How do we humanize work in an era where technology, control, and efficiency often take precedence over purpose, people, and genuine connection? Rachel Happe challenges the very foundation of how we think about work, arguing that organizations need to move beyond viewing employees and customers as mere inputs into a financial machine and instead see them as the very source of meaning, energy, and long-term success.
A leading voice in community-centric work cultures, she criticizes traditional organizational governance, calling them a mechanistic system built for control and not human flourishing. Our institutions, she argues, are designed like machines, optimized for efficiency at the expense of engagement. As a result, many workplaces have become soulless, sacrificing excellence in favor of reliability and average performance.
But there’s a better way. Good governance invites feedback and fosters agency. And giving people greater control creates the conditions necessary for high performance. By designing governance systems that act more like trellises – structures that support growth rather than constrain it – leaders can create the conditions for creativity, trust, and shared success.
Beyond the workplace, she also explores how our shifting relationship with work has reshaped civic life. She calls for a rebalancing that allows us to reclaim time for community, relationships, and reflection.
Rachel is the founder of Engaged Organizations and co-founded The Community Roundtable in 2009, where she published groundbreaking research that documented the discipline and importance of fostering community-centric cultures. Her clients included BASF, AMEX, Microsoft, and the World Bank Group, among others. Her writing has been published in Harvard Business Review, CMSWire, and Information Week. She is the author of Becoming Hybrid – A Team Collaboration Handbook (2022).
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