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Joy at Work, by Dennis Bakke is the story of energy giant AES and their unique way of doing business. Bakke was an original founder and served as CEO until 2002, when he retired after the company’s stock went down the tubes during the Enron scandal. I admit that I had a very hard time taking most of what he said seriously once I knew that he was forced out of his own company, but now that I’ve read the entire book, I think that he spoke with credibility and authenticity in the book.

The last page of the book, and on Bakke’s site, he lists his Top 10. Number 2 is “The purpose of business is not to maximize profits for shareholders but to steward our resources to serve the world in an economically sustainable way.” I think that this really resonates with me, as I think most companies today will do anything they can to maximize profits, and do not see a company as a means for serving the world. If you are a person who wants to serve the world, you will probably look to a non-profit or government job, companies don’t seem to fit that description. Number 3 is “Attempt to create the most fun workplace in the history of the world”. This idea was one that got Bakke in some trouble with investors and his board. Most investors don’t like the idea of a company being a place where people have fun, since they must be wasting money.

I heard about this book from an advertisement on a Christian web site, but most of the book was written without direct reference to the Bible or Christian principles. In fact, AES operated in a number of countries where a majority of the employees did not come from a Christian background. He seems to appeal to a general audience throughout most of the book. However, in the postscript, Bakke talks about a number of personal examples from his church. For example, he discusses the common segmentation in Evangelical churches where “full-time” Christian work is elevated above public sector work which is elevated above private sector work. As a result, most Christians see the 2-10 hours a week they put in at church as the work that has a spiritual impact, and the 40+ hours a week they spend at work as having no spiritual impact. Pastors should learn how to help their congregations see their work as their calling, and that God can and will use them in business roles to have an impact for the kingdom.

One other idea that was quite interesting is for churches to consider commissioning individuals into their business jobs. We commission missionaries and pastors, but why not people in industry and business? Bakke had asked his church for accountability for how he ran his business, and he didn’t get a response from his elder board. I wonder if my church would be any different? I think we demand a lot of accountability for the stewardship of all money given to our local church, but do we hold ourselves and our own companies to the same standards? I think Christians should be in willing and churches should be ready to help with accountability in these areas.

The book dragged on a bit longer than I think was necessary. I really liked the first few and last chapters. There was quite a bit of repetition, I think an editor could have trimmed 25-30 pages pretty easily. There is also a lot of good reference material in the appendices for anyone thinking of using the book as a reference for implementing some of the ideas presented.

I would recommend this book for anyone working in the business world and who is disenchanted with the way most companies are run. Whether most people will be able to change their organizations enough to implement these ideas is probably another matter, however I think individual managers and workgroups can use many of these ideas to make work a more joyful place, and Christians can see how their work in business can help redeem this world. If someone is thinking of starting a new company and wants to create a workplace that is fun and fulfilling for its employees, this book might be a good source of ideas.