Stephen M. Ross School of Business Professor
How to Create a Good Business
What You'll Learn
- Understand what “worker well-being” means across different contexts.
- Explore how to use research techniques to find the sweet spot between worker interests and firm interests.
- Understand how to design scalable solutions.
6 Modules
24 Hours
4 hrs per module (approx.)
Rating
About How to Create a Good Business
Prioritizing the wellbeing of workers is not just a good - or ethical - thing to do, but because it makes business sense. A happier, healthier workforce is a more productive workforce. A productive workforce is more likely to attend, perform their best work, and add more value to an organization.
Unfortunately, investing in the well-being of workers isn’t so simple.
In this course, you’ll unpack what “worker wellbeing” means across different contexts, explore how to use research techniques to find the sweet spot between worker interests and firm interests, and understand how to design scalable solutions to enable both parties to thrive.
University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business Professor Achyuta Adhvaryu, Ph.D., co-founder of research nonprofit, Good Business Lab, will guide you through the course, and share how research-based interventions can affect worker and business outcomes. Leaders from academia, research, business, and workers themselves, share their perspectives coupled with academic research to help you design a worker wellbeing intervention of your own.
Whether you’re a student interested in social business, an executive exploring ways to support your teams, or just passionate about this space, there is something in this course for you.
Skills You'll Gain
- Employee Relations
- Ethical Leadership
- People Management
- Social Justice
- Workplace Wellness
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Welcome to How to Create a Good Business, a course designed to explore how prioritizing worker wellbeing can align with business success. You’ll examine real-world case studies, learn research techniques, and discover how to design scalable solutions that benefit both workers and organizations. This course provides practical insights into creating productive, healthy workplaces that thrive.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Is Worker Wellbeing Good Business?
- Video: Meet your Instructor
- Reading: Syllabus
- Discussion Prompt: Introduce Yourself!
- Video: Introduction to the Gamut Workbook Tool
- App Item: Gamut Workbook: Vision Setting
- Reading: Pre-Survey
- Video: Module 1 Introduction
- Video: Is Worker Wellbeing Good Business?
- Reading: Explore the History of the Worker Wellbeing-Business Relationship
- Ungraded Plugin: History of Good Business
- Discussion Prompt: Connection to Worker Wellbeing-Business History
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Anant Ahuja
- Video: Examining Shahi Exports Investment in Worker Wellbeing with Anant Ahuja
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Jill Tucker
- Video: Closer Look at Labor Rights, the Labor Market, and Unionization Movements with Jill Tucker
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Christina Hajagos-Clausen and Apoorva Kaiwar
- Video: Interview with IndustriALL with Christina Hajagos-Clausen and Apoorva Kaiwar
- Reading: Explaining Randomized Control Trials (RCTs)
- Reading: Research Hypotheses
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Smit Gade
- Video: Implementing RCTs with Smit Gade
- Reading: Introduction to "Develop Your Own RCT" Practice
- Graded Assignment: Develop Your Own RCT
- Video: Good Business Lab (GBL) Research Methodology
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Anant Nyshadham
- Video: Introduction to Good Business Lab (GBL) with Anant Nyshadham
Module 2: Impacts of Soft Skill Development on Life and Workplace Outcomes
- Video: Module 2 Introduction
- Video: Impacts of Soft Skill Development on Life and Workplace Outcomes
- Discussion Prompt: What Do Soft Skills Mean to You?
- Discussion Prompt: Soft Skills and their Business Impacts
- Video: Soft Skills in Various Contexts
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Vittorio Bassi
- Video: Soft Skills Research in Uganda with Vittorio Bassi
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Markus Goldstein
- Video: Mission of the World Bank's Gender Innovation Lab
- Reading: Measuring the Impact of Increasing Grit in Turkey
- Reading: Developing Negotiation Skills in Teenage Girls
- Discussion Prompt: Reflection of Case Studies
- Reading: Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) Program
- Video: Evaluation of Gap Inc.'s Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement Program
- Reading: Why Listen to Workers?
- Video: GAP Inc. P.A.C.E. Worker interviews
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Jalandhar Giri
- Video: Supporting the Progression of Female Garment Workers with Jalandhar Giri
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Chitra Ramdas
- Video: The Importance of Developing the Skills of Women Workers with Chitra Ramdas
- Discussion Prompt: Reflection on the Impact of the Gap Inc. P.A.C.E program
- App Item: Soft Skills Development in Your Context
Module 3: Worker Voice
- Video: Module 3 Introduction
- Video: Why Listen to Workers?
