
It’s the most powerful driver of consumer and employee behavior — and yet, businesses don’t study it or have a strategy to harness it.
October 12, 2023
Fernando Trabanco Fotografía/Getty Images
Summary.
While AI is a game changer, it is far from the most powerful force in business today. The author, who has spent decades studying the most engaged teams — and the most loyal customers — has identified one force that powerfully drives consumer and employee behavior: love. When someone says they “love” doing a certain activity, his research has found that it’s not a careless exaggeration — it means that when doing the activity, the person is flourishing. Employees who love what they do feel at ease, in control, deeply absorbed in what they’re doing, and are more productive. Customers who love a product are not only loyal; they’re likely to become advocates for a brand. Yet most businesses don’t study why people love their product or love working for them, nor do they have a strategy for unleashing it. This article offers examples of how organizations can design love into their offerings.