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Milligan College , Tenn. (Sept. 21, 2007) – Entrepreneur and author Dennis Bakke will share the true story of how he created one of the most “fun” workplaces in history, as told in his bestselling book, “Joy at Work: A Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job,” on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Milligan College.
Bakke co-founded AES, a worldwide energy giant, in 1982 and built it into a multi-billion dollar company – where 40,000 employees in 31 countries sought not the “fun” of the “casual” Friday but the joy of making decisions on Monday.
Bakke is passionate about making work “exciting, rewarding, stimulating and enjoyable.” While most business books focus on top executives, “Joy at Work” is aimed primarily at the working life of the other 90 to 95 percent of people in large organizations. He brings an inspiring message about the potential for experiencing “Joy at Work,” as he reveals the innovations that made AES an unconventional global success story. Additionally, he offers business leaders an exciting new way to live their roles as leaders, to organize their business’s operations and relate to the workforce that, in his own experience, reaped extraordinary performance results. His principles extend beyond the walls of business, and can be applied to non-profit organizations, churches and families.
“Joy at Work” is about two of my passions: To create the most fun workplace in human history and to teach the world the real purpose of large organizations, including businesses,” explained Bakke. “It is the story of my journey, warts and all, to create a workplace where people can use their ability to reason, make important decisions and hold themselves responsible for the results in an effort to help their organizations serve the world in an economically sustainable manner.”
Raised on a farm in Saxon, Wash., Bakke was shaped by his religious faith, his years at Harvard Business School, and his experience working for the Federal Energy Administration. Currently, he serves as president and CEO of Imagine Schools, which operates elementary and secondary charter schools according to the AES model reducing middle management, putting budget and other decisions directly in the hands of teachers, and making it fun to work at school.
Bakke’s lecture will be held at Milligan College’s Seeger Chapel at 11 a.m., Sept. 25, and is free and open to the public.
For more information, visit http://www.milligan.edu/spiritual, or contact Nathan Flora, campus minister, at 423.461.8748.
Visit www.DennisBakke.com to learn more about the “Joy at Work” approach.