- Discussion Prompt: Exit, Voice, and Loyalty
- Reading: Expectations, Wage Hikes, and Worker Voice
- Video: Worker Voice Research
- Video: Introduction to Worker Voice: Anant Nyshadham
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Teresa Molina
- Video: Evaluating the Impact of Worker Voice Interventions with Teresa Molina
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Laura Boudreau
- Video: The Role of Access to Information on Worker-Management Relations with Laura Boudreau
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Jing Cai
- Video: Worker Evaluations and Feedback Channels
- Reading: Improving Labor Standards
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Elena Fanjul- Debnam
- Video: Designing Solutions for the Wellbeing of Workers Across Industries with Elena Fanjul- Debnam
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Rebecca Offensend
- Video: Investing in Worker Voice Tools with Rebecca Offensend
- Discussion Prompt: Value of Worker Voice In Your Setting
- Reading: Considerations for Developing a Worker Voice Tool
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Arvind Patil
- Video: Case Study: Project Inache
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Mamta Pimoli
- Video: What to Consider When Scaling Up an Intervention
- Video: Chitra Ramdas: Guest speaker lecture
- Reading: Worker Interviews: Reactions to Inache
- Video: Worker interviews: Inache (Turn on Subtitles)
- Discussion Prompt: Reflection on Existing Worker Voice Tools
- App Item: Empowering Worker Voice
Module 4: Workplace Environment & Mental Health
- Video: Module 4 Introduction
- Video: How to Build a Resilient Workforce
- Video: Studies on Health, Environment, and Productivity
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Anant Sudarshan
- Video: Effects of Pollution and Climate Change on Labor with Anant Sudarshan
- Reading: The Impact of Temperature on Productivity and Labor Supply
- Reading: Management Interview Introduction
- Video: Management Interview: LED
- Video: Implementation of Programs to Improve the Workplace with Jalandhar Giri
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Joshua Graff Zavin
- Video: Workplace Environment and Worker Productivity with Joshua Graff Zivin
- Reading: Pollution, Worker Efficiency and the Role of Management: Evidence from India
- Discussion Prompt: Looking to the Future
- Reading: For Better Output, Turn Down the Volume
- Discussion Prompt: Coping with a Noisy Workplace
- Reading: Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Workplace
- Reading: Worker Interviews on Menstrual Health: Introduction
- Video: Worker Interviews: Menstrual Health
- Discussion Prompt: Menstrual Health in the Workplace Reflection
- Reading: Worker Interviews on Buddy System Project: Introduction
- Video: Worker Video: Buddy System
- Reading: Guest Speaker Introduction: Huayu Xu
- Video: Impacts of Improvement in Living Conditions with Huayu Xu
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro - Raphaelle Aulagnon
- Video: Impacts of Training Female Migrant Workers on Digital Remittances with Raphaelle Aulagnon
- App Item: Improving Your Workplace Environment
Module 5: The Importance of Managers
- Video: Module 5 Introduction
- Video: Managerial Quality and Business Outcomes
- Reading: Does Management Matter?
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Emir Murathanoglu
- Video: Methodology and Key Findings From the STITCH Evaluation with Emir Murathanoglu
- Reading: Worker Interview Intro: STITCH
- Video: Worker Interviews: STITCH
- Reading: What is Holding Firms Back?
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Jorge Tamayo
- Video: Managerial Quality with Jorge Tamayo
- Discussion Prompt: Barriers to Improvement in Your Setting
- Video: Research Studies on Managerial Quality
- Reading: Guest Speaker Intro: Nick Bloom
- Video: How Do Management Practices Across Firms and Countries Differ with Nick Bloom
- Reading: Do Management Interventions Last?
- App Item: Improving Managerial Quality
Module 6: Worker Wellbeing Plan
- Reading: Develop Your Worker Wellbeing Intervention Plan
- App Item: Gamut Workbook: Brainstorm from Your Workbook Entries
- Reading: Intervention Development Guide & Project Submission Template
- Reading: Post Course Survey
Grading Policy
To earn a certificate, learners must achieve an overall grade of 80%. Assessments include quizzes and a final assignment. Module quizzes are worth 75% of the final grade (15% each), and the “Worker Wellbeing Plan” assignment is worth 25% of the final grade.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
