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Workplace Well-Being and Human Flourishing: A Case Model of Homeboy Industries and Reducing Gang Recidivism

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The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Well-Being

Abstract

This paper explores the history of human resource management and its contribution, or lack thereof, to human wellness and flourishing in the workplace. The role played by mental, social, and ethical models is considered, and the results of the programs that emerge from past models are found lacking. Because of this fact, and the potential for change that is presented by the latest industrial revolution, an alternative model is put forward. This alternative model, the Human Dignity-Centric Model, was originally constructed by Mea and Sims. The ethical foundations therein can be traced back to Aristotle’s concept of virtue ethics and the more modern articulation of Catholic social doctrine and teaching. An example of this model in practice is found at Homeboy Industries, the Los Angeles, California-based nonprofit that is the largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. By using work as a vehicle for the cultivation of wellness and a virtuous life, Homeboy has left an indelible mark on the lives of its program’s participants and the fabric of the communities that it is involved in. An exploratory quantitative pilot study was conducted, and the results were in accordance with the author’s hypothesis regarding the potential for this model as a generalizable framework that can be applied across the nonprofit sector and beyond.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Leadership, Woodbury University, Burbank, CA, USA

    H. Eric Schockman

  2. Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA

    Cody Thompson

Authors
  1. H. Eric Schockman
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  2. Cody Thompson
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Correspondence to H. Eric Schockman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Woodbury University, Burbank, CA, USA

    Satinder K. Dhiman

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Schockman, H.E., Thompson, C. (2021). Workplace Well-Being and Human Flourishing: A Case Model of Homeboy Industries and Reducing Gang Recidivism. In: Dhiman, S.K. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Workplace Well-Being. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30025-8_62

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