The GoodWork™ Project Timeline

1994
1995 Psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon, and Howard Gardner spend the year together at the Center for Advanced
Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford California. Over the course of the year, they develop rough plans for a collaborative project,
which they entitle The Humane Creativity Project. A wide ranging search for funding results in an initial grant from the Hewlett
Foundation, followed shortly by co-funding from the Ford Foundation and Courtney Ross.

In the ensuing fifteen years, several dozen researchers at five different universities have participated. The project has been funded by
several national foundations as well as a number of private donors. The GoodWork Project has mainly taken place in the United States,
though international collaborations are underway in Scandinavia and contacts have been established with researchers and practitioners in
many countries.

1997
Hans Henrik Knoop of the Royal Danish School of educational Studies joins the Humane Creativity project as the first international
partner doing pilot studies in Latvia.

1997
2006 The Humane Creativity Project changes its name to the GoodWork Project. Researchers begin to conduct in-depth interviews with
professionals in genetics and journalism. In the course of this decade, researchers speak to over 1200 workers drawn from 9 domains:
journalism, genetics, theater, business, K-12 education, higher education, law, medicine, and philanthropy. Individuals range in age
and professional stage; the interview subjects include 10-15 year-olds, high school students, individuals in the first few years of their
careers, many professionals at the height of their careers, and veteran professionals.

1998
2001 Hans Henrik Knoop, together with colleagues Ebbe Vestergaard, Frans Ørsted Andersen and Inge Svendsen, conducts studies of good
work in Education and Journalism. Several papers and reports are published in Danish and English.

2001
The Traveling Curriculum in Journalism is developed in collaboration with the Committee of Concerned Journalists. This application is
a series of “traveling” training workshops for mid-career journalists that address standards of the domain.

The Project’s first book-length publication, Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet (Basic Books) is published in September 2001.

First course based on GoodWork themes and findings: “GoodWork in Education: When Excellence, Engagement, and Ethics Meet” is
taught at Harvard University (Howard Gardner).

2002
Additional courses based on good work themes and findings are initiated in the United States. Including “GoodWork in the Global
Context” at New York University (Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and Howard Gardner); “Integration of Liberal Studies” at San Jose State
(Susan Verducci); “Communication in Organizations” at Colorado State University (Kirsten Broadfoot); “Ethics and Professional
Identity: What is Good Work?” at Georgetown Law School (Carrie Menkel-Meadow); “Entrepreneurship and Good Work” at Brown
University (Josef Mittlemann).

First GoodWork Project conference held in Copenhagen at the Danish University of Education in participation with William Damon
and Howard Gardner.

2003
Other specimen courses in this country: “Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet” at Harvard University (Howard Gardner);
“GoodWork in the Global Context” at New York University (Marcelo Suárez-Orozco and Howard Gardner); “Integration of Liberal
Studies” at San Jose State (Susan Verducci); “Communication in Organizations” at Colorado State University (Kirsten Broadfoot);
“Ethics and Professional Identity: What is Good Work?” at Georgetown Law School (Carrie Menkel-Meadow); “Entrepreneurship and
Good Work” at Brown University (Josef Mittlemann).

2004
The GoodWork Toolkit is developed to encourage young individuals and their teachers, coaches, supervisors, and mentors to talk about
and reflect on issues of “good work.” In 2004, researchers pilot the series of portraits and activities/prompts with individual teachers
from many different schools.

Second GoodWork Project conference held in Copenhagen at the Danish University of Education in participation with Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura.

Good Business published (Viking Books).

 Making Good published (Harvard University Press).

The Moral Advantage published (Berrett-Koehler Publishers).

2005
The team begins implementing the GoodWork Toolkit within a whole school culture (students, teachers, faculty, parents) and
facilitating workshops for professionals in education (at Harvard Project Zero and other educational settings).

Daedalus volume published, dedicated in part to findings from the Project.

“The Trust & Trustworthiness Project,” a study of young people’s trust conceptions, launched (Harvard).

2006
College workshops based on web-based surveys of students and educators at three colleges are organized by Claremont Graduate
University staff. Feedback from the surveys is shared with stakeholders at these colleges. Conversations revolve about the implications of
misalignment within the institutions.

“Meaningful Work in a Meaningful Life,” a college-level course, is developed in collaboration with Rushworth Kidder and the Institute
for Global Ethics for Colby College (Waterville, ME). This for-credit course is hosted by the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and
Civic Engagement.

Collaboration launched with Lloyd Thacker (Education Conservancy) to address issues of college admissions.

Taking Philanthropy Seriously published (Indiana University Press).

“The GoodPlay Project,” a study of youth and digital ethics, launched (Harvard).

2007
Responsibility at Work published (JosseyBass).

“Quality in Objects and Experiences” study launched (Harvard).

“The Developing Minds and Digital Media” project launched (Harvard).

“Youth Purpose Project” launched, involving field work in high schools in U.S. and U.K (Stanford).

“The Sources of Good Mentoring” project launched (Claremont).

Claremont Graduate University begins offering Master’s and Ph.D. programs in positive psychology building on good work research.

2007
2010 Project Zero Classroom and Future of Learning Institute workshops focus on the GoodWork Toolkit and The GoodPlay Project
(Harvard).

2008
“Good Collaboration in Education” study launched (Harvard).

Trust in Philanthropy study launched by Susan Verducci and Andreas Schoeer, University of Heidelberg.

2008
2010 “Reflecting on Your Life” sessions, a collaboration between the GoodWork team, Harvard Freshman Dean’s Office, and Harvard
Professor Richard Light launched (Harvard).

2009
Good Mentoring published (Jossey Bass).

Youth, Ethics, and the New Digital Media published (The MIT Press).

Goodworktoolkit.org website launched.

2010
GoodWork is the theme of Annual Expeditionary Learning Conference (Kansas City).

GoodWork is a theme of the 5th European Conference on Positive Psychology in Copenhagen; with participation from Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi, William Damon, Howard Gardner, and Jeanne Nakamura.

GoodWork is among the main research topics at the new research unit for positive psychology at Aarhus University headed by Hans
Henrik Knoop.

GoodWork: Theory and Practice published.

 American Civic Purpose project launched (Stanford).

“Good Participation: A Qualitative Study of Youth and Participatory Politics” launched (Harvard).

*** Major publications, Good Work (2001), Making Good (2004), Good Business (2004), The Moral Advantage (2004); Daedalus (Summer
2005), Taking Philanthropy Seriously (2006), Responsibility at Work (2007). Over 50 research papers posted on this website.

A research unit of Harvard Project Zero, Stanford Center on Adolescence, and the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University.
©2010, President & Fellows of Harvard College